S09.E16: No Survivors

[jewel21]

The firehouse reacts to some exciting news. A mysterious stranger arrives. A shocking call takes Severide's breath away.

Airdate: 05/26/2021

[FnkyChkn34]

Well they aren't all going to die, so... yeah, I don't know. 

But I feel like this was more of an episode from the good old days. There were 3 interesting calls that didn't involve investigations, and firehouse humor. I liked it, though I dislike the cliffhanger! They better all make it, and keeping Taylor Kinney's contract status a secret is a decoy. 

[dovegrey]

The doll people call is something like the third EMS call in a row that has some special meaning to Brett. I wish she was able to make her own decisions without multiple people pushing her.

Why doesn’t the bell ever interrupt Stellaride?

The pacing on this show is bad. It goes from Casey and Brett kissing on shift at 1:00 AM, to a commercial, to the 51 crew at Molly’s at night. So, it skipped nearly an entire 24 hours…which, to me, would seem to have contained some interesting Brettsey scenes after shift. Which I guess entailed standing six feet apart and looking at each other as foreplay. Gee, thanks, COVID.

Totally called Capp’s “invisible” girlfriend as being a bombshell. It's immature and obvious enough that there was no other conclusion to that little plot; like, I'm pretty sure every Disney and Nickelodeon tween show ever has had that same plot. But I kinda think he hired her.

The episode description said there was a mysterious stranger who arrived at 51. Did I miss this? (Was it Capp's girlfriend??)

As always, what a snooze fest. Next season, Squad will find an easy way out of the capsized boat within 15 seconds and 10x1 will be about some silly story along with Boden moving up, Casey becoming batt chief (and can’t marry Brett), and Kidd becoming lieutenant of Truck 81. Don’t see how else this goes, unless Severide dies, Boden stays at 51, and Casey takes Squad (retcon: he’s been Squad certified the whole time, which is TV-believable given some of the stunts he used to pull off).

It's a little insulting that the entire cliffhanger scene is essentially about Severide, from the episode description to constantly focusing on Kidd's face. Ignore the recurring guest stars; fine. But Cruz is a main character with a kid on the way. Severide ain't the only one drowning. 

[mxc90]

The last 10 minutes was the best part. The rest should have been scraped and shown on the Hallmark Channel. I can see Severide or Cruz or Cap dying. Not Tony.

The shots of Casey's face just lamenting or staring or looking for Sylvie was pathetic. Made him look creepy at times. Now those two got it out of their system and after two years of build up.........who cares!

Casey's uncle Jake "staring at a TV and not really watching". Sounds like me watching NBC, from 9 - 10 on Wednesdays. 

Funny how Severide and Kidd failed to mention he proposed during the fire.

If Violet's mom likes the word "Good". I wonder what does "Good for nothing" means to her?

Ritter know Casey has a construction business. 

Cap kept Maize hidden all this time from his co-workers? Cap seems like a man that would be bragging to strangers about her. 

Where was the CFD water unit? 

I guess they needed to use most of the budget for the water scene and saved money with the dull Casey/Sylvie love scene.

I was impressed Severide changed so fast in the Rescue truck from the passenger side.

Did the ambulance take the long route or got lost to the pier? They arrived so late after the Rescue truck arrived.

Little Ezra when you get a little bored watching fire trucks drive by on YouTube, give California highway police chases a try. Very entertaining. I have spent the past year doing it.

Good riddance season 9. I think it's renewed for 2 more seasons. Yikes!

I hope Boden takes the position.

Edited May 27, 2021 by mxc90

[dovegrey]

4 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Well they aren't all going to die, so... yeah, I don't know. 

But I feel like this was more of an episode from the good old days. There were 3 interesting calls that didn't involve investigations, and firehouse humor. I liked it, though I dislike the cliffhanger! They better all make it, and keeping Taylor Kinney's contract status a secret is a decoy. 

I'll be surprised if they're able to keep contract renewals under wraps from the general entertainment sites for much longer, let alone the entire hiatus. (Shay and Otis were able to be kept more or less secret because their actors were quietly released from contracts, IIRC.) 

I somewhat think that if they knew ahead of time that Kinney was leaving AND they plan to kill off Severide, then they would have pulled the trigger and killed him off in this episode for maximum shock value (...or pulled off a Will Gardner or Lucy Knight mid-season death that no one ever, ever saw coming, which would be pretty fantastic for a show like Fire) (that's not a dig at Severide). Then again, Derek Haas knew Monica Raymund was leaving for an entire year and refused to write for it, so who knows.

I do think it's one of their more interesting finales in recent years, though with quite a limited scope in terms of involving only two main characters, one of whom is typically overlooked (I really think Tony and Capp have had more lines than Joe Minoso this year). I desperately wish there was more dramatic cohesion and build up to these types of endings, such as consistently showing Cruz and Chloe getting ready for a kid, then Cruz being in this terrible situation. THAT would be more like the old days, to me. Even when they get close to the old days, it still feels superficial to me.

[WinJet0819]

13 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

The last 10 minutes was the best part. The rest should have been scraped and shown on the Hallmark Channel. I can see Severide or Cruz or Cap dying. Not Tony.

