S03.E15: Headlong Towards Disaster

[WendyCR72]

Interim Chief Pat Pidgen is brought over to temporarily fill in for Boden who is left to tend to his personal affairs. When tension is sparked as the result of his derisive leadership, Boden's absence becomes all too apparent. Brett gets closer to a girl she previously rescued. Casey starts seeing a new woman, but interesting complications quickly unfold.

[Brattinella]

After seeing the trailer for this today, they may just lose this devoted viewer.  There is PLENTY of drama there already!  No need for soap-opera crap.

[WendyCR72]

I think one can argue this show HAS been a soap with firefighters for a while now.

[MaryHedwig]

I think one can argue this show HAS been a soap with firefighters for a while now.

I am ready for just one episode where no disaster happens and we get to observe a day in the life of our firefighters.  Let's catch up on Mouch's love life, learn who Capp goes home to at night, get to know each Hermann child by name, and watch them all asleep on their cots. Gabby could skip this hour, isn't there some meteorite out there she needs to advert from crashing onto the earth? .

Edited February 18, 2015 by MaryHedwig

[miracole]

I just can't with this show anymore.  So that lady is a lousy mom because she isn't all rainbows and butterflies that her teenage daughter is running around getting blitzed out of her mind.  Obviously mom cared enough to buy her daughter a guitar that the daughter didn't care enough about to not leave randomly on the street. Mom obviously works hard and Brett has no idea what Mom may have been dealing with as far as her daughter's behavior goes. And no, she should not be rewarded for almost getting herself killed. Goodness Brett don't be a Gabby.

 

So "Otis" is all sensitive about a nickname. Granted it was a stupid one but really half the people you work with don't even remember your real name isn't Otis.

 

And uh yeah, so Casey and Severide don't like the Captain for whatever reason(I guess he's not one of the cool kids). You do not get to disobey orders and talk all willy nilly to him, it is insubordination. And totally believed him about attention needy ex-wife. Casey should have just shut up.

 

Oh Herrmann  you do realized how terrible your fire house is right.  People going fight club every other week.  Lieutenants popping pills and hiding injuries. Candidates killing themselves and dating superiors. Angered firefighters becoming arsonists. Angered firefighters letting people die. The list goes on...

 

Yay! Gabby gets to be all self-righteous about Casey. They certainly don't have enough of that on this show.

Edited February 18, 2015 by miracole

[Xantar]

And uh yeah, so Casey and Severide don't like the Captain for whatever reason(I guess he's not one of the cool kids). You do not get to disobey orders and talk all willy nilly to him, it is insubordination. And totally believed him about attention needy ex-wife. Casey should have just shut up.

 

I can't agree with you on that one. Yes, technically they were being insubordinate, but any decent leader knows that respect is a two way street. They're not disliking the new Captain "for whatever reason." So far, he has shown himself to be petty, vindictive, and socially inappropriate. Casey may have talked back in front of other fire fighters, but the Captain humiliated one of his subordinates in front of everyone including civilians who had just seen a guy get mauled by bowling alley machinery. Casey was in the position of either knuckling under or standing up for one of the men under him.

[iMonrey]

 

I am ready for just one episode where no disaster happens and we get to observe a day in the life of our firefighters.

 

I want the opposite. Just rescue scenes, no soap opera. The former is what they do best, the latter they're horrible at.

 

I agree with miracole about Brett and the the guitar. The teen was running around smoking pot laced with PCP and lost her guitar. She doesn't get a new free one just because she almost got herself killed. She's lucky she's not in jail. I haven't seen any evidence the mother is abusive or on drugs. She's got a problem teen and it's none of Brett's business.

 

I did like that this episode featured more of the supporting cast more instead of just focusing on Casey and Dawson but the new chief is too cartoonish and over the top in his villainy. Buying Otis a bowling shirt with "Gutterball" on it? Really? Who walks into a station to fill in for another chief and starts acting like an asshole to everyone on Day 1? 

 

And, oh yeah, Dawson, you don't get to be upset because Casey is seeing someone else, you're the one who moved out and ended it. So shut it.

[WendyCR72]

I'd say the personal angle is what has hurt this show. Get back to firefighting. As for the interim chief, I half expect to see him twirling a villainous mustache. Wolf's shows used to have pretty decent writing in the L&O universe (minus SVU these days, also personal; coincidence? I think not!).

