S10.E04: The Right Thing

[jewel21]

Kidd spreads her wings as a lieutenant. Chief Hawkins rides with Ambulance 61 to learn more about Brett. Casey takes a trip out of town. A Ritter date night turns into an emergency situation.

Airdate: 10/13/2021

[dovegrey]

Holy shit, they’re writing Matt out…!? Did Jesse Spencer pull a [actor from a procedural also airing right now that you may have heard about] and agree to only do up to the 200th episode before exiting? If so, mad props to Spencer for doing that, giving resolution to storylines and to Casey, and DOING IT AFTER DAWSEY WAS NUKED FROM ORBIT. Or it's a massive red herring and he doesn't end up doing it.

They did a nice casting job with the Darden teens. It’s been a while since I watched season 2, but I could see young Ben in teen Ben in terms of acting/expressions. Both look way older than they’re apparently maybe supposed to be, and I’m still not on board with the age shenanigans, but it’s a good storyline (…except they already would’ve been in foster care).

Since Kidd has already apparently been promoted to lieutenant (she had bugles at the end of season 9), why didn’t she cover for Casey? Wait, where was Kidd? Did I miss a character saying something about her being missing the entire episode? (Seriously, I pay about 2/3 attention at any given time.) Did. Not. Miss. Her.

Some random stuff:

Brett’s paramedicine program with Mouch is EXACTLY HOW Kidd’s entire lieutenant prep/exam/etc thing should have gone. It was about Brett, not about Matt.

Matt didn’t season Ben’s egg. :( I’d walk away, too, bud.

I’m surprised Ben’s GI Joe action figure survived the apartment fire in season 7. Lucky.

Is it bad that I laughed when the Mustang Hick immediately crashed his dumb looking car?

Very nice to not have a sitcom storyline! I guess the Lt. W (temp fill-in for Casey on 81…I forget his name) bit was supposed to be it, and, gotta admit, I laughed out loud when sunshine spewed out of Lt. W’s ass in response to Mouch. Keep him!

Nothing to say about the resolution to Cruz’s “storyline,” since there was absolutely nothing to see.

Leave, Matt. LEAVE. BE FREE. (I may only watch to see where Casey ends up, so if he leaves, I AM FREE FROM THIS SHOW.)

Edited to add: I just noticed the episode description said Kidd spreads her wings as a lieutenant. Lt. W wasn't supposed to be there? What's up with Kidd's actress?

Edited October 14, 2021 by dovegrey
noted

[AnnA]

The thought of losing Casey makes me very sad but I honestly don't believe he will leave and move to Oregon. That said, I have absolutely no idea how the writers are going to get out of the mess they just made. 😒

On the flip side......Hallelujah! No Stella Kidd tonight! 😊

[dovegrey]

15 hours ago, AnnA said:

The thought of losing Casey makes me very sad but I honestly don't believe he will leave and move to Oregon. That said, I have absolutely no idea how the writers are going to get out of the mess they just made. 😒

 

That's the thing. Unless something on the Oregon end completely changes, like Heather suddenly gets out of prison or gives Matt permission to take them to Chicago, there is no good way to walk this back without ruining Matt's character. He can be a firefighter anywhere and could probably land a batt chief spot with Portland Fire and Rescue (if they're near Portland; no idea). Ben looked like he was on the cusp of overdosing in every scene. I'd actually love to see him as a foster/adoptive parent instead of having him do it off-screen, but, if Spencer has actually decided to leave, this would be, IMO, a wonderful send-off for Casey. He's a good person, and I hope the writers don't ruin him as a good person for a cheap one-week thrill. (But, with these writers, yeah...)

Very late edit to add... Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is real and is right outside Portland.

Edited October 14, 2021 by dovegrey
noted

[Josh371982]

Seriously don't think Casey is leaving. I'm betting the Kids are allowed to go to Chicago. 

[FnkyChkn34]

54 minutes ago, Josh371982 said:

Seriously don't think Casey is leaving. I'm betting the Kids are allowed to go to Chicago. 