The shots of Casey's face just lamenting or staring or looking for Sylvie was pathetic. Made him look creepy at times. Now those two got it out of their system and after two years of build up.........who cares!

Casey's uncle Jake "staring at a TV and not really watching". Sounds like me watching NBC, from 9 - 10 on Wednesdays. 

Funny how Severide and Kidd failed to mention he proposed during the fire.

If Violet's mom likes the word "Good". I wonder what does "Good for nothing" means to her?

Ritter know Casey has a construction business. 

Cap kept Maize hidden all this time from his co-workers? Cap seems like a man that would be bragging to strangers about her. 

Where was the CFD water unit? 

I guess they needed to use most of the budget for the water scene and saved money with the dull Casey/Sylvie love scene.

I was impressed Severide changed so fast in the Rescue truck from the passenger side.

Did the ambulance take the long route or got lost to the pier? They arrived so late after the Rescue truck arrived.

Little Ezra when you get a little bored watching fire trucks drive by on YouTube, give California highway police chases a try. Very entertaining. I have spent the past year doing it.

Good riddance season 9. I think it's renewed for 2 more seasons. Yikes!

I hope Boden takes the position.

If Boden takes the position, it's going to be a long 2 seasons. Casey as Battalion Chief, while carrying on a relationship with a paramedic at his house would just be pathetic, and scream conflict of interest every episode. "Chief Casey, can I have few moments alone with you in your office? And can you shut the blinds?" Or if he learns that Sylvie is in mild danger, while Squad or Engine is bogged down in a fire. We already who will be the first priority.

I hope it's Severide that dies, so that Boden stays to "keep the house together" like Dawson choosing to stay to keep the house together after Shay died.

[TM101]

I have a feeling it’s Capp who dies, but then again, it could be Severide and then that would set up Kidd to fill his shoes as Lt.

[WinJet0819]

2 minutes ago, TM101 said:

I have a feeling it’s Capp who dies, but then again, it could be Severide and then that would set up Kidd to fill his shoes as Lt.

Not possible for her to fill his shoes as Lt. She's not Squad-certified. Though considering the fact that the show-runners and writers no longer care about authenticity, they could actually drum up some pathetic sob-story about how it's only right that she fill the shoes of her dead fiancé, and the Squad members say they'd be honored to have her lead them. 

[mxc90]

10 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

If Boden takes the position, it's going to be a long 2 seasons. Casey as Battalion Chief, while carrying on a relationship with a paramedic at his house would just be pathetic, and scream conflict of interest every episode. "Chief Casey, can I have few moments alone with you in your office? And can you shut the blinds?" Or if he learns that Sylvie is in mild danger, while Squad or Engine is bogged down in a fire. We already who will be the first priority.

As much as I want Boden to advance............I see your point. It will be Station 19 level of nonsense. Viewers don't deserve this. I recant my statement. Don't take it Boden!!

[Josh371982]

If any one dies it will be Capp or Tony. Unless Taylor Kinney does leave. I dont care my Brettsy shipping heart is glad they finally got it together cause it was like Cmon now is it happening or not! 

[dovegrey]

18 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

If Boden takes the position, it's going to be a long 2 seasons. Casey as Battalion Chief, while carrying on a relationship with a paramedic at his house would just be pathetic, and scream conflict of interest every episode. "Chief Casey, can I have few moments alone with you in your office? And can you shut the blinds?" Or if he learns that Sylvie is in mild danger, while Squad or Engine is bogged down in a fire. We already who will be the first priority.

I hope it's Severide that dies, so that Boden stays to "keep the house together" like Dawson choosing to stay to keep the house together after Shay died.

I can see that with the current writing. Back in the day, Casey kept things pretty separate with Gabby while out on calls, which is the only hope I have. He was having closed-blinds sex with Hallie in his office back in season 1, so that would be relatively in-character for him, haha. 

As it is, that scenario with Casey being distracted by Brett while incident commander can just as easily happen with him as captain. Boden goes to fewer and fewer calls...he’s been made into quite the redundant, if not useless, character. So, to me, it’s kind of a wash. At least BC Casey would probably freshen up dynamics?

[FnkyChkn34]

19 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

If Boden takes the position, it's going to be a long 2 seasons. Casey as Battalion Chief, while carrying on a relationship with a paramedic at his house would just be pathetic, and scream conflict of interest every episode. "Chief Casey, can I have few moments alone with you in your office? And can you shut the blinds?" Or if he learns that Sylvie is in mild danger, while Squad or Engine is bogged down in a fire. We already who will be the first priority.

I hope it's Severide that dies, so that Boden stays to "keep the house together" like Dawson choosing to stay to keep the house together after Shay died.

But did Casey do that when he was married to Gabby?  That's also nearly the same conflict, that didn't already exist when he became her Lieutenant.  As of now, Casey and Brett are in a relationship; if he gets promoted, it really doesn't matter - it's a preexisting relationship before he became Battalion Chief.  I don't remember him losing all focus when working with Gabby, nor does Severide necessarily lose all focus when working with Kidd... I don't really see the need for the premature concern here, but I could be wrong.

They all just need to report their relationships to HR so they are on the record and they can carry on as they please.  

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, dovegrey said:

The episode description said there was a mysterious stranger who arrived at 51. Did I miss this? (Was it Capp's girlfriend??)

