S04.E14: All Hard Parts

[WendyCR72]

Lt. Severide confronts Chili about his suspicions regarding her erratic behavior, but she doesn't take too kindly to his intentions. Members of the firehouse rally around Casey, who they believe is a perfect candidate to run for the position as Alderman. Jimmy faces off against Antonio in the first annual "Battle of the Badges" boxing match.

[betsyboo]

(Is it ep 9 - shot out of order?)

[squidprincess]

I will be very annoyed if this is the end of Chili's story, because Severide did the exact same thing in season one.  He repeatedly came to work high on painkillers, and never got so much as a hand slap.  But one of the few female characters on the show does the same thing and gets fired?

 

I am enjoying the Alderman plot though.  Holly Robinson-Peete!

Edited February 10, 2016 by squidprincess

[Misslindsey]

I am enjoying the Alderman story as well. 

 

I would not be terribly upset if this was the last we see of Chili. Though I would be surprised if it was. The only time I actually liked Chili is when she was with Jimmy. I do not know if it was the writing or something else, but I just did not feel bad for Chili during this whole storyline. Maybe it is just my own cold, black heart.

[squidprincess]

I am enjoying the Alderman story as well. 

 

I would not be terribly upset if this was the last we see of Chili. Though I would be surprised if it was. The only time I actually liked Chili is when she was with Jimmy. I do not know if it was the writing or something else, but I just did not feel bad for Chili during this whole storyline. Maybe it is just my own cold, black heart.

 

Honestly, it's the double standard that bothers me more than actually losing the character.  Chili never really gelled for me (Brett, in contrast, is at least consistently annoying), and I thought Dora Madison was one of the weakest actors in the cast, but the fact that one of the male leads did exactly the same thing and never had to face any real consequences really bugs me.  I'm really hoping Severide actually brings that up next episode.

[Misslindsey]

 

Honestly, it's the double standard that bothers me more than actually losing the character.  Chili never really gelled for me (Brett, in contrast, is at least consistently annoying), and I thought Dora Madison was one of the weakest actors in the cast, but the fact that one of the male leads did exactly the same thing and never had to face any real consequences really bugs me.  I'm really hoping Severide actually brings that up next episode.

I see your point. I am not a fan of the double standard either. I wonder if it will be brought up, but I will not get my hopes up. It always feels like the Chicago Fire writers conveniently forget previous storylines.

[jewel21]

Am I the only one who didn't have the episode air?

 

I'm from Canada but the show airs on a Vermont NBC station and they just had election coverage or something. I don't know, I saw Trump talking and changed the channel...

 

I hope my local NBC affiliate airs this episode before next week's.

[Artsda]

I guess you got the New Hampshire Primary coverage because of the close proximity to NH. My NBC in Upstate NY aired Chicago Fire.

 

I do hope that's the end of Chilli, she should have been fired since the drug mix up. I guess they realized the actress wasn't working, she and Jimmy's relationship ended instantly and they didn't even speak or share scenes. Instead it's Severide/Herman going to her.

[Dowel Jones]

Are you ready for Chicago politics, Casey?  Don't be surprised if that association with the mobster comes to light, as well as your construction jobs.

 

Tip o' the hat to Hermann for quick thinking with Connie on the ring duties.  Too bad she only got one round out of it.  Speaking of the fight, I was halfway expecting Jimmy to pull a Pulp Fiction move and get some outside bets down against himself.  Take that, Hermann!

 

On the first call of the episode, I didn't quite understand the situation there.  Why would someone install a deadbolt that requires a key on the inside of the door?

[squidprincess]

Are you ready for Chicago politics, Casey?  Don't be surprised if that association with the mobster comes to light, as well as your construction jobs.

 

 

Well, given that it's Chicago, that might actually be a point in his favor.  I also figure at some point his awkward family history will come up again.

[Chas411]

I'm disappointed about Chilli as well. I don't think they ever really tried to make her work either. It was like she was there for one purpose only and that was to eventually get fired. Her scenes with Jimmy (who I think a lot of people enjoyed) were cut and she spent most of her scenes with a constantly scowling Brett who's only purpose of this season has been to confirm to the audience (in case the anvils weren't enough) that Chilli is bad at her job.

It was just a lame story. I don't feel she was ever a real part of the family despite how much the yammered on about it.