That's what I'm thinking too, but I guess we'll see.  The boys' mother will probably agree that it's best for them to get away from her for a fresh start. 

[NJRadioGuy]

4 hours ago, Josh371982 said:

Seriously don't think Casey is leaving. I'm betting the Kids are allowed to go to Chicago. 

3 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

That's what I'm thinking too, but I guess we'll see.  The boys' mother will probably agree that it's best for them to get away from her for a fresh start. 

I'd be fine with it either way, to be honest. I like that side of Casey a lot. But if he leaves, that will utterly destroy Brett, unless both actors leave or take a break. And speaking of, the One Chicago franchise is going into hiatus after week 6 so perhaps in that time away from Chicago things will resolve themselves and Casey will come back. Personally I'd like to see him mentor the kid and get him into the fire academy. The show could use a probie. And if that doesn't happen then it'll be interesting to see Brett pick up the pieces. I think Kara Killmer has it in her to putt that off.

Oh, and it's pronounced as Oregun/Oreg'n. It hasn't "gone" anywhere. 

 

[Avabelle]

I haven’t watched this show in forever. Why is the Darden mother in prison. I know she got arrested in season two but I thought it was resolved and they moved away.

[dovegrey]

5 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

I'd be fine with it either way, to be honest. I like that side of Casey a lot. But if he leaves, that will utterly destroy Brett, unless both actors leave or take a break. And speaking of, the One Chicago franchise is going into hiatus after week 6 so perhaps in that time away from Chicago things will resolve themselves and Casey will come back. Personally I'd like to see him mentor the kid and get him into the fire academy. The show could use a probie. And if that doesn't happen then it'll be interesting to see Brett pick up the pieces. I think Kara Killmer has it in her to putt that off.

Maybe they'll do what Noah Wyle/John Carter did on ER, and he'll leave for about a half-season and then come back, only he won't have a Kem and Brett won't have a Luka...? :-)

I have a hard time seeing Brett leave right now with her new paramedicine program, but I could see her leaving at the end of the season. When the whole Brettsey thing became real and not the writers trolling Dawsey fans, I wondered what would happen if one of them left, since both actors are essentially OGs (i.e., liable to leave) and neither character really had "time" for another failed endgame relationship. And here they are, possibly... I hope the writers learned from Dawsey and would do a long-distance relationship, rather than Matt pulling a Gabby and leaving Brett twisting in the wind.

If Casey does move away and Brett doesn't go with him + breaks up, I question their relationship a bit. In season 8, Brett uprooted her entire life and quit the CFD, because a guy she dated for a couple weeks proposed out of the blue and whisked her away to Cornfield, Indiana, for a promotion. In contrast, she's known Casey for seven years, has been good friends with him for at least three years, and he's possibly moving to save the lives of two kids he's known since birth (I've done work with foster kids and don't think I'm overstating that, for either kid...at least Ben shows his damage). How do those scales balance?

I don't know. I have a poor perspective about what the show has become (...check out the episode description for 10x6 and see what the writers are up to again after All the Special Episodes Leading Up to 200!! are over) and am pulling for Jesse Spencer to leave, not because I don't like him or Casey, but because they're my favorites. I really think season 10 should have been the last season, but what do I know.

[preeya]

11 hours ago, dovegrey said:

Wait, where was Kidd? Did I miss a character saying something about her being missing the entire episode? (Seriously, I pay about 2/3 attention at any given time.) Did. Not. Miss. Her.

Someone said she was in Boston recruiting for her "Girls On Fire" project. 

Why Boston?? I don't get that.

Edited October 14, 2021 by preeya

[iMonrey]

Wait, wasn't the point of Brett's program to have separate EMTs for non-emergency calls? How does giving her one beat-up old ambulance cover that? Won't they need two additional EMTs to cover those calls? How can Mouch cover those calls when he's on truck? And how does the department in charge of EMTs measure her success at this? If they deem it successful do all the other fire houses get junked ambulances for non-emergency calls?