As always, what a snooze fest. Next season, Squad will find an easy way out of the capsized boat within 15 seconds and 10x1 will be about some silly story along with Boden moving up, Casey becoming batt chief (and can’t marry Brett), and Kidd becoming lieutenant of Truck 81. Don’t see how else this goes, unless Severide dies, Boden stays at 51, and Casey takes Squad (retcon: he’s been Squad certified the whole time, which is TV-believable given some of the stunts he used to pull off).

I think it had to have been his girlfriend, but that was a poor teaser.  Who cares.

Honestly, I'd be fine with that retcon - it's actually highly plausible.  He's qualified to be a Captain, afterall, so it would make sense that a Captain would need to be Squad-certified.  I'd bet that Boden is.  Kidd or Herrmann?  No.  But Cpt. Casey - sure.

[WinJet0819]

2 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

But did Casey do that when he was married to Gabby?  That's also nearly the same conflict, that didn't already exist when he became her Lieutenant.  As of now, Casey and Brett are in a relationship; if he gets promoted, it really doesn't matter - it's a preexisting relationship before he became Battalion Chief.  I don't remember him losing all focus when working with Gabby, nor does Severide necessarily lose all focus when working with Kidd... I don't really see the need for the premature concern here, but I could be wrong.

They all just need to report their relationships to HR so they are on the record and they can carry on as they please.  

Gabby didn't work under him on truck when they got married. She was back to being a paramedic. If Matt is Battalion Chief, it's an entirely different conflict, as now EVERYONE: Truck, Squad, Engine, Ambo, works under him. So him choosing to be boyfriend first, over chief of the house, would have a much different impact. 

And yes, there were times, when he lost all focus over Gabby. The day he made captain, and Gabby was stuck in that parking lot, he was willing to run in, with no gear and despite the fact truck mates were fully prepared to go in, just because it was Gabby who was trapped. And we haven't seen it with Severide yet, but that's mostly due to the fact he's not in charge of Stella. We have seen the conflict cause Stella to lose all focus. To the point where she let her own oxygen run out, when she knew she was low, just to stay with Severide, and almost lost a lung. And the the fact she was going to have Otis carry an unconscious man by himself in a smoke-filled home just because Severide was stuck, and Casey, of all people, had to reprimand her for it. And then this season, where she hesitated saving victims in a fast moving fire because she heard Severide might be in trouble.

And even if Matt and Brett report their relationship to HR, it's still a conflict of interest that would require one of them to move. At least, in any real firehouse. Being together while he's a captain of truck, and she's PIC on Ambo is one thing. But carrying on a relationship when he's in charge of the entire house, including her girlfriend, has conflict written all over it.

[dovegrey]

13 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

Gabby didn't work under him on truck when they got married. She was back to being a paramedic. If Matt is Battalion Chief, it's an entirely different conflict, as now EVERYONE: Truck, Squad, Engine, Ambo, works under him. So him choosing to be boyfriend first, over chief of the house, would have a much different impact. 

And yes, there were times, when he lost all focus over Gabby. The day he made captain, and Gabby was stuck in that parking lot, he was willing to run in, with no gear and despite the fact truck mates were fully prepared to go in, just because it was Gabby who was trapped. And we haven't seen it with Severide yet, but that's mostly due to the fact he's not in charge of Stella. We have seen the conflict cause Stella to lose all focus. To the point where she let her own oxygen run out, when she knew she was low, just to stay with Severide, and almost lost a lung. And the the fact she was going to have Otis carry an unconscious man by himself in a smoke-filled home just because Severide was stuck, and Casey, of all people, had to reprimand her for it. And then this season, where she hesitated saving victims in a fast moving fire because she heard Severide might be in trouble.

And even if Matt and Brett report their relationship to HR, it's still a conflict of interest that would require one of them to move. At least, in any real firehouse. Being together while he's a captain of truck, and she's PIC on Ambo is one thing. But carrying on a relationship when he's in charge of the entire house, including her girlfriend, has conflict written all over it.

He’s in charge of everyone when he’s ranking officer on the scene. As captain, he gives orders to Severide, Herrmann, his crew, and sometimes the paramedics. It’s caused friction every season he’s been captain except this season. His role of being in charge when they all roll onto a scene only changes when Boden shows up (since so rarely do other captains or BCs respond to scenes). Edited to add: technically, he’s over all of them as personnel of house 51, if real CFD protocol was followed. There’s the conflict.

Casey knocked up Gabby when she was his candidate on Truck. They lived together when she was on Truck. Saying they weren’t married and it doesn’t count should then mean that Brett and Casey dating doesn’t count either. Although, yes, BC is a bigger deal than captain...but given Boden’s role on the show as BC (micromanager of House 51), what is actually different between BC and captain (on the show)? Not much. I think it’s much worse that he and Gabby intentionally didn’t get married so she could stay on Truck with him as her lieutenant.

And, for the most part, Casey maintained boundaries. He lost it once or twice over five years, when she was a firefighter and when she was a paramedic. They’ve all lost it once or twice, like when Cruz threatened a chief because Severide and Gabby were still in a burning building. Overall, Casey doesn’t usually mess around with his duty as a firefighter but I can see the current writers saying to hell with that.

