S11.E21: Change of Plans

[jewel21]

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Carver deals with the fallout of his arrest. Brett searches for closure with the baby she rescued. Capp weasels his way into the Firehouse 51 group chat.

Airdate: 05/17/2023

[DanaK]

I don’t know about that adoption plan Brett, that sounds like a plan that’s going to backfire

I’m glad Kidd was able to help that homeless guy even if it was to help the case. I just hope he doesn’t end up obsessing more about her

[anna0852]

I don't believe for a second that Severide has been lying to Stella. She's already been looped in on potential terrorists threats and I'd put money that Severide is working the same thing with ATF. And that Stella is faking the shock with Cruz to keep the secret.

At least this has better be the case because I'd like Taylor to be able to return next reason without revisiting the relationship angst.

[KLovestoShop]

I’m getting tired of Brett and her baby angst.  She went through the same thing a couple of seasons ago, so maybe she should find a guy and have a baby.  
 

Just read a story about Taylor Kinney.  He made his first public appearance a few weeks ago at a charity event.  There is speculation that he left in protest for a producer who left the show to work elsewhere. The article also said that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kinney didn’t return.  

[iMonrey]

How can Stella just take off during a shift to go track down some homeless guy? Carver is already suspended, she's MIA, what happens when a 911 call comes in? Do Mouch and Gallo have to go on the call by themselves? Boden doesn't care? C'mon, show.

Brett adopting a baby is a really, really bad idea. She is a single woman who works 24 hour shifts. She will have to hire full time care for the newborn infant. What's the point of adopting a kid when she spends roughly a third of her life at the station? She can't bring it to work with her. It's a dumb choice and I guess we're just supposed to hand-wave it because "Awwww, Sylvie wants a baby!" like it's cute or something. It's not cute. Let the poor baby get adopted by a nice couple who can actually be at home with her.

[anna0852]

1 hour ago, KLovestoShop said:

Just read a story about Taylor Kinney.  He made his first public appearance a few weeks ago at a charity event.  There is speculation that he left in protest for a producer who left the show to work elsewhere. The article also said that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kinney didn’t return.  

That would be highly annoying if he doesn’t come back for at least an episode or two to wrap up. Have Severide get offered a job he can’t pass up with ATF and let him and Stella have an offscreen marriage. This show probably only has a season or two left, I prefer to avoid the relationship drama if we can. At least for those two. 

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I’m getting tired of Brett and her baby angst.  She went through the same thing a couple of seasons ago, so maybe she should find a guy and have a baby.  
 

Just read a story about Taylor Kinney.  He made his first public appearance a few weeks ago at a charity event.  There is speculation that he left in protest for a producer who left the show to work elsewhere. The article also said that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kinney didn’t return.  

Well it LOOKS like Casey is proposing to Brett next week and she's supposed to be getting "life changing news". Brett might be getting to adopt the baby and one reason Casey's purposing(besides still being in love with Brett) is so she won't be raising the baby alone. 

As for Severide I'm almost expecting him to end up "Missing" or "Dead" by the time the episode ends next week.

[SonofaBiscuit]

I think Sylvie adopting the baby is either setting up Kara Killmer's departure from the show or the return of Casey in season 12, I don't know which. From next week's preview, 

Spoiler

it looks like maybe Casey is proposing 🤷‍♀️

I could see Sylvie and Casey getting back together and raising the baby. If Jesse Spencer returns, it would allow both Kara and Jesse to work less hours/appear in fewer episodes (when one is on shift in the episode, the other could be at home with the baby). I would happily take this over losing Casey, Sylvie, and Severide yikes.

[Josh371982]

Just now, SonofaBiscuit said:

I think Sylvie adopting the baby is either setting up Kara Killmer's departure from the show or the return of Casey in season 12, I don't know which. From next week's preview, 

  Hide contents

it looks like maybe Casey is proposing 🤷‍♀️

I could see Sylvie and Casey getting back together and raising the baby. If Jesse Spencer returns, it would allow both Kara and Jesse to work less hours/appear in fewer episodes (when one is on shift in the episode, the other could be at home with the baby). I would happily take this over losing Casey, Sylvie, and Severide yikes.