 

Maybe Wolf should use the same formula for the Chicago franchise: Hints of personal, but mainly stick to the job.

[Calamity Jane]

Yes, yes, yes, please, much more about the, you know, FIRE part of the show and much less about their ridiculously injudicious personal lives.  All that is just wrecking what was a pretty good show!  Maybe the fire/rescue scenes are too expensive and difficult to film, but then at least don't make all the characters complete idiots.  

[iMonrey]

It also seemed kind of ridiculous that Boden has to take an extended leave of absence to tidy up his father's affairs when, apparently, his wife is doing all the work. She's the one who came in at the end and said she had to tell him about his father's papers and he just ignored her. Why does he even need to be home? To watch the baby while she does all the book keeping? It would have made more sense if Boden had been injured or something that would have really prevented him from going to work for awhile.

[coloradoqt]

So is Boden being written out (taking care of his Dad's business) like Neuhouse (where is he?) I'm beginning to get a baaaad feeling about CHICAGO FD.

[Kel Varnsen]

Wow firehouse 51 is a bunch of whiny babies. I mean they get stuck with that guy subbing on Squad for  a few days who they hate, but instead of shutting up, doing their jobs and being above it, they be as petty as possible to him (way to be professional!). Then they get a new chief, who is yes kind of a jerk. But if Otis didn't like it, guess what one of your best friends is union president, seems like it would be a good reason to file a complaint. And then when Casey called him out why couldn't he have done it in the chief's office. 

 

Also when Casey and Severide's were in the Chief's office complaining about the guy filling in on Squad, why the hell was Dawson there? Or did she get promoted from candidate  to Lieutenant in between episodes (not that it would surprise me).

 

Lastly why was the chief making a big deal about how he wouldn't be taking paternity leave? I wish I could have taken leave when my kids were born, but even though it was possible it just wouldn't have worked. Was this supposed to be some macho tough guy statement about how he wouldn't take leave because his baby was born?

Edited February 19, 2015 by Kel Varnsen

[Crs97]

But if Otis didn't like it, guess what one of your best friends is union president, seems like it would be a good reason to file a complaint.

 

 

I had the exact same thought!  Once the chief starting calling to Otis like he was a dog, I had no problem with Otis being touchy about it.  I expected by the end Mouch would have a talk with Otis or a form for him to complete.  Wonder if anyone will clue the chief in that creating a hostile work environment in the presence of the union president may not be the best choice.

[Watermelon]

I agree with miracole about Brett and the the guitar. The teen was running around smoking pot laced with PCP and lost her guitar. She doesn't get a new free one just because she almost got herself killed. She's lucky she's not in jail. I haven't seen any evidence the mother is abusive or on drugs. She's got a problem teen and it's none of Brett's business.

 

Seriously, that was the craziest thing. So a kid gets high on dipped weed and complains about losing her guitar, and because she spent an hour making a bracelet you go out and get her a guitar? And because her mother is now out thousands of dollars for her high ass excursions and isn't thrilled about the bill and doesn't want her gifted with a guitar, she's somehow a terrible mother?

 

Get the entire fuck out of here.

 

 

Casey has been poorly influenced by Gabby.  You don't go around purposefully annoying your new boss whose ex wife you're sleeping with.

[Lillybee]

Kenny Johnson is so good, can we keep him.

[Kel Varnsen]

I also had to kind of laugh at Dawson and the broken sink sprayer. I mean come on Dawson, your firefighter training involves working with hoses, fittings and things that spray water, You can't figure out how to fix or replace a pull out sprayer, which would just be connected to a fitting under the sink with a braided hose?

[Dowel Jones]

Seriously, that was the craziest thing.

 

And not to mention inviting her down to the fire station to hang out any time she wants.  Don't worry if we all leave, sweetie, what could go wrong?

 

One does not usually rise to the rank of supervisor in a fire department without first learning how to deal with irascible supervisors.  And one certainly learns how command on a fireground emergency works.

 

So, Chief Boden is in charge of just the truck, the ambulance, and the squad at the station?  Because none of the engine people came out of the woodwork to bid him farewell, and I'm not even sure they were at the morning briefing. 