Severide and Kidd are beyond inappropriate. Did you mention they make out on scenes, even last year?

Edited May 27, 2021 by dovegrey
Noted

[FnkyChkn34]

10 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

And even if Matt and Brett report their relationship to HR, it's still a conflict of interest that would require one of them to move. At least, in any real firehouse. Being together while he's a captain of truck, and she's PIC on Ambo is one thing. But carrying on a relationship when he's in charge of the entire house, including her girlfriend, has conflict written all over it.

I still respectfully disagree, mostly because as has been pointed out before - the Battalion Chief doesn't even need to go to the scene of most fires.  Someone somewhere made it a point to say that Boden is special because he does go to so many.  He's also supposed to be the Batt. Chief over other houses in addition to 51, isn't he?  I read or heard that somewhere too... But anyway, Casey may not even be on most scenes - especially when it's just a medic call with no fire.  (Plus, as you said, he's already the Captain over her as PIC, so it really wouldn't matter.  The conflict already exists, but it's the norm for this world that they've created.)  

[dovegrey]

2 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I still respectfully disagree, mostly because as has been pointed out before - the Battalion Chief doesn't even need to go to the scene of most fires.  Someone somewhere made it a point to say that Boden is special because he does go to so many.  He's also supposed to be the Batt. Chief over other houses in addition to 51, isn't he?  I read or heard that somewhere too... But anyway, Casey may not even be on most scenes - especially when it's just a medic call with no fire.  (Plus, as you said, he's already the Captain over her as PIC, so it really wouldn't matter.  The conflict already exists, but it's the norm for this world that they've created.)  

Remember the episode arc last season with the other Engine and 51 moving into that Engine’s House and having problems with “jurisdiction”? That house was in Boden’s battalion. Never saw it before then, have never seen it again. But Boden is supposed to be visiting, auditing, communicating with, monitoring, etc many different rigs and houses (usually 4-5 houses, with varying sizes), as well as responding to incidents in his battalion beyond what involves 51. Captain Casey is supposed to be doing what Boden is shown doing while at the firehouse, including briefings, staffing, house management, personnel issues, etc. They never really adjusted anything at the house when Casey got promoted, and he’s a glorified lieutenant mostly.  This season has been better about Boden not going to every single incident, which helps establish Casey as the ranking officer...who is already “over” Brett (and everyone else at 51 besides Boden) and giving orders at incident scenes. That ship is sailing, no pun intended. :)

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, mxc90 said:

As much as I want Boden to advance............I see your point. It will be Station 19 level of nonsense. Viewers don't deserve this. I recant my statement. Don't take it Boden!!

Amen! Eamonn Walker is the reason I decided to watch CF when it started. I loved him in Oz. The Chief is my fave character on the show. 
BTW, I hate cliffhangers! 😡

[MsJamieDornan]

3 hours ago, dovegrey said:

But I kinda think he hired her.

Totally agree.

[FnkyChkn34]

9 hours ago, mxc90 said:

I was impressed Severide changed so fast in the Rescue truck from the passenger side.

Did the ambulance take the long route or got lost to the pier? They arrived so late after the Rescue truck arrived.

The ambulance wasn't called at the same time as Squad.  Squad called for backup after they got on scene.  

And yes, how did all of them do that?  Because I could easily be wrong, but I think even Tony - the driver - changed too?  

[mxc90]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

The ambulance wasn't called at the same time as Squad.  Squad called for backup after they got on scene.  

And yes, how did all of them do that?  Because I could easily be wrong, but I think even Tony - the driver - changed too?  

Looking back, ambulance 61 was called at the same time as Squad. Couldn't tell if the ambulance was in house to roll with them or maybe they were at another location.

Yes. Quick changing magic. Didn't see if Tony was changed when they arrived. 

Also, Squad is lucky the life guard came by to give them a lift to the capsized boat. Them swimming all that way would have certainly doomed the brother in law. 

Edited May 27, 2021 by mxc90

[FnkyChkn34]

8 minutes ago, mxc90 said:

Also, Squad is lucky the life guard came by to give them a lift to the capsized boat. Them swimming all that way would have certainly doomed the brother in law. 

Why wasn't the life guard helping more with the rescue, meaning - why wasn't the life guard in the water too?  They should also have divers.  That part made no sense to me.  The timing of the ambulance, I don't know... but the life guards?  That's kinda their job?  Though I guess they weren't the Coast Guard, so maybe they have a different role.

[mxc90]

1 minute ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Why wasn't the life guard helping more with the rescue, meaning - why wasn't the life guard in the water too?  They should also have divers.  That part made no sense to me.  The timing of the ambulance, I don't know... but the life guards?  That's kinda their job?  Though I guess they weren't the Coast Guard, so maybe they have a different role.

The shivering man on the pier said he swam all the way back. So the life guard just ignored him.

[SuzieQ]

Of all 3 Chicago shows, this was the best finale.  But, as much as I don't want any of them to die, it's pretty farfetched that they all survive.  If it's wrapped up in the first 5 minutes of the new season, that's pretty lame.

[FnkyChkn34]

13 hours ago, dovegrey said:

I somewhat think that if they knew ahead of time that Kinney was leaving AND they plan to kill off Severide, then they would have pulled the trigger and killed him off in this episode for maximum shock value...