I am actually hoping Jesse is coming back and also Taylor as well . The show losing Casey, Brett and Severide would be IMO a big loss to the show 

[Dowel Jones]

Does anyone at 51 have any sense of ethical behavior or boundaries?  Kidd decides to go do some informal 'witness tampering' because she knows in her heart that it's what's best for Shep.  She was obviously counting on the likelihood that his mental state would result in dropping the charges, but if he didn't, his attorney would mop the floor with Kidd, Carver, Boden, and the CFD.

And Carver.  March right into IAD's office and buffalo the assistant to get into the Chief's office.  Just once I would like a Chief to say "I'm busy, I don't care if you're from 51, the bestest house in all of Chicago, get out of my office.  Now."  And his response to the three prior incidents of physical violence?  "Those were nothing.  My methods might be rough, but I was trying to protect someone."  Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.  And Boden defended him on it, because, hey, if Carver maybe put a guy in a choke hold and killed him, there was obviously a good reason.

All those firefighters are leaving themselves wide open for disciplinary action if they're really posting the kind of stuff while on shift that they're bragging about.

Sylvie tracking down the foster parents on her own, against DCFW policy, just was all kinds of wrong.

Plot twist - They discover that Wiggy has been attending the same arson investigation school as Severide and she hasn't reported back to duty either.

[SilverLake0315]

I'm realizing I couldn't care less if Severide comes back at this point. Casey used to annoy me, but I'd be ok with him returning. I really and truly wish Kidd would LEAVE. I'm so beyond tired of that character. She makes me miss Dawson. DAWSON!! 😐

[erikaelvis]

On 5/18/2023 at 10:24 AM, iMonrey said:

How can Stella just take off during a shift to go track down some homeless guy? Carver is already suspended, she's MIA, what happens when a 911 call comes in? Do Mouch and Gallo have to go on the call by themselves? Boden doesn't care? C'mon, show.

Brett adopting a baby is a really, really bad idea. She is a single woman who works 24 hour shifts. She will have to hire full time care for the newborn infant. What's the point of adopting a kid when she spends roughly a third of her life at the station? She can't bring it to work with her. It's a dumb choice and I guess we're just supposed to hand-wave it because "Awwww, Sylvie wants a baby!" like it's cute or something. It's not cute. Let the poor baby get adopted by a nice couple who can actually be at home with her.

Being a first responder doesn't disqualify you from motherhood.  All working mothers are away from their kids a third of their lives, the hour arrangement is just different.  Yes, she works 24s but then she also has 48 off.  Will she need help, yes.  All working mothers need help.  All of that being said, this storyline is recycled.  Please move on show.

[iMonrey]

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Being a first responder doesn't disqualify you from motherhood. 

I think it might disqualify you from adopting though if you are a single woman in that profession. And regardless it's still a poor choice.

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I am actually hoping Jesse is coming back and also Taylor as well . The show losing Casey, Brett and Severide would be IMO a big loss to the show 

If there's a real chance Kinney might not return, I wonder if the show is willing to throw big buck at Spencer to return. They probably know they cannot afford to lose both of them. And Spencer hasn't done a whole lot since leaving the show. He did eight episodes of a new show that's now in post-production and hasn't aired yet, so I don't know what his obligations are to that. But if NBC offers him a sweet enough deal he might be open to coming back.

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Plot twist - They discover that Wiggy has been attending the same arson investigation school as Severide and she hasn't reported back to duty either.

LOL - Wiggy.

[amarante]

On 5/19/2023 at 9:25 AM, erikaelvis said:

Being a first responder doesn't disqualify you from motherhood.  All working mothers are away from their kids a third of their lives, the hour arrangement is just different.  Yes, she works 24s but then she also has 48 off.  Will she need help, yes.  All working mothers need help.  All of that being said, this storyline is recycled.  Please move on show.