I'm seriously wondering if Jesse Spencer is really leaving the show.

[jgjbanker]

I can't imagine Jesse leaving the show, but I guess stranger things have happened. If they got Casey and Brett together just to rip them apart and have Matt come back mid season to find Sylvie with someone else, I will seriously be pissesd at Derek Haasshole.  It is one thing for keeping us in suspense for 2 seasons, to now put them together just to tear them apart. 

 

As for Kara, can't imagine she leaves the show unless she has a great offer somewhere else or they are trying to hide a pregnancy in real life. 

[WinJet0819]

9 hours ago, jgjbanker said:

I can't imagine Jesse leaving the show, but I guess stranger things have happened. If they got Casey and Brett together just to rip them apart and have Matt come back mid season to find Sylvie with someone else, I will seriously be pissesd at Derek Haasshole.  It is one thing for keeping us in suspense for 2 seasons, to now put them together just to tear them apart. 

 

As for Kara, can't imagine she leaves the show unless she has a great offer somewhere else or they are trying to hide a pregnancy in real life. 

Jesse's been on the show for 10 seasons, now. He could very well just want to move on. Chicago Fire is a great gig, but he may be looking for a new challenge. Not to mention, this show is physically demanding, and he's 10 years older than he was when he first started. And considering what we've to start this fall TV season, with the likes of Mark Harmon and Emily VanCamp choosing to walk away, it wouldn't be a shock for Jesse to be added to the list.

And considering how much the Brettsey stuff was dragged out over the past season, I'm sure the writers panned for their relationship to go on for a while. So if he indeed has chosen to leave, he must have made the decision just prior to this season. I don't think Brett will go with him, either.

But we also must keep in mind that these writers have a penchant for creating all this supposed drama, and it winds up being nothing. Remember, the writers constantly want feel-good moments, so they very easily could make it that the boys move with him to Chicago.

[Dowel Jones]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Wait, wasn't the point of Brett's program to have separate EMTs for non-emergency calls?

I have doubts about the entire concept there.  Who decides whether the call is an emergency?  There's a boatload of liability there.  And there are plenty of EMTs out there, getting certified through Community Colleges and such.  Why would the CFD need to start an entirely new program?

My bets are that, if Casey leaves,  there will be romantic drama between Brett and Hawkins, or the new Lieutenant.  Just too convenient.

And, Jesse Spencer, there's a brand new series being filmed in Australia right now.  Relatively short commute, and ye gods, that cast could use some professional help down in that tar pit.

Was that fool at Molly's a firefighter from another house, or just random drunk?  If he's a firefighter, he's in deep shit with Human Resources.

[WinJet0819]

15 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I have doubts about the entire concept there.  Who decides whether the call is an emergency?  There's a boatload of liability there.  And there are plenty of EMTs out there, getting certified through Community Colleges and such.  Why would the CFD need to start an entirely new program?

My bets are that, if Casey leaves,  there will be romantic drama between Brett and Hawkins, or the new Lieutenant.  Just too convenient.

And, Jesse Spencer, there's a brand new series being filmed in Australia right now.  Relatively short commute, and ye gods, that cast could use some professional help down in that tar pit.

Was that fool at Molly's a firefighter from another house, or just random drunk?  If he's a firefighter, he's in deep shit with Human Resources.

We already know who's going to get the new Lieutenant role on truck if Casey leaves. Definitely will not be an outsider. I cringe at the thought of that workplace dynamic should it happen like we think it will.

Edited October 15, 2021 by WinJet0819

[dovegrey]

6 hours ago, WinJet0819 said:

We already know who's going to get the new Lieutenant role on truck if Casey leaves. Definitely will not be an outsider.