This is a good point.  Thinking about it further, unless they filmed the rest already this season (which is definitely possible), then Taylor Kinney will have to come back at the end of the summer to at least wrap up the story.  I don't know how it works, but I don't see why he'd agree to just a few weeks of filming for one episode, just to then leave for good.  With a cliffhanger, I get the feeling that they'll all come back for these logistical reasons.  The most disposable one would be Tony - the real firefighter and non-actor.

[dovegrey]

2 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Of all 3 Chicago shows, this was the best finale.  But, as much as I don't want any of them to die, it's pretty farfetched that they all survive.  If it's wrapped up in the first 5 minutes of the new season, that's pretty lame.

The season 5 finale had Casey trapped in a burning warehouse with concrete melting around him, Mouch flat on his back from a heart attack and Herrmann administering CPR in the same fully involved fire, and Severide and Kannell trapped in a burning stairwell. Casey said his goodbyes to Gabby over the radio and then sat down to die. The season 6 opener resolved that in three minutes, faked a funeral for Casey, and then spent the rest of the episode focusing on other stuff. No one died or was hurt.

Prepare for the lame. :/

Edited May 27, 2021 by dovegrey

[iMonrey]

So Casey finally got some. It's been a long dry spell for him.

I see little value in hashing out whether Casey and Brett's relationship is appropriate. By most any standards, in real life it clearly would not be. But this is a show where every damn female character has hooked up with one of the dudes. (Except Shay.) It's such a soap opera, and not a very good one, since the writers don't seem to know what else to do with the characters. This firehouse romance shit is lazy and tedious. Couldn't they have some female characters that already have a husband at home and are happily married?

So a boat has capsized in the lake, would the firehouse squad really be the rescue crew? I mean, I guess we've seen them do water rescues before but it seems like it should be someone else's job. That's an awful lot of training they'd need for every conceivable rescue type.

[Dowel Jones]

I wanted those dolls to wink at giggle at Sylvie every time she looked up at them.

[preeya]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

So a boat has capsized in the lake, would the firehouse squad really be the rescue crew? I mean, I guess we've seen them do water rescues before but it seems like it should be someone else's job. That's an awful lot of training they'd need for every conceivable rescue type.

To me the underwater scenes didn't match up with what was shown of the boat that was out of the water. The underwater scenes portrayed a very large vessel not a two man recreational boat.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I wanted those dolls to wink at giggle at Sylvie every time she looked up at them.

Like they weren't already creepy enough? Also, I don't want to cast aspersions, but that lady met her soul mate at a doll show? Because he collects dolls? Um. OK.

BTW - I was taken aback at Stella's comment about Severide's "puppy dog eyes." Severide does not have puppy dog eyes. If anything, he has cat's eyes.

[dovegrey]

4 hours ago, preeya said:

To me the underwater scenes didn't match up with what was shown of the boat that was out of the water. The underwater scenes portrayed a very large vessel not a two man recreational boat.

Tangentially related, and probably an unpopular opinion, but it seems like Severide may have bungled management of the call. All of Squad went down into what did seem like a relatively small boat with a single cabin area, despite having what appeared to be minimal-at-best surface support. Perhaps only two of them needed to dive? When he knew they needed to surface, he kept them all down in the cabin when he heard the tapping, instead of sending two up. Then, when they were all drowning, there was minimal leadership from him, except “we need to get out of here.” (I would’ve been okay with a meaningful “I’m sorry.")

It reminds me of when Casey took Truck back into the mattress factory at the end of season 7, just so Otis could die as a result. It’s bad writing that makes the characters, and Severide in this instance, look not well-suited for their position. Altogether, everyone on Squad looked like a little dazed and confused on this call, such as all of them suddenly being out of air, and Tony and Capp looking shocked that there was only one egress and it was blocked. And then Casey spent a lot of time staring at the water but didn’t really do anything, like call in another Squad (or whoever should really be responding to a boating accident on Lake Michigan) or even a Mayday. Super manufactured and/or hard to follow. (All of this is why I think 10x1 will be a super quickfix. They had to work hard and stretch stuff to finagle this into a cliffhanger.)

On rewatch, I’ll admit that I’m a tiny bit nervous that Cruz is going to die before his kid is born. I want more realistic “darkness” on this show but I don’t want that. Also, I like that Casey and Kidd knew Squad was in serious trouble without saying a word to each other. That was good acting, and I like when those two interact.

[nittany cougar]

The Casey and Brett love scene was really bad.  I was embarrassed for the actors having to do that horribly staged sex scene.  The awkward face shots of ecstasy or whatever...GROSS.  It was like the Halmark Channel meets soft core porn.   I had to change the channel.

I mean no offense to the Casey and Brett shippers.  I really like both actors, but the storyline has been terribly done this season. They deserved better than this.

Edited May 28, 2021 by nittany cougar

[jewel21]

They were both making really weird sex faces in that scene that I had to look away. It really wasn't sexy at all. 

[dovegrey]

37 minutes ago, nittany cougar said:

The Casey and Brett love scene was really bad.  I was embarrassed for the actors having to do that horribly staged sex scene.  The awkward face shots of ecstasy or whatever...GROSS.  It was like the Halmark Channel meets soft core porn.   I had to change the channel.