[iMonrey]

OK, how many episodes before there's an attempt on Casey's life now that he's running for Alderman? No doubt the crooked one currently in office will try to have him offed. 

 

The fact that boxing exists, as a sport, just shows how little we've evolved since the stone age.

 

I hope we've seen the last of Chili. Never warmed up to her, and the stupid name sure didn't help. 

[CoyoteBlue]

On the first call of the episode, I didn't quite understand the situation there.  Why would someone install a deadbolt that requires a key on the inside of the door?

 

I didn't get this either. Brother comes in, locks the inside deadbolt and collapses. Unless he managed to swallow the key, how can the pre-teen little brother not know how to unlock the deadbolt on his own front door? I can buy him not being able to move his brother's dead weight out of the way, but the paramedics might have.

[Watermelon]

I didn't get this either. Brother comes in, locks the inside deadbolt and collapses. Unless he managed to swallow the key, how can the pre-teen little brother not know how to unlock the deadbolt on his own front door? I can buy him not being able to move his brother's dead weight out of the way, but the paramedics might have.

I just thought he couldn't reach it or some such, like a deadbolt at the top of the door(and I have no idea if it's a thing, it's just what I assumed at the moment).

[Xantar]

No but seriously, was this episode aired out of order or something or why does the thread title say it's Episode 9? I spent all last night ignoring this thread because I thought it wasn't for the most recent episode.

[Artsda]

The episode number in the thread title is wrong, it should be episode 14.

[WendyCR72]

Where are people seeing episode 9? On top (and what I typed when posting), it says S04E14. And per the database, this was episode 14.

[athelyna]

 

 

I didn't get this either. Brother comes in, locks the inside deadbolt and collapses. Unless he managed to swallow the key, how can the pre-teen little brother not know how to unlock the deadbolt on his own front door? I can buy him not being able to move his brother's dead weight out of the way, but the paramedics might have.

I just thought he couldn't reach it or some such, like a deadbolt at the top of the door(and I have no idea if it's a thing, it's just what I assumed at the moment).

I thought it was the fact the older brother was right in front of the door that was preventing the younger from being able to reach the deadbolt, and he was unable to shift his brother away from the door, but it was very poorly set up.  I rewatched it, and I'm still kind of confused.  I guess from the paramedics perspective it's better to just go ahead and call for a forced entry and walk the kid through putting pressure on the bleeding rather than having the guy bleed out while they try to walk the panicked kid through figuring out how exactly to let them it.  Though now I'm wondering why they couldn't quickly ask if there's a back door or a non-barred window they could get in through.

 

As for Chili being fired, Boden did say at the start of the episode she already had a couple strikes and was out of second chances.  Season one was about a million plotlines ago, so I don't quite remember all the details of Severide's drug problem, but I don't remember him actually messing up on runs or trying to blame his teammates for his problems.  If Chili had come forward sooner, before the problem had already escalated, then Boden would have been willing to send her to rehab and possibly save her career, but she'd already been making mistakes on runs, showing up late on a regular basis, and tried to run her partner off when questioned.  Honestly, with this show I'm surprised they remembered enough about Severide's past issues to have him be the one to notice Chili drinking on the job and be the one to drive her to rehab or an AA meeting or wherever they were in their last scene.

[Dowel Jones]

The problem with the deadbolt, as can be seen in a quick image as the camera works the inside of the room, is that it is a keyed lock on both sides of the door.  Unless the boy has the key, the door is not operable.  That is what doesn't make sense to me.  If he could reach a normal deadbolt, the medics could at least push the door open even with the brother's body lying against it.  Another thought that occurred to me while watching it the first time.  It's a gunshot wound.  Shouldn't they have called for PD immediately, as well as the truck/squad (but never the engine)?

 

In real life, most FDs have Employee Assistance Programs and, given the haphazard way that discipline has been administered in House 51, it would be almost a sure bet that Chili would be given the chance, even at this late date, to enter into EAP and get treatment.  That is, if her union rep was up to the job of speaking up for her.