This could be a spoiler but it's Twitter Tween speculation from their stalking of filming locations. I wonder if

Spoiler

Miranda Rae Mayo (Kidd) is okay. She apparently hasn't filmed since 10x3 and needed "a break." Kidd was supposed to have been 81's lieutenant in this episode, but she wouldn't/couldn't film. Can you imagine if both of this show's romantic flagships fall apart in the space of 2-3 episodes? Would they...have to actually write about fire and rescue?

I do hope Miranda is okay, though. It's very strange to just stop filming at the beginning of the season, let alone possibly miss the 200th episode. Seems like a big deal on her end. It's kinda reminding me of when Adriyan Rae (Mackey) suddenly left for Reasons.

I can't get rid of this space here.

6 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

My bets are that, if Casey leaves,  there will be romantic drama between Brett and Hawkins, or the new Lieutenant.  Just too convenient.

And, Jesse Spencer, there's a brand new series being filmed in Australia right now.  Relatively short commute, and ye gods, that cast could use some professional help down in that tar pit.

I also wondered about Brett and Hawkins. That was telegraphed pretty strongly. Ugh.

I really hope not, though. We have three invisible wives on this show. If Casey actually leaves, he can be an invisible boyfriend, and it leaves space for Jesse Spencer to guest star without it being weird. As it is, Kara Killmer has been on the show since season 3 and is as much a risk of leaving as any of the originals....and this is the time when originals usually start to drop, or the show ends. Anyway, if he's leaving, I hope they keep Brettsey alive for a little bit, because it'd be dumb if they nuke Brettsey, only for Kara/Brett to leave in May. (I still wish they'd done a soft-write-out for Gabby and just said she had to transfer to another shift because Casey became captain, and then figured out what Monica Raymund would or would not commit to. Killing Gabby off would've been even better, given the Dawsey fanactics and their constant death threats and brutal comments toward the actors on SM...another reason I'd leave the show...)

Jesse's wife is from the US and just finished a PhD program here. (He announced it on Twitter! I'm not creepy!) I've been kinda wondering if he'd leave the show once his wife finished up in Chicago and started to apply for research positions around the country. You don't usually get a tenure-track full-time faculty position at the program your PhD is from (and I know that from experience! I'm still not creepy!).

[AnnA]

On 10/14/2021 at 3:56 AM, Avabelle said:

I haven’t watched this show in forever. Why is the Darden mother in prison. I know she got arrested in season two but I thought it was resolved and they moved away.

Heather became a drunk and kept getting arrested and moving for a "new start."  

This was her 4th DWI and it came with serious jail time in Oregon this time.

[AnnA]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:52 PM, iMonrey said:

Wait, wasn't the point of Brett's program to have separate EMTs for non-emergency calls? How does giving her one beat-up old ambulance cover that? Won't they need two additional EMTs to cover those calls? How can Mouch cover those calls when he's on truck? And how does the department in charge of EMTs measure her success at this? If they deem it successful do all the other fire houses get junked ambulances for non-emergency calls?

I'm seriously wondering if Jesse Spencer is really leaving the show.

Those are all good questions.  Unfortunately, I don't have any answers for you and I can't imagine what the writers intend to do.   Each storyline is overly complicated and makes little sense.

[NJRadioGuy]

16 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

I have doubts about the entire concept there.  Who decides whether the call is an emergency?  There's a boatload of liability there.  And there are plenty of EMTs out there, getting certified through Community Colleges and such.  Why would the CFD need to start an entirely new program?

I just handwaived it as Dumb Plot Device #5420, akin to the Slammigan. You never know if that frequent flyer who calls every other night for a free taxi ride to the hospital might just have ODd or accidentally cut his head open in a drunken stupor. Dispatchers might (or might not) have the authority to manage lower priority calls when it's not crazy-busy as well.

And besides, how'd you like to see that POS bus show up for your grandmother who just fell out of bed and needs a once-over? 

[judyri]

I don't think Brett's idea is so bad. My son is a volunteer firefighter, and they often get called to assist on ambulance calls to help lift patients that are too heavy for paramedics to work with.  Not saying it's not a valid call for help, but if they are there they aren't available if a fire call comes in. And I think with planning they'd be able to correctly triage the calls, isn't that what 911 does all the time? they can't respond to everything at once.