I mean no offense to the Casey and Brett shippers.  I really like both actors, but the storyline has been terribly done this season. They deserved better than this.

I seriously don’t understand why it had to take the entire season to get to this point. It has to be Fire’s longest continuous story arc in the history of the show. And I don’t understand why neither would commit to dating (or whatever anyone wants to call it), without first having a full commitment of true love/we’re meant to be/you’re-the-only-one. It feels like they’re committing to marriage, rather than going out as a couple for the first time.

Their make-out scene in 9x2 was hot, not gonna lie. But Casey staring at Brett while she coyly held her shoes (???) was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. I feel like the editing was rushed and they used whatever outtakes they could splice together. I would’ve been okay with a shot of them in bed and some lines implying that they’d been in bed together since shift ended. (Like when Casey had a 48-hour sex marathon with Chief Pridgen’s ex-wife, who he’d literally just met for the first time at Molly’s. Casey’s never been shy, awkward, or even passive with women, and it’s killing me how they’ve written him with Brett and even Sydney earlier in the season.)

[AnnA]

There were so many things wrong with last night's season finale that I don't know where to begin.  I'll keep this short for now and deal with what I felt was the most glaring problem............Why?  Why?  Why was 51 called out for the water rescue?  Lake Michigan is not only very large but it's also extremely rough.  I'm a native New Yorker so I tend to judge and compare things to the way they're done in NY.  Both the NYPD and the NYFD have specially equipped boats and first responders patrolling the waters surrounding the city.  While watching their pathetic rescue attempt last night, I just kept shaking my head.  What would they have done if a 727 full of passengers had to land in the lake?  (Thank you Captain Sully and all the NY first responders)

I'll offer up my thoughts on the rest of the episode another day.

Edited May 28, 2021 by AnnA

[NJRadioGuy]

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

So a boat has capsized in the lake, would the firehouse squad really be the rescue crew?<snip>That's an awful lot of training they'd need for every conceivable rescue type.

Yep, Heavy rescue squads are trained for underwater rescues, high-angle building rescues (think scaffolding collapses, window-washers, cranes, etc), mass-casualty incidents, and similar technical rescues. Some departments even have specialized heavy rescues (FDNY has one that specializes in building collapses, for example).

As an officer of a responding piece of apparatus Casey should have called a mayday the instant it became obvious that their air was just about finished, and brought in at least one more squad, and a shit-ton of engines and ladders.

Assuming Kinney is still on the show next season the way I can see this playing out is Truck brings out their K12 and they basically do a ventilation manoeuver on the boat and go in that way. Of course IRL there'd have been a FAST style truck or engine assigned for firefighter safety to back them up.

Real-world CFD has an air-sea rescue unit, as does CPD, plus the USCG is stationed along the lakeshore. This is the CFD scuba unit: https://chicagoareafire.com/blog/tag/new-truck-for-the-chicago-fd-scuba-team-687/.

As for Casey/Brett, I actually kinda liked it, even the awkward sex scene. If nothing else it marks an end to an awful storyline. And unless it's a decent bit of pr0n, I don't judge characters on how the decide to boink. But no, that scene was not at all hot. Not even a light simmer.

[FnkyChkn34]

Are Boden and Casey allowed to sleep, like the others?  I'm sure the point they were trying to make is that neither could sleep, with so much on their minds, but I figure at least one person should probably be awake at all times? 

[MssdDrms]

On 5/26/2021 at 11:09 PM, dovegrey said:

I can see that with the current writing. Back in the day, Casey kept things pretty separate with Gabby while out on calls, which is the only hope I have. He was having closed-blinds sex with Hallie in his office back in season 1, so that would be relatively in-character for him, haha. 

As it is, that scenario with Casey being distracted by Brett while incident commander can just as easily happen with him as captain. Boden goes to fewer and fewer calls...he’s been made into quite the redundant, if not useless, character. So, to me, it’s kind of a wash. At least BC Casey would probably freshen up dynamics?

I wouldn’t assume Casey would go to Chief.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought in a polarizing character.  Stir up some friction...temporarily anyway.  
 

I think the love scene between Brett and Casey was well done.  They didn’t go at each other like two mad dogs.   It was sexy with emotion and not smutty.  
 

why in the world would all 4 Squads go into the water together with no backup? 

[dovegrey]

7 hours ago, MssdDrms said:

I wouldn’t assume Casey would go to Chief.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought in a polarizing character.  Stir up some friction...temporarily anyway.  

The thinking is that there is no way to advance Kidd to lieutenant at 51 unless one of the current apparatus officers leaves (Casey, Severide, Herrmann). Boden leaving and being replaced by an outsider doesn’t “help” Kidd (from a writing standpoint). All the officers would stay on their current rigs and report to a brand new BC. But not if Casey slides into Boden’s BC position and thereby vacates his officer position on Truck 81.

I think that’s why a lot of us here are speculating that Casey would become BC, if Boden is the one who leaves to make room for Kidd. He has enough time in as captain now, and, in season 6, when Boden originally wanted to promote up to deputy district chief, he wanted Casey to replace him (...after 6 months as captain LOL). But, yeah, I could see a temporary chief for an episode or two, but I could also see Boden making BC Casey and Lt Kidd terms of his promotion, which Hill would likely support. I agree that a shake up with a new character would be welcome. :)

[NJRadioGuy]

3 hours ago, dovegrey said:

I think that’s why a lot of us here are speculating that Casey would become BC, if Boden is the one who leaves to make room for Kidd.