[squidprincess]

As for Chili being fired, Boden did say at the start of the episode she already had a couple strikes and was out of second chances.  Season one was about a million plotlines ago, so I don't quite remember all the details of Severide's drug problem, but I don't remember him actually messing up on runs or trying to blame his teammates for his problems.  If Chili had come forward sooner, before the problem had already escalated, then Boden would have been willing to send her to rehab and possibly save her career, but she'd already been making mistakes on runs, showing up late on a regular basis, and tried to run her partner off when questioned.  Honestly, with this show I'm surprised they remembered enough about Severide's past issues to have him be the one to notice Chili drinking on the job and be the one to drive her to rehab or an AA meeting or wherever they were in their last scene.

 

Severide didn't screw up on an actual rescue, as far as we know, but per the pilot, he did spend a good month taking his anger/guilt/grief out on Casey to the point where it was disrupting the station and Boden had to step in.  He had gotten Shay to steal drugs and switch drug test results for him.  And he spent 13 episodes endangering his rescuees and fellow co-workers by hiding an injury that, if it had flared up at the wrong time, could have gotten someone killed.  It didn't, but honestly, that was luck.

 

I think it's probably going to be a matter of opinion whether Chili's behavior or Severide's was worse.  But the fact that she got fired, while he comes back from long belated surgery to open arms and not even a single disciplinary warning sits a bit badly on me. (I'm not even sure he ever actually apologized to Casey or Shay for his behavior back then, either.)

[Chas411]

 

(I'm not even sure he ever actually apologized to Casey or Shay for his behavior back then, either.

Not to mention wasn't Shay supplying him with the meds he hadn't prescription for in the first place?

 

The double standard of their "family" is laughable. I don't feel she ever was accepted into the fold and that's why she wasn't offered the same protection the others have been in the past. That's probably the writers fault as they clearly lost interest in the character midway through her arc but from watching the episod it just looks to me like she wasn't given extra chances because she wasn't in with the cool crew.

[squidprincess]

The double standard of their "family" is laughable. I don't feel she ever was accepted into the fold and that's why she wasn't offered the same protection the others have been in the past. That's probably the writers fault as they clearly lost interest in the character midway through her arc but from watching the episod it just looks to me like she wasn't given extra chances because she wasn't in with the cool crew.

It really makes Boden look bad, to me.  I think most of the rest of the crew really did accept and care about Chili, but were in the tough situation because she wasn't ready to accept their help.  But Boden, for whatever reason, isn't offering her the same breaks he offers certain other characters.  It's disappointing, and I'm really hoping Severide calls him out, because I can't imagine Severide actually thought Chili would be fired when he issued his ultimatum.

[Lillybee]

It might be that the reason that Chili was treated different from Severide is that she was still on probation. If she were a regular paramedic she would have been suspended instead of being fired immediately.

 

Dawson if you are so keen on Casey running for alderman; why don't you run yourself? It would definitely give you an opportunity for all your self righteous speeches.

 

I have the same lock as the one in the show, I just keep the key in the keyhole.

[Dowel Jones]

Chili was on probation?  I didn't know that, as it doesn't square with her being the PIC on calls (from last episode).  Oh well, a handwave cures all.

[NJ RadioGuy]

It's a gunshot wound.  Shouldn't they have called for PD immediately, as well as the truck/squad (but never the engine)?

Absolutely correct. In the real world, you'd have a dozen squad cars on hand to secure the scene before EMS and FD would even be allowed down the block. And besides, PD are often dispatched to unknown type rescue jobs, and *because* it's an unknown type rescue, FD would be toned out as a matter of course for possible forced entry.

Which also brings me to the house fire. "51 get some water on that fire." Right-o chief. Except I didn't even see the engine company in the establishing shot. And even if it was there, it would take a four man crew about two minutes to take a hydrant, hook up a supply line grab an inch-and-three-quarters (or two) and at least start a basic attack. A job roiling like that would have gotten an immediate 2nd Alarm to boot - and their first alarm would be a minimum of 3 or 4 engines, 2 or 3 trucks, a squad and at least a couple of senior officers. Now roughly double that for a Deuce :). But at the very least, could they not even afford to show one single engine company from their own house puttin' the wet stuff on the red stuff? And for that matter, with a fire that bad, and only a single truck company they're setting up something Really Effin' Bad by not venting the roof. Which is why there are multiple truck companies dispatched to a working fire :)

 

For the sake of TV production I get it, of course, but they *could* try just a *wee* bit harder?? Maybe??