I wouldn't blame Jesse if he does leave, his role has been really diminished over the last few seasons, and he's a good actor that should get a lead role on something really good.

On a side note, and for no valid reason, I think the new 'jolly' lieutenant might have a substance abuse or mental health issue.  Just putting it out there, something seems off about him.

 

[NJRadioGuy]

On 10/15/2021 at 11:20 PM, judyri said:

I don't think Brett's idea is so bad. My son is a volunteer firefighter, and they often get called to assist on ambulance calls to help lift patients that are too heavy for paramedics to work with.  Not saying it's not a valid call for help, but if they are there they aren't available if a fire call comes in. And I think with planning they'd be able to correctly triage the calls, isn't that what 911 does all the time? they can't respond to everything at once.

IRL, dispatchers make that triage call every single day. Basically following the ABCs is a good rule. Airway, Breathing, Circulation. Air goes in and out, and blood goes round and round. Any deviation is a problem, and calls for a lights-and-sirens response. But with that said, bariatric lift assist calls are as important to the incapacitated patient as a high ankle sprain is to a young jogger or a deep finger lac to a chef. None are likely going to kill you outright, but they absolutely require intervention. And the reality is you never know if that simple lift assist might turn into a cardiac arrest.

The so-called "paramedicine" program in this show is, I suppose, akin to simple BLS, or BLS-plus staffing, with ALS crews reserved for life-threatening calls. Basically the reverse of the premise of Emergency!, and the rise of the real-world paramedic movement it depicted. But as I said earlier, you never know if that frequent flier is going to code or that finger lac turns out to be something far worse, etc. The better move would be to get the city to adjust paid EMS staffing levels commensurate with need, and/or support volunteer rescue squads to take up the slack. They're very common in suburbia (my own town has a volunteer ambulance squad that's been around for many decades, in fact), and they're backed up by paid paramedics (ALS) and a mobile ICU. Call in for dizziness and they'll send the first aid squad. Call back and say you're having chest pains and ALS gets toned out.

If calls are increasing to the point that response times are greater than 10 minutes in an urban setting, then you can bet that pols and news crews will start making a stink about it and will call for better service. Also, IRL, most FD runs and many PD runs are medicals. Where I'm from, they pioneered a system in the 80s called a tiered response, that sent the nearest cop car and FD vehicle (both staffed by BLS-qualified personnel), as well as BLS and if necessary, ALS crews. My little town of 5,000 here is the same. Every copper is trained in basic life support, and at least one or two have advanced life support certification and gear in the patrol car. Ditto the local engine companies. When I was a teenager, the police service for the city I grew up in had numerous vans with stretchers and basic medical gear as actual patrol vehicles, and that was in the 1970s. So basically I reject the premise of this plot device as just that. 

Edited October 17, 2021 by NJRadioGuy

[Artsda]

We can't lose Casey in the 200th. Hopefully they fix this and he's not leaving the show.

No Kidd was great.

[Ailianna]

On 10/14/2021 at 3:34 AM, NJRadioGuy said:

Oh, and it's pronounced as Oregun/Oreg'n. It hasn't "gone" anywhere. 

THANK YOU from this Pacific Northwest kid now living back east. The inability of most of the country to pronounce the name of a state (1 of only 50!) drives me crazy.

[FnkyChkn34]

On 10/15/2021 at 1:36 AM, Dowel Jones said:

And, Jesse Spencer, there's a brand new series being filmed in Australia right now.  Relatively short commute, and ye gods, that cast could use some professional help down in that tar pit.

Jesse Spencer recently got married to a woman from Chicago. I forget exactly what she does, but they met when she was a grad student - I think she is very smart and successful in her own occupation. I doubt that he's looking to leave Chicago? 

[dovegrey]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Jesse Spencer recently got married to a woman from Chicago. I forget exactly what she does, but they met when she was a grad student - I think she is very smart and successful in her own occupation. I doubt that he's looking to leave Chicago? 