From a storytelling perspective this would make the most sense and would be the path of least resistance. It might also make financial sense since Eammon Walker is likely commanding a very big payday already for a mostly-supporting role.

My only problem with that is that Walker is the best actor in the entire show and it would be a shame if he left. Obviously the Boden character would become an outstanding DDC but it would be a shame to lose him as a regular. They could still bring him in for cameos at major fire scenes, where he's in charge of the entire fireground (a very real thing).

[dovegrey]

6 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

From a storytelling perspective this would make the most sense and would be the path of least resistance. It might also make financial sense since Eammon Walker is likely commanding a very big payday already for a mostly-supporting role.

My only problem with that is that Walker is the best actor in the entire show and it would be a shame if he left. Obviously the Boden character would become an outstanding DDC but it would be a shame to lose him as a regular. They could still bring him in for cameos at major fire scenes, where he's in charge of the entire fireground (a very real thing).

I'm two minds of this. I loved Boden in the first few seasons, but then he fell victim to the same marginalization and caricaturization as Herrmann, Cruz, and Mouch. He's just about already at cameo/guest star status in terms of screentime and storylines, like Cruz. It is a complete waste of Walker and the rich life the original writing team built for Boden between seasons 1-3. When they showed the family photo with Donna and Terrance this episode, I thought it was sad that Terrance has grown up so much but hasn't been on the show in years (I had to look up the kid's name). I still miss the slight family focus the show had in the earlier years, with Herrmann's kids, the Darden kids, annual cookouts, etc. Boden having a kid would have fit easily into that, and should have.

Unless a new writing team and showrunner is brought on board, or Matt Olmstead is brought back, my opinion is the best thing they could do is gradually downsize the cast, and, yeah, that means writing out Boden. The writers cannot effectively handle an ensemble drama, IMO. But what I worry the writers could do is...promote Boden up and have him stay in the District 4 office at 51 (which is where he already is, unless that's been a long-term set error?) as DDC, then promote Casey to BC and have him take "the blue room" office that Patterson had in season 4; this would almost certainly be a disaster and continue to stifle Casey, just like Boden has never allowed Casey to truly serve as the firehouse captain.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I seriously don’t understand why it had to take the entire season to get to this point. It has to be Fire’s longest continuous story arc in the history of the show. And I don’t understand why neither would commit to dating (or whatever anyone wants to call it), without first having a full commitment of true love/we’re meant to be/you’re-the-only-one. It feels like they’re committing to marriage, rather than going out as a couple for the first time.

I've long held that Casey's status in limbo these past few years have been due to the show hedging its bets against a Monica Raymund return. And that if she does decide to return on some basis in the future Casey will probably end up going back to her. For whatever reason the show seems to think Casey/Gabby were the be-all and end-all of the show.

Quote

My only problem with that is that Walker is the best actor in the entire show and it would be a shame if he left. 

He wouldn't have to leave the show if Boden got promoted out of the fire house, although it would certainly be more of a challenge working him into the story every week. We do see plenty of the "white shirts" stick their noses in all the time.

[dovegrey]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I've long held that Casey's status in limbo these past few years have been due to the show hedging its bets against a Monica Raymund return. And that if she does decide to return on some basis in the future Casey will probably end up going back to her. For whatever reason the show seems to think Casey/Gabby were the be-all and end-all of the show.

He wouldn't have to leave the show if Boden got promoted out of the fire house, although it would certainly be more of a challenge working him into the story every week. We do see plenty of the "white shirts" stick their noses in all the time.

I agree about Monica Raymund. I kinda think the will-they-won't-they this season was the showrunner waiting to see if Jesse Spencer renewed; if not, off to Puerto Rico with Casey. (There's still been no official announcement on contracts, though...) In hindsight, I don't understand why, when Monica left, they just didn't have the white shirts come down and say a captain can't be at the same house as a spouse, and then have Gabby transfer to a different shift. She'd be his off-screen wife, like Cindy, Donna, Chloe, etc., with plenty of room to maneuver. But no...write her off to Puerto Rico which made absolutely no sense and then pretty much fridge your first-billed lead for two years...coolcoolcoolcoolcool.

And, yeah, I think DDC Boden with cameos or in a recurring status would barely change from the screentime Walker has now. 

[NJRadioGuy]

43 minutes ago, dovegrey said:

But what I worry the writers could do is...promote Boden up and have him stay in the District 4 office at 51 (which is where he already is, unless that's been a long-term set error?) as DDC, then promote Casey to BC and have him take "the blue room" office that Patterson had in season 4; this would almost certainly be a disaster and continue to stifle Casey, just like Boden has never allowed Casey to truly serve as the firehouse captain.

