S04.E11: The Path Of Destruction

[WendyCR72]

Another week off 'til this one airs, folks!

 

A tornado threatens the city and Herrmann discovers the path may hit close to home. Chili and Brett lock heads when Chili makes a critical mistake that leaves a victim breathless, prompting Brett to report to Chief Boden regarding Chili's erratic behavior. Meanwhile, Otis pleads for Dawson to help him solve his women troubles, and Severide is asked to lend assistance to agent Alex Ward from the Department of Homeland Security regarding a suspicious home.

[Sandman]

Did anyone else think Severide had a faint air of bafflement as he was dropping Alex the Sketchy Homeland Security Lady off at her hotel? Like he was thinking “That’s weird – I’ve been giving her the patented Severide Sex Face all evening, and – nothing! Shouldn’t her panties have combusted by now? I don’t understand what’s happening!”

Edited January 20, 2016 by Sandman

[Watermelon]

 I haven't seen the episode yet, but I can't wait to see what Chili did that caused Brett to report her, ESPECIALLY WHEN Chili had her back when Brett almost got them killed because, idk, reasons.

[WendyCR72]

Another Wolf series, another woman named Alex. Hee. That now makes four. (Alex Cabot, L&O: SVU; Alex Eames, L&O: CI; Alex Borgia, L&O as the other three!) Someone somewhere loves the name. Maybe buy a baby names book and expand the horizons, a bit?

[squidprincess]

 I haven't seen the episode yet, but I can't wait to see what Chili did that caused Brett to report her, ESPECIALLY WHEN Chili had her back when Brett almost got them killed because, idk, reasons.

 

I hate to say this, because I'm generally not a fan of Brett, and I think Chili's somewhat more interesting as a character but Brett did the right thing here.  I'm not altogether sure how Chili will be able to keep her job.

 

I was really happy with most of the episode.  The tornado was less suspenseful than I was expecting, but the character interactions made up for it.  I particularly liked the Herrmann and Casey scenes, since that relationship really get any attention last episode.  I also liked the way Dawson was used in the episode.  I always forget how amusing she and Otis can be when they're bouncing off of each other, and as a former paramedic, she was the best person to give Brett advice on the situation.

 

I wasn't a big fan of the way they suddenly dropped Brett's boyfriend.  They had seemed like they had a good vibe, but now she's done a complete 180 about that situation?  

 

Didn't Severide JUST break up with that girl from Chicago Med last week?  You'd think he could take a little break from the 1-2 episode romances.

 

And Otis looks so young now!  I wonder if they'll keep him like that.

[Dowel Jones]

Well, personally, I wouldn't go around volunteering to break the law to help DHS spy on people, but then again, I'm not Kelly Severide. 

 

Cruz can't seem to shake his misplaced guilt.

[CoyoteBlue]

Wow, that was the briefest disaster ep ever. The tornado was almost an afterthought. I know there's not a lot in the way of natural disasters to milk in Chicago proper, because generally tornadoes divert north or south around the city, but I'll let it slide because the greater Chicagoland area is prone to them.

 

I thought the kid said he biked home from school? There's no way a school around here would let the kids leave during a tornado watch and he would have had to leave during to get the Shard of Imminent Heroic Paralysis during the high winds. Poor kid brought the cavalry and still lost his dad.

 

Chili is just... don't care about her drama. Otis and Gabby was fun and didn't make me want to strangle Gabby for a change. I have to think the lack of pornstache and "that weird thing on your chin" will help the poor guy. Casey and Hermann's little moment was nice. 

[Sandman]

How is it that Antonio knows about Chili's sister and Boden doesn't? Was Jelly-Bean (whatever, show) living and/or killed in Chicago? Didn't sound to me like Antonio would have investigated the case. I don't know; Jon Seda always irks me -- of the two, Antonio's far more annoying to me than his sister. (It could be that I have leftover irritation from the slapworthy Falsone.)

