S03.E06: Madmen and Fools

[WendyCR72]

Casey helps out his sister while taking down his shady brother-in-law. Meanwhile, Brett assists a mother in need; Mills learns about unlicensed private investigation; and Hermann starts training Dawson.

[MaryHedwig]

Very tidy wrapup of the Casey sister story.  Not really seeing the pay off for us.  Casey is loyal to his sister,with whom he has not stayed in touch ?  Casey will physically threaten people in order to protect those he loves?  Casey will jump in and help even when others have asked him not to?  Everyone has a skelton in their closet, and Newhouse can find it in one shift on government time? Connie won't mind if you use the fax machine for personal business as long as you compliment her hair?  Casy is good with kids including Violet.  Is mom eventually going to leave Violet with Casey, is that the setup here?  By the way, wasn't Violet quite a bit younger last year, does she suffer from rapid aging syndrone, a common ailment in Soap Operas?

 

I can't continue to watch the show if I think too hard about the Gabby storyline, but...  Wasn't it whiny of Gabby to complain about Hermann's supervision?  Isn't Hermann is doing the best he can to help her without any personal agenda, and isn't that what she asked for last week?  Shouldn't Gabby be spending a lot of time cooking up eggs for the fire house like Mills did when he was a candidate?

 

Love Newhouse, but was that attack at the end just to warn him or is he in need of a 911 call right now? 

 

Capp backs out of the end of a Vegas trip to help his mother with a garage sale?  I can come up with better excuses than that, Capp. Besides, no one (sane) has an emergency garage sale so you should have given Serveride that excuse days ago.  I thought the cardboard craps game was very cute and crafty.

 

Is it just me, or do you think that Serveide was making out with a high-price postitute at the end?  Who else looks like that and jumps right into the game of a lonely high roller?  I think she knows what new-girl luck is all about how to use it to her advantage.  If I can figure out that she is a prositute, why is Severide so clueless, he didn't seem that drunk to me in that scene?  Well, if she is a prostitute, she is the kind that kisses, probably costs extra.

 

Isn't Law and Order SUV set in New York, seems like a stretch to have them jump into a Chicago story?  Although, maybe Benson will teach Gabby how to pull her own weight, not hog all the storylines, and still get top billing.

[Calamity Jane]

Very tidy wrapup of the Casey sister story.  Not really seeing the pay off for us.  Casey is loyal to his sister,with whom he has not stayed in touch ?  Casey will physically threaten people in order to protect those he loves?  Casey will jump in and help even when others have asked him not to?  Everyone has a skelton in their closet, and Newhouse can find it in one shift on government time? Connie won't mind if you use the fax machine for personal business as long as you compliment her hair?  Casy is good with kids including Violet.  Is mom eventually going to leave Violet with Casey, is that the setup here?  By the way, wasn't Violet quite a bit younger last year, does she suffer from rapid aging syndrone, a common ailment in Soap Operas?

 

I can't continue to watch the show if I think too hard about the Gabby storyline, but...  Wasn't it whiny of Gabby to complain about Hermann's supervision?  Isn't Hermann is doing the best he can to help her without any personal agenda, and isn't that what she asked for last week?  Shouldn't Gabby be spending a lot of time cooking up eggs for the fire house like Mills did when he was a candidate?

 

Love Newhouse, but was that attack at the end just to warn him or is he in need of a 911 call right now? 

 

Capp backs out of the end of a Vegas trip to help his mother with a garage sale?  I can come up with better excuses than that, Capp. Besides, no one (sane) has an emergency garage sale so you should have given Serveride that excuse days ago.  I thought the cardboard craps game was very cute and crafty.

 

Is it just me, or do you think that Serveide was making out with a high-price postitute at the end?  Who else looks like that and jumps right into the game of a lonely high roller?  I think she knows what new-girl luck is all about how to use it to her advantage.  If I can figure out that she is a prositute, why is Severide so clueless, he didn't seem that drunk to me in that scene?  Well, if she is a prostitute, she is the kind that kisses, probably costs extra.

 

Isn't Law and Order SUV set in New York, seems like a stretch to have them jump into a Chicago story?  Although, maybe Benson will teach Gabby how to pull her own weight, not hog all the storylines, and still get top billing.

Yes to everything.  And if Gabby is this whiny and poor-me at this station, how on earth would she have survived at the other one she was supposed to go to originally?  Sick, sick, sick of her.  