 

The new chief was absolutely right about one thing.  Do not ever freelance on a fire, especially by yourself.  Chief handled it wrong back at the firehouse, but, then again, plot requires him to do so.  Otis was extremely lucky.  Gabby might have had to go in, find him and pull him out, and then put the fire out in her spare minute.   

[Kel Varnsen]

So, Chief Boden is in charge of just the truck, the ambulance, and the squad at the station?  Because none of the engine people came out of the woodwork to bid him farewell, and I'm not even sure they were at the morning briefing. 

I often wonder why they bothered to make this firehouse one with a ladder truck, an engine truck and a squad truck, since they never talk about the engine company. Why not just make it some kind of weird fire house with a ladder company and a rescue squad?

[Diane]

Didn't she find out if I remember right, that social services had been called to the girls home multiple times?  I am not sure if I heard that right.  Not that it is an excuse, but that is why I think she felt sorry for the girl.

[iMonrey]

I don't recall any mention of social services. All I remember was Brett whining that the mother was more concerned about the hospital bill than her daughter being alive, which implied she's a lousy mother, somehow.

 

 

So is Boden being written out (taking care of his Dad's business) like Neuhouse (where is he?)

 

I doubt they're writing him off, I think his absence is just an excuse to bring in this new villain, and they got him out of the fire station in a very contrived way. Luckily, with the way this show zips through storylines at lightning speed, Boden will probably be back by the end of the next episode.

[Diane]

I don't recall any mention of social services. All I remember was Brett whining that the mother was more concerned about the hospital bill than her daughter being alive, which implied she's a lousy mother, somehow.

 

 

I doubt they're writing him off, I think his absence is just an excuse to bring in this new villain, and they got him out of the fire station in a very contrived way. Luckily, with the way this show zips through storylines at lightning speed, Boden will probably be back by the end of the next episode.

ok took a while to find the transcript but this is what I remembered:

So I talked to Angie from Chicago Med.

She was on shift the night Celia's mother came to pick her up.

Way more worried about the hospital bills than her daughter's condition.

She actually tried to stop the doctor from treating Celia.

There have been ongoing issues with family services, and anyway, that's the story behind this.

[Boilergal]

There is good natured joking around - which is what usually goes on in the firehouse.  And then there is what the new chief was doing, and that was bullying.  He picked Otis as a victim and was trying to rally the other guys into making Otis the outcast - making him the shirt and treating him like a dog.  It was disgusting.

 

As a mother of 3 girls, that are thankfully no longer  rebellious teenagers - I have to go with the Mom on this.  Teenage girls can be horrible, sneaky, hateful, monsters.  No matter how sweet and innocent they appear there is pure evil under the surface.  They push the boundaries, make the worst decisions and get themselves in heaps of trouble.  And when they are busted it's all tears and my mom is sooooo mean to me.  But after x number of times of being pushed, lied to, stolen from, deceived, manipulated and cleaning up messes -  you get to a point where you say enough is enough and you let them deal with what they did.   And THAT is where I think the mom in this is with that guitar.  Britt has NO idea what she is getting herself into - I can see her being used and manipulated.

 

My 3 girls are AMAZING women in their 20's now - but I will tell you the teen years were a nightmare - could you tell?!

[CoyoteBlue]

the new chief is too cartoonish and over the top in his villainy. Buying Otis a bowling shirt with "Gutterball" on it? Really? Who walks into a station to fill in for another chief and starts acting like an asshole to everyone on Day 1? 

 

Matthew Del Negro! Seriously, his Rafael McCall on Teen Wolf is just as mustache-twirly. What's with all the Teen Wolf actors on Fire and PD lately? Melissa Ponzio is Boden's wife, Ian Bohen  is Voight's AI pain in the ass, Matthew Del Negro is the new Asshole In Charge... waiting for Linden Ashby or JR Bourne to show up as new firefighters.

Edited February 20, 2015 by CoyoteBlue

[iMonrey]

 

There have been ongoing issues with family services, and anyway, that's the story behind this.

 

Family services can be called upon because of the child, rather than the parent. I know the implication here is supposed to be the kid's got a lousy mother, but nothing in the dialogue or what we saw really demonstrated that. And maybe Sylvie had absentee parents or whatever (I can't remember, was she supposed to be a foster kid?) but just latching onto this random kid because she somehow identifies with her seems so random and out of the blue. The kid was smoking PCP laced pot, Sylvie. She's no angel.