I think that would be best case, but then you have another piece of apparatus to deal with; the DDC command vehicle, the BC vehicle, Engine, Truck and Ambo. Is there even space on the apparatus floor? Boden has gravitas and can hold a room. I can't think of one other character on this show who could pull that off. Voight on PD, and maybe Dr. Charles on Med. The guys you just don't f**k with. The show needs that character, and no offense to Jesse Spencer, but Lt. Casey (BC Casey) ain't it. He's a Nice Guy and an excellent firefighter/officer but he's not written as the proverbial Leader of Men, and it would be foolish to try.

[NJRadioGuy]

Just thinking more about this. What could work is promote Boden to DDC, staying at 51's quarters, and make Casey his driver. That gets both chiefs doing their own thing and opens up a spot for Kidd being the officer on T81. The only problem here is that BC Casey would be called out far more often than Boden, and to different incidents. So back to two command vehicles. But for the sake of Show Logic, I suppose it could work.

Edited May 29, 2021 by NJRadioGuy

[dovegrey]

5 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

I think that would be best case, but then you have another piece of apparatus to deal with; the DDC command vehicle, the BC vehicle, Engine, Truck and Ambo. Is there even space on the apparatus floor? Boden has gravitas and can hold a room. I can't think of one other character on this show who could pull that off. Voight on PD, and maybe Dr. Charles on Med. The guys you just don't f**k with. The show needs that character, and no offense to Jesse Spencer, but Lt. Casey (BC Casey) ain't it. He's a Nice Guy and an excellent firefighter/officer but he's not written as the proverbial Leader of Men, and it would be foolish to try.

Haha, I'm of two minds on this again. In the earlier seasons, Casey absolutely had the respect of his people. They often approached him like they approached Boden - don't mess with Casey with stupid stuff, but you can rely on Casey and know he has your back. Casey was a smooth-talking, crowd-raising politician for a while there, too (as much as I hated that story), who demonstrated tons of charisma. If we just look at season 7 onward, when Casey essentially became a shut-down shell who didn't talk to anyone, then, yeah, I don't see it, either. There's also the issue that Boden has NEVER stepped back and actually allowed Casey to run the house as a captain. It's hard to shine when you're eclipsed in someone's shadow. That's why, if DDC Boden happens, I think it would be terrible for him to stay in "his house." He needs to go out and do his damn job, not the job he pretends to still have (he's basically Captain Boden), and let the people at 51 do their jobs and develop their talent/skill. In real life, Casey would have left 51 and gone somewhere he could actually do his job. (I would've.)

(I love Boden. It's a writing issue. When Casey got promoted, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to permanently expand the premise of the show out to the actual Battalion 25, which has to include at least another house or two besides Firehouse 51 and Firehouse 20 (from season 8, with Captains Delaney and Leone, who we only saw for the one small arc). Ambo 61 has its own storylines with its own calls, so why couldn’t Boden have had his non-51 Batt Chief calls that we see? I’d rather have that as the C-storyline versus silly manufactured C-plots. Anyway.)

[WinJet0819]

On 5/27/2021 at 12:41 PM, iMonrey said:

So Casey finally got some. It's been a long dry spell for him.

I see little value in hashing out whether Casey and Brett's relationship is appropriate. By most any standards, in real life it clearly would not be. But this is a show where every damn female character has hooked up with one of the dudes. (Except Shay.) It's such a soap opera, and not a very good one, since the writers don't seem to know what else to do with the characters. This firehouse romance shit is lazy and tedious. Couldn't they have some female characters that already have a husband at home and are happily married?

So a boat has capsized in the lake, would the firehouse squad really be the rescue crew? I mean, I guess we've seen them do water rescues before but it seems like it should be someone else's job. That's an awful lot of training they'd need for every conceivable rescue type.

Exactly this. That would be so refreshing for this show. Especially, when we consider this is the case in both 911 shows, and was the case way back in Third Watch. On too many shows these days, it seems the female characters exist only to fall in love with one of their co-workers. We've seen it on SWAT with what happened to the only female character.

[MssdDrms]

On 5/27/2021 at 8:00 AM, FnkyChkn34 said:

The ambulance wasn't called at the same time as Squad.  Squad called for backup after they got on scene.  

And yes, how did all of them do that?  Because I could easily be wrong, but I think even Tony - the driver - changed too?  

I didn’t see the ambo when Squad pulled out of the firehouse, so they must have come from somewhere else.  
 

I did see Tony adjusting his suit in the background so maybe he dressed after he stopped the truck.

 

on a side note on the Brettsey scene...I must say...when she pulled his belt off, I thought I was going to have to light a cigarette and I don’t even smoke..  hahaha...

..

Edited May 31, 2021 by MssdDrms
A side thought

[jabRI]

I agree, it was ridiculous they all dived.  Someone should have stayed near the surface in case they needed help getting out of the boat, which they did.  

 

At least this season the cliffhanger wasn't 'house 51 is in danger of being closed' which seems like we've seen a few times.

Edited July 8, 2021 by jabRI

[WinJet0819]

14 hours ago, jabRI said:

At least this season the cliffhanger wasn't 'house 51 is in danger of being closed' which seems like we've seen a few times.

But this is another cliffhanger with all or part of the house being trapped and in mortal danger. Season 2, Season 5, and Season 7 all ended with similar cliffhangers.

And this one to end this season was probably the most incredulous of all of them. But what do you expect when the righters no longer care about keeping things authentic?

Edited July 9, 2021 by WinJet0819