[Watermelon]

I don't have the Gabby hate of most but she was super annoying this episode. She just last week asked Herrmann to treat her like any other candidate and when he has her do these things she rolls her eyes and gets annoyed.

 

I hope Herrmann has her hitting that tire until winter.

[iMonrey]

I couldn't watch the scene with the guy who had a tuning fork stuck through his eye. I had to sort of turn away and half-look through my hands. That's a bit too much for me.

 

I agree the whole plot with Casey and his sister went nowhere. I don't see the point unless there's more to it coming up. I really thought it was going to turn out that Christie was the one embezzling company funds or something which is why her husband was hiding all the assets. If that's not it, what was the point of this story? To show us how heroic and devoted to family Casey is? If that's the case, where the hell is his mother?

 

Still don't see the purpose of the new chick.

[Chas411]

I actually like Sylvie in times and at times I could see her with Severide but I just can't get over us having to lose snarky fun Shay in order to have Severide date her replacement.

 

They could easily have slotted her into the show without having to kill Shay. It's clear they just didn't want to write for their token lesbian anymore and the character of Sylvie reminds me of what an insult that decision is to the viewers of the show.

 

Either way they need to get their act together storyline wise because while I still love the character relationships, this season just isn't cutting it and the soap has delved into the soap opera area. Numbers, while still great are declining.

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/10/29/tuesday-final-ratings-the-flash-the-voice-ncis-marry-me-adjusted-down-final-world-series-numbers/320740/

[HollyG]

I'm not sure Severide would care if she's a Pro or not. Just a sign that he's back to his old self,  going after just about every women he crosses paths with, even a pro.  His eyes... I would be completely unable to resist.

[Kel Varnsen]

Man Gabby's whining was super annoying. I wish Hermann would have called her on it sooner, and more harshly. All he would have to say was "you learned this in the academy? Well my standards are higher, because if you screw up at the academy you fail, but if you screw up at the job I could die". Or "you are a candidate. This is candidate training. Is there some reason you feel you should get special treatment?" or even just "It's a 24 hour shift, do you really have anything better to do?".

 

And the whole thing with the social worker bugged me. I get what Severide and Sylvie were trying to do, but it would have been more interesting if the social worker guy had gone through a few other cases in his pile and pointed out that the kids in those cases are in situations that are ijust as bad, if not worse than the situation that the kid they were trying to help was in.

Edited October 30, 2014 by Kel Varnsen

[MaryHedwig]

And the whole thing with the social worker bugged me. I get what Severide and Sylvie were trying to do, but it would have been more interesting if the social worker guy had gone through a few other cases in his pile and pointed out that the kids in those cases are in situations that are as just as bad, if not worse than the situation that the kid they were trying to help was in.

Your addition to the story would definitly have been an improvement.  I agree that the social worker story had very little pay off. I guess we got to watch Brett and Severide bond in the way that Shay and Serveride might of. We got to see new Shay act like old Shay.  We got to see Brett take a social worker hostage.  I did think the actress that played the mother did a yeoman's job.  By the way, that refrigerator had far too many apples in it for two people to consume before they all spoiled.  And I eat organic but I would hate to think that that is a criteria for keeping your children out of the foster care system.

Edited October 30, 2014 by MaryHedwig

[Kel Varnsen]

Your addition to the story would definietly have been an improvement.  I agree that the social worker story had very little pay off. I guess we got to watch Brett and Severide bond in the way that Shay and Serveride might of. We got to see new Shay act like old Shay.  We got to see Brett take a social worker hostage.  I did think the actress that played the mother did a yeoman's job.  By the way, that refrigerator had far too many apples in it for two people to consume before they all spoiled.  And I eat organic but I would hate to think that that is a criteria for keeping your children out of the foster care system.

If they made a point to show that the social worker was bad at his job, taking breaks all the time, or spending his day watching youtube, it would have been one thing. But he seemed like a decent over worked guy trying to help people as best he could. If everyone who thought their case was the most important and should be moved to the top of the pile, did what Severide and Sylvie did, he would never be able to get anything done.

 

The scene with the mom was weird too. They confirmed that she was no longer drinking, that she fed her kid and that she had a restraining order against her husband. But they never asked anything about whether or not she beat her kid. A single parent who is not an alcoholic and feeds their kid good food can still be abusive.