I speculated about this upthread a bit. Without trying to cross any lines here, I’ll speculate based on my own experiences and knowledge of our mutual field. Jesse announced on Twitter that his wife recently successfully defended her dissertation and received her PhD. She could NOT leave Chicago until her dissertation was done and the PhD awarded, without essentially nuking her research and blowing up her career. That goes for any PhD in psychology. It is highly unusual for new PhDs to work as full-time, tenure-track faculty researcher in the same (R1) program they just graduated from. If that’s the route a new PhD wants to go, that PhD likely won’t be working at their R1 alma mater. Granted, I'm clinical/applied and not research, so YMMV.

Whether that means Jesse Spencer leaves Chicago, your guess is as good as mine…but I’ve been thinking since he renewed for seasons 8-9 that he was sticking around for something besides the show. Season 7 was not good for him as a first-billed actor, and season 8 was just a hair better in terms of storylines and screentime for him (though he was arguably a supporting role to Kara Killmer). Or he's tired from working 22-episode-per-season TV shows for better part of the last 20 years. Or it's all another misdirect that the showrunner thinks builds goodwill with the audience and makes for an exciting show. 🙄

[Nessa]

One thing that bugged me, I guess it was the boys' teacher and student counsellor (???) that Casey was meeting with.  Casey mentioned that he wanted to take the boys to Chicago but they both said no, that they were finally in a "happy place" (something along those lines) and have made friends at school etc...............................then at the same time, as the aunt had disappeared, they'd have to go into foster care........................separately.

At least if Casey did take them back to Chicago, they'd be together.

[dovegrey]

6 hours ago, Nessa said:

One thing that bugged me, I guess it was the boys' teacher and student counsellor (???) that Casey was meeting with.  Casey mentioned that he wanted to take the boys to Chicago but they both said no, that they were finally in a "happy place" (something along those lines) and have made friends at school etc...............................then at the same time, as the aunt had disappeared, they'd have to go into foster care........................separately.

At least if Casey did take them back to Chicago, they'd be together.

I caught that too. Foster placements aren’t always or even often in the same county, so the boys would have been leaving that school and neighborhood anyway, more likely than not. There’s no way the counselor and caseworker (she wasn’t a teacher :)) would have known until the foster placements were made, and the state had only just moved to put them in foster care. However, I agree with them that the boys had been moved around enough (a move two counties over is different than a move across the country) and they should be kept close to their only surviving parent.

When he was 16 or so, Matt’s dad died, his mom went to prison, and he lived with an uncle, and THAT really should have been something the writers mentioned to support why Matt decided to consider leaving to foster them. He’s been there. 

[AnnA]

On 10/21/2021 at 6:16 AM, dovegrey said:

 

When he was 16 or so, Matt’s dad died, his mom went to prison, and he lived with an uncle, and THAT really should have been something the writers mentioned to support why Matt decided to consider leaving to foster them. He’s been there. 

Matt's dad didn't just die.  His mother murdered him.

[dovegrey]

23 minutes ago, AnnA said:

Matt's dad didn't just die.  His mother murdered him.

Right, but, in this scenario, IMO only, that distracts from Matt having experienced the loss of both parents and being cared for by a family member, at the same age as the Darden kids. The Darden kids' dad died in a fire years before they lost their mom to incarceration, yet there is a core commonality of what they and Matt all experienced. Since we're in the 10x4 thread and I'm going to complain about something in 10x5...big spoilers for 10x5 below:

Spoiler

I'm disappointed the writers didn't acknowledge that core commonality or connection. To me, it was a perfect reason, in addition to Matt feeling responsibility for the boys and loyalty to Andy, for Matt to give up his career momentum, his regular relationship with Sylvie, and his life in Chicago. Foolishly, I was expecting his situation as a kid to be part of what Matt talked with Sylvie about in the first scene. Instead, they gave the connection to Gallo.