[BindsTheTuna]

Ugh, I wish these writers would get a map and/or at least consult a weatherman when they do the VERY SPECIAL episodes. I'm from Southern Illinois and a tornado or storm system that hits Carbondale isn't going to get anywhere NEAR the Chicagoland because 1) tornadoes move West -> East, not South -> North and South and b) Carbondale is a GOOD six hours from Chicago. Even IF you had a massive storm, it's not going to take two hours to travel up 57. God. This show.

 

(Also, Hermann is the heart and soul of 51 now? When did he rip that crown off St. Gabby's head?)

[Happy Harpy]

I agree that Sylvie did the right thing. Gabby was right, too, they can't go on the field with someone who doesn't have their back. I like when I like Gabby and I did in this episode.

OK, that's what's wrong with Chili. I think that the actress is good, she plays sunny and warm as well as bitchy and cold. Gabby's face makes me hope they will rally around her and help her. I still wonder if her behavior is "only" caused by the fact that she keeps everything for herself or if there's something else.

 

Casey has been in a background for a couple of episodes, Severide is still on board of the Love Interest Merry-go-Round...I'd like both of them to get the spotlight, and maybe have scenes together. I like Cruz and Otis and all and I like when they have their storylines, but I miss the old times when Casey and Severide were more at the center of things.

 

The Otis/Sylvie thing is still going on? I hoped it was dropped. At best, it makes me roll my eyes, at worst it makes me cringe with second-hand embarrassment.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Happy Harpy

[jay741982]

Did anyone else think Severide had a faint air of bafflement as he was dropping Alex the Sketchy Homeland Security Lady off at her hotel? Like he was thinking “That’s weird – I’ve been giving her the patented Severide Sex Face all evening, and – nothing! Shouldn’t her panties have combusted by now? I don’t understand what’s happening!”

The preview for next week shows them in the throes of passion which I said out loud " WTF this guy fucks every woman he comes in contact with that he doesn't work with Geez.

[betsyboo]

I watched this ep in 19 minutes. This makes me sad. I actually enjoyed Med more this week than Fire. (Altho, I think I can attribute that solely to Oliver Platt.)  I'm really struggling to care about any of them. Does anyone else feel like there isn't anyone to root for? I don't know. My sister is mad I might give it up since I made her binge the first season in one shot that next summer. My reply was that Hallie was still alive then and Gabby wasn't a PITA.

 

I guess I really only care about the Chief. And then Kelly. And then Casey. After that I am left wanting.

 

ETA: since i was FF-ing - I did not get an explanation on the time jump. Was there an actual time frame discussed when Cindy dropped Hermann at the station? Two weeks ago he was circling the drain and now he's already back to work? Boy, that Casey must share his magical healing beans!

Edited January 21, 2016 by betsyboo

[roamyn]

Bear with me as this might be slightly OT.

 

I've just started watching Chicago Fire; having gotten through S1, 1/2 of S2, and caught up on S4.   I lived 6.5 years in Schaumburg, which is one of the largest suburbs of Chicago being on the NW corner of Cook County.

 

Since S2 is pretty much forefront of my mind, I must say that they really screwed up with the blackout episode.  First, it's ComEd.  NO ONE calls it Commonwealth Edison.  Second, heating is done by gas up north (I'm a Cleveland native) - which means Niccor, not ComEd, so the residents would still have heat.  Third, ComEd NEVER fixes a grid that quickly.  Anyone who's lived there knows that.

 

Also, it's called 'Bags' not 'Cornhole', up North.  Though it's the same game.

 

Cruz needs to be less a wimp and more a man.  I've never seen such a wimpy fireman.  I like Otis and wish he'd get a real girlfriend (away from the firehouse, please!)

 

I'm glad Hermann's okay (I adore David Eigenberg), and I got shades of Casey's head injury S2 in the way Hermann behaved.  Speaking of that, did anyone get a vibe at the end that Casey was shook up when he heard that Lucas's father died of a subdural hematoma?  I know Casey's was an epidural hematoma, but they are similar in how they compress the brain.  Or was that just me, since S2 is still in the forefront of my head?