Recycle is a kind way of stating as it has become a cliche that a female first responder will rescue a child or be involved with a child and then wind up adopting - recent storylines on Blue Bloods - not to mention Chicago PD which is a sister show for god's sake. And Chicago PD just sent one of the husbands off on some away from Chicago job and the wife was not kept in the loop. They are really recycling stories on this trifecta of shows.

Obviously single parents raise children but generally they have some kind of support system in terms of family. I am not sure how having friends who all work the same shift are a viable option. And really good child care for an infant or even a toddler is incredibly expensive and hard to find because there is such a shortage

FWIW the scary range for an EMT in Chicago is between $35,000 and $44,000 which doesn't provide much in terms of being able to pay for quality child care.

Edited May 21, 2023 by amarante

[Attatude]

They have an ensemble cast so any actor leaving won’t break the show.  Taylor Kinney has been on since the beginning so if he wants to leave for any reason, fans should be alright with that.  Actors leave series. It’s not the end of the world. It’s hard to believe he would quite in protest mid season. He seems too professional to get involved in someone else’s dispute at that level.  

Brett can’t get pregnant in the show and continue working once she gets to about 6 months or so. It seems reasonable for her to adopt a baby rather than get pregnant. Her new boyfriend sure doesn’t like the idea.  If Jesse Sepncer left because he was burned out on TV, he wouldn’t be rushing back to work so fast.

[iMonrey]

On 5/21/2023 at 12:21 PM, Attatude said:

They have an ensemble cast so any actor leaving won’t break the show.  Taylor Kinney has been on since the beginning so if he wants to leave for any reason, fans should be alright with that.  Actors leave series. It’s not the end of the world. It’s hard to believe he would quite in protest mid season. He seems too professional to get involved in someone else’s dispute at that level.

Chicago Fire is only nominally an "ensemble" show. Casey and Severide have always been the lead characters, since Season 1. The other characters get lesser, variable stories. Herrmann, Cruz and Boden get story - sometimes. Gabby, Sylvie and Violet get story. So does Stella. More so now than ever. But Ritter and Gallo don't get much in the way of story, and Tony and Capp are glorified extras.

Casey and Severide always had front-burner stories, every episode. And it became apparent after Jesse Spencer left that Taylor Kinney was not a strong enough actor to carry the lead on his own.

Yeah, actors leave shows. And so do audiences when the characters they are most invested in are gone. Shows know this, and they know when they're in danger of losing viewers.

[amarante]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Chicago Fire is only nominally an "ensemble" show. Casey and Severide have always been the lead characters, since Season 1. The other characters get lesser, variable stories. Herrmann, Cruz and Boden get story - sometimes. Gabby, Sylvie and Violet get story. So does Stella. More so now than ever. But Ritter and Gallo don't get much in the way of story, and Tony and Capp are glorified extras.

Casey and Severide always had front-burner stories, every episode. And it became apparent after Jesse Spencer left that Taylor Kinney was not a strong enough actor to carry the lead on his own.

Yeah, actors leave shows. And so do audiences when the characters they are most invested in are gone. Shows know this, and they know when they're in danger of losing viewers.

Dick Wolf historically had a deliberate policy to have shows in which no single cast member was critical. 

Law & Order (the mother ship) was famous for its revolving cast members. The Chicago trifecta is a bit different because they have more human interest back stories than Law & Order historically did - although that is evolving. 

Almost none of the characters on the Dick Wolf shows are irreplaceable - maybe Hank Voigt and Mariska Hagirty on LAWSVU. Even Law & Order Criminal Intent which was built completely around Vincent D'Onofrio's character went on for several seasons with a revolving set of lead detectives. 

[Attatude]

I agree. The shows has leads but everyone is part of the team and could have a story in any episode.