[MaryHedwig]

The scene with the mom was weird too. They confirmed that she was no longer drinking, that she fed her kid and that she had a restraining order against her husband. But they never asked anything about whether or not she beat her kid. A single parent who is not an alcoholic and feeds their kid good food can still be abusive.

Agreed.  She also seemed oddly blase when Brett and Severide visited her home, she did not seem like a women in anguish at the loss of her child.  It was also creepy that she decided at the ambulance that her son was alright.  His head had been in a vise and he clearly needed to be checked out, a caring parent would have not made the medical call herself.  Also, who keeps restraining order papers on top of their refrigerator?

 

Are Brett and Serveride running around like this on city time?  Does Boden know and approve?  This story would have had a much better pay off if it had revealed some back story for Brett or Severide.  Did Brett falsely report someone for child abuse back home?  Was Severide placed in the foster care system because of the neglect of his narcisstic father?

 

With little material, I thought the social worker did a good acting job.  Although, it is a bad sign when I am elevaluting the actings chops of the extras, it mean the main story is not holding my attention, in this case it is because my mind needs to take Gabby-breaks.

[Crs97]

I didn't understand why the mom was getting so annoyed with their questions. If the people who could help me get my son stop by and ask me questions, I am falling all over myself answering them because they are taking an interest. Instead she seemed pissed.

Hermann was too nice to Gabby.

[Bamboo]

I'm not ready to give up on this show yet, but the storylines and the writing are seriously lacking. Crabby Gabby is hands down the worst character on this show. Why is she so annoyed all the time? I don't think the actress is that great and she has a "bitchy resting face." Sometimes I can't tell if the actress is supposed to be playing her as miserable or if that's just all she is capable of showing. I've always loved Casey but even he is starting to get on my nerves and I blame her.

 

Poor Severide had to go to Vegas all alone. If I was him I would be seriously reevaluating all of my friendships at the firehouse as no one seems to want to go out of their way to be there for him. I know it happened a few episodes ago, but Erin also pissed me off. His roommate and best friend in the world died in a tragic accident and he's obviously shattered. He showed up late for dinner because he was drowning his sorrows in a bottle and lost track of time, and she got all upset that he left her waiting and dumped him right there in the street. But she'll be there for him as a friend, as if he's going to go to her now. He looked so sad there. I just want to hug him, preferably with him shirtless.

 

Unless they have a very special "Voight gets murdered" crossover event, I have no interest in watching them. I've occasionally half-watched Chicago PD but I don't care about any of the characters. I've always figured that Erin Lindsay was going to become the "Mary Sue" of CPD at some point like Gabby is on here. It looks like she gets injured so that everyone can worry about her, and I heard on CPD she got offered a job by the States Attorney to run her very own task force for the FBI, because she's so awesome and has probably been a cop all of 5 years. I can barely stomach Gabby so, I'm all set with CPD.

 

Why didn't the cops just use that big metal beam thing they always use to break down the door? Oh that's right, so that Gabby could do it with her sledgehammer, knock the guy out in the process and be the hero.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Bamboo

[politichick]

I think I read that the actress who played Shay asked to be released from the show, ergo, not-Shay. What they could have done is found someone who doesn't so closely resemble her.

[Dowel Jones]

 

Does Boden know and approve?

It would be most interesting to see Boden's  reaction if that social worker informed his boss that members of CFD were harassing him in uniform and apparently on city time, in an area that was most definitely not their sphere of influence.  And the boss then went to the alderman or whatever the food chain was so that Boden would hear about it in the proper manner.

[dohe]

I think I read that the actress who played Shay asked to be released from the show, ergo, not-Shay. What they could have done is found someone who doesn't so closely resemble her.

I have not read this anywhere.  Do you have a link?  My feeling is that when there was a rightfully negative reaction to the Shay will have sex with Severide to become pregnant storyline (which also hinted that at some point Shay would become the typical representation of a lesbian on tv in falling for that "special" guy) the writers were thrown for a loop.  They probably always viewed Shay in terms of ending up with Severide and realized viewers thought that was idiotic.  So a year later, when they found themselves still at a loss, they simply killed off Shay to replace her with a straight blonde. 

 

It could be worse.  Hell on Wheels went the corrective sex way with their lesbian character.