I don't really like Kelly.  I think Taylor's a good actor, but Kelly sleeps around without thinking about the consequences.  I thought he was an ass to Casey in S1, and an ass to everyone the last few episodes.  I also think he pushes people around too much, trying to get his way, regardless of how that affects their lives or careers.  It's his way or the highway.  He was nasty to Patterson.  And I really felt for Patterson.  He was caught in the middle of Riddle & Boden, the men & Gabby treated him like shit and with no respect.  Yes, he was a ladder climber (no pun intended), but many people are.  That doesn't mean they're evil or deserving of contempt.  From what I can see, Kelly's more like his father than he realizes.

 

So far, I like Saint Gabby.  I don't understand the contempt for her.  She's funny, she has good rapport with everyone, I like her & Casey together.  Yes, she's a little too up front sometimes, when I want to see more Jesse or David or the guy playing Otis.

 

To this week's episode, I really enjoyed it, and while the big disaster was petered out, it isn't uncommon for a tornado to just touch down in one area and then dissipate.  We had a tornado touch down in Westlake (a suburb of Cleveland) in the 90's and it just hit one street and only affected a couple of houses.  Real tornado damage is done more in Napersville or Plainfield.  I'm glad we got some good Casey/Hermann scenes, since they are close on the job and those two actors are the reasons I started watching the show.  Also, didn't Casey tell Jimmy to cool it down in the firehouse, not break it off?  I really thought that was BS on Jimmy's part to blame breaking up with Chili on Casey, when you know part of it's due to Chili's erratic behavior.  I have a feeling that Chili's about to be fired or put on leave.  Too bad it's not Brett, as she's boring as hell,  (Why'd they kill off a great character like Shay?) but I agree that since Chili didn't share what was going on with her, that Brett had to go to Boden.  It's not the erratic behavior that's concerning, it's the not caring if that woman died and then lying about it.  Own up to your mistakes, Chili!  They happen.

 

Anyway, sorry for the long post.  I didn't know where to put all my thoughts down.  LOL

[Sandman]

The preview for next week shows them in the throes of passion ...

 

I'm sure Kelly will be relieved to know that the Severide Sex Face isn't malfunctioning. The rest of us will just roll our eyes as usual.

[iMonrey]

 

Ugh, I wish these writers would get a map and/or at least consult a weatherman when they do the VERY SPECIAL episodes. I'm from Southern Illinois and a tornado or storm system that hits Carbondale isn't going to get anywhere NEAR the Chicagoland because 1) tornadoes move West -> East, not South -> North and South and b) Carbondale is a GOOD six hours from Chicago. Even IF you had a massive storm, it's not going to take two hours to travel up 57

 

Once again, Hollywood has no idea how tornados work. In the first place, when there's a tornado watch, nobody in the midwest bats an eye. It means nothing. We have them all the time, it just means weather conditions are favorable for a tornado. People go about their business and nobody gets all alarmed and starts hunkering down with bottled water and candles. The fact that Boden would gather the whole squad to announce a tornado watch was laughable. In Chicago? They would have just laughed him right out of the station. Or at least said "Were you just transferred here from California?" I mean, none of these people have recently relocated from the coast as far as I know, if they were raised anywhere in the midwest they wouldn't even give a tornado watch a second thought.

 

Even when there's a tornado warning, people just look at the weather radar and figure out where it is then go about their business if it's nowhere near them. It's not like a hurricane, it affects only a very small area, for a very brief time. There's no way the whole station would be on "lock down" - that's patently absurd.

 

And if a tornado hit somewhere within this station's calling vicinity, where were the tornado sirens? I sure didn't hear them. 

 

Any time a movie or TV show does a story about a tornado I just have to roll my eyes at how ridiculous it all is. The people who write this crap have clearly never spent any significant time in the midwest.

[Andy]

 I'm so mixed on this show. Some of the characters are brilliant and believable (Hermann and Boden come to mind).  There are also some awesome interactions between the characters.  Then there are the completely shallow character like Severide.  Do we really need to see him bedding yet another hoe of the week?   Perhaps there's legion of teenage girls who can't wait for his sex scenes :)

 

The writers really need an injection of creativity and energy. The tornado scene was so boring!  This show really fails capturing the frenzied excitement and true chaos of  an emergency scene.  

 

I agree with others on the tornado watch/warning over dramatization.  The writers do seem confused between hurricanes and tornados.  People don't hunker  down for hours waiting for a tornado.  They usually go outside and look at the sky:)

 

I know this is irrelevant, but as someone who lived in Chicago, I can't help but notice the crazy locations that station 51 responds to.  The firehouse is just west of downtown, but their district seem to be city wide.  The tornado's location was quite far from the house (45 min to an hour).

[CoyoteBlue]

Even when there's a tornado warning, people just look at the weather radar and figure out where it is then go about their business if it's nowhere near them. It's not like a hurricane, it affects only a very small area, for a very brief time. There's no way the whole station would be on "lock down" - that's patently absurd.

 

And if a tornado hit somewhere within this station's calling vicinity, where were the tornado sirens? I sure didn't hear them. 

Yeah, I think they really missed the chance to up the drah-mah with tornado sirens. Especially downtown - that shit is eerie as hell with the echoes off the tall buildings.

 

And Gabby, you are not going to starve if someone ate the last bag of chips. Even if a tornado hit their neighborhood, they could just scoot over to the next neighborhood/town/suburb to get more food after the hour or two a tornado watch lasts. I do think the parents who decided to sit out the tornado watch on the top floor deserved the ass-kicking they got. While my neighbors and I's first reaction is to go outside and see what the sky looks like, I also gather up the cats, my laptop, and my Kindle and hang out in the basement just in case until the front passes. Maybe they just moved from Hollywood, too, considering their dumbass kid was riding around in the tornado on his bike.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Was Chilli supposed to check the head injury of the dad who died at the end, when he and the mom ran over to the boy with the glass knife in his back? I think so.

I keep thinking Jellybean was discussed as being Chilli's nickname when she first came on the squad--no? Antonio of PD knows about Chilli's sister's body being found but doesn't immediately text that information to his sister Gabby, since all the characters are in each others' back pockets the rest of the time?

I am thinking Brett's ex-beau Austin will turn out to be a stalker and Otis will have to save the day.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Once again, Hollywood has no idea how tornados work. In the first place, when there's a tornado watch, nobody in the midwest bats an eye. It means nothing. We have them all the time, it just means weather conditions are favorable for a tornado. People go about their business and nobody gets all alarmed and starts hunkering down with bottled water and candles. The fact that Boden would gather the whole squad to announce a tornado watch was laughable. In Chicago? They would have just laughed him right out of the station. Or at least said "Were you just transferred here from California?" I mean, none of these people have recently relocated from the coast as far as I know, if they were raised anywhere in the midwest they wouldn't even give a tornado watch a second thought.

 

Even when there's a tornado warning, people just look at the weather radar and figure out where it is then go about their business if it's nowhere near them. It's not like a hurricane, it affects only a very small area, for a very brief time. There's no way the whole station would be on "lock down" - that's patently absurd.

 

And if a tornado hit somewhere within this station's calling vicinity, where were the tornado sirens? I sure didn't hear them. 

 

Any time a movie or TV show does a story about a tornado I just have to roll my eyes at how ridiculous it all is. The people who write this crap have clearly never spent any significant time in the midwest.

We don't bat an eye unless and until we hear sirens here in the Chicago burbs. And Herman sends Cindy the six or twelve kids down into the basement with enough food and water for a week (apparently this would have been the world's slowest tornado) but in the firehouse, the people just wander around without worry about taking shelter in an interior space, etc., because a firehouse is made of magical material that no tornado can ever overcome....

[roamyn]

We don't bat an eye unless and until we hear sirens here in the Chicago burbs. And Herman sends Cindy the six or twelve kids down into the basement with enough food and water for a week (apparently this would have been the world's slowest tornado) but in the firehouse, the people just wander around without worry about taking shelter in an interior space, etc., because a firehouse is made of magical material that no tornado can ever overcome....

 

 

Heh, I never heard tornado warnings in all my years of living there.  I think once we heard them coming from Hanover Park (we lived right on the border), but that was during a snowstorm.

 

As a teenager I was IN A TORNADO in central Ohio once, while camping.  My parents made me walk back a mile or so to the swimming pond because I forgot my shoes.  As I was getting ready to leave, the sky (still light out though yellowish, but no rain or lightening) started pelting hail.  Luckily a family in a station wagon pulled over and let me shelter in their car.

 

When I got back to the campsite, it was a mess.  Tents and garbage everywhere.   Apparently we got side-swiped by it.  One woman in our group was injured, because it picked her up and carried her a couple hundred feet before dropping her.

 

So us Midwesterners are hardy folks.

 

And thank you, Andy for clarifying where the staionhouse is supposed to be.  I wondered if they were close to downtown, then maybe closer to the south side, then I wondered if they were by Villa Park or maybe Oakbrook. 

[Crs97]

Didn't Severide JUST break up with that girl from Chicago Med last week? You'd think he could take a little break from the 1-2 episode romances.

Wait, did they break up? I thought she just had to cancel dinner plans to help her brother study. I guess it is reason enough for Kelly to find someone else to bed.

And Herman sends Cindy the six or twelve kids down into the basement with enough food and water for a week (apparently this would have been the world's slowest tornado)

He probably just has a lot of that unsold smart water left already clogging up the basement.

[squidprincess]

Wait, did they break up? I thought she just had to cancel dinner plans to help her brother study. I guess it is reason enough for Kelly to find someone else to bed.

 

 

When Severide called her out for constantly putting her brother first, she didn't react very well and it seemed like an actual break up.

 

 

I keep thinking Jellybean was discussed as being Chilli's nickname when she first came on the squad--no? Antonio of PD knows about Chilli's sister's body being found but doesn't immediately text that information to his sister Gabby, since all the characters are in each others' back pockets the rest of the time?

 

No, they'd established Jellybean as her sister from the first episode.  I think they were twins or something, which might explain some of her angst.  But I still don't see how she can salvage her career at this point.

Edited January 22, 2016 by squidprincess

[Sandman]

I just think the show ought to give both sisters, you know, actual names.

 

And I'm convinced that the next episode will show that Chili failed to check out the dad's head injury with sufficient care. (Casey made the hand-over to Brett, but he definitely advised the EMTs to check for the extent of head injury.)

[Kel Varnsen]

Well, personally, I wouldn't go around volunteering to break the law to help DHS spy on people, but then again, I'm not Kelly Severide. 

 

I was really hoping that either Severide or Boden would flat out refuse this request, or they would break into the house and find nothing there. But I guess this whole thing lets Severide have his relationship essentially with the cop who plays by her own rules without it having to be with Erin Lindsay.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Kel Varnsen

[Noirprncess]

How does Chili still have a job?. She's a complete and utter moron.

Lol at y'all explaining tornados in real life. We all know they move in circles on tv and particular to the areas where the characters live or work. Cuz drama, man.

[Chas411]

When Severide called her out for constantly putting her brother first, she didn't react very well and it seemed like an actual break up.

Can we call it a break up when they never actually got off the ground? I think the recurring issue with both of them is that the timing always sucks. I wouldn't be shocked if it was revisited again. I actually think she's one of his better love interests. If she didn't have her own show I'd say the writers would have given it more thought.

[Watermelon]

It's interesting.Because I remember Brett almost getting herself and Chilli killed doing some foolishness, but I see Boden is a 3 strikes kind of guy, and she must still be on 1.  

 

I need Chilli to pretend to give a damn. 

[Chas411]

I get Chilli has fucked up royally and needs to be pulled up on it but Brett's judgemental stick up her ass just annoyed me to no end. She nearly got both her and Chilli killed during a pick up because she was having a bad day. She's turned into such a dull and miserable character. She used to be funny. Also, considering the crap he lets Dawson, Severide and whoever else get away with I don't get why Chilli is the one he decides to make an example of.

 

It was nice to see Severide finally be a good lietenantant when it came to Cruise. I've no idea what the rest of that storyline with the lady was about though. If it's another one of his pointless romances that go nowhere then I don't want to know.