 

And that brings me back to Emergency! from back in the day, when it was the other way around. Their house had the starring Paramedic/squad and an engine company. So many of the calls they ran could have ended very simply, in a fraction of the time, with one or two truck companies--especially the resident Tower Ladder <grin>.

 

In real life, most FDs have Employee Assistance Programs and, given the haphazard way that discipline has been administered in House 51, it would be almost a sure bet that Chili would be given the chance, even at this late date, to enter into EAP and get treatment.  That is, if her union rep was up to the job of speaking up for her.

 

The unjust dismissal lawsuits that could emanate from such a case would reverberate through the department--and the local media--for years. Not just that, but in what universe does a Battalion Chief make hiring/firing decisions in the first place? Ain't no way our Problem Child--er-Chile gets summarily canned just like that. I could see Boden giving her three written warnings then calling in higher-ups to intervene, but, like the OP stated, EAPs and the like exist for a very good reason. She sure as shit wouldn't be the first and won't be the last member of the service to drown her sorrows on company time.

 

So that now brings up the rest of the season. Obviously she's coming back at some point--it's network TV ferheavensakes--but what hot guy or gal will fill in for her until that happens? I haven't seen the previews, but since we're in sweeps, you can bet it won't be Joe or Jane Shlubotnik in the ambo.

[las68]

I missed how the car accident (with the missing driver and blood trail) and the house fire a few blocks away were connected.  I feel like the dad in the basement was the driver, due to his head wound, but I'm still missing how he got there and what caused his accident.   Could someone please explain?  Thanks! 

[Watermelon]

I missed how the car accident (with the missing driver and blood trail) and the house fire a few blocks away were connected.  I feel like the dad in the basement was the driver, due to his head wound, but I'm still missing how he got there and what caused his accident.   Could someone please explain?  Thanks! 

I'm assuming the 2 kids who got out called their dad to tell him there was a fire and that baby sis was in the crawl space.  He probably told them to leave, and he would go get her. 

[roamyn]

Did Severide ever go threatening Boden abt going to the Chief?

I've managed employees and if any of them told me they were going to the Director with a threat in their voice and a smirk on their face, I would've not had their back, either.

I've let bartenders go for posting things on their facebook abt the organization, because that's behind my back too.

[squidprincess]

The problem is that when Chili went to the Chief, she arguably had a decent reason and argument: basically that Boden wasn't treating her fairly or listening to her complaints, and that his "strike one" style of unofficial reprimand wasn't proper procedure and didn't give her the chance to fairly contest or defend herself.

 

And she wasn't wrong about Boden's discipline method.  That's why there was the whole "are you sure that keeping this other paramedic (Brett) is going to be worth this trouble?" bit in the previous episode.  Boden got dinged on this sort of thing before, actually.  When he sent Hadley to another house because of the prank and mutt comment to Mills, he didn't file anything officially about what Hadley had done to deserve it.  That empowered Hadley to come back and make a stink and gave Michelle Forbes's character another weapon to use against Boden/Station 51 in season 2. 

 

If anything it makes the entire situation much worse.  If the reason that Boden is treating Chili differently from Severide is because she went to the Chief, arguably protecting her rights, then that doesn't fix the double standard.  That makes it retaliatory.  And that starts getting into employment law and lawsuit territory.  If I were Chili, I'd be looking into hiring a good lawyer.

 

Boden's biggest weakness as a boss is that he tries to handle discipline issues as unofficially as possible.  This is likely because he is trying to look out for his subordinates and protect them (even for Hadley: he didn't put the reason for the transfer in the paperwork so that Hadley would have it following him.)  But unfortunately, it also means that his disciplinary methods look arbitrary, capricious, and unfair to an outside observer. And since he doesn't appear to be documenting these "strikes", verbal warnings, and quiet discussions, he can't really protect himself from that accusation.  And arguably, he isn't actually helping them at all, because the unofficial disciplinary methods prevent them from going through any real official appeal process.  If we look at Chili's "strike one" for being late as an isolated incident, we start seeing the problem.  If Chili genuinely felt like her "strike one" was having a negative effect on her workplace, her treatment by the officers and her colleagues, and her ability to do duty, then what recourse does she really have?  There's nothing on paper that she can challenge.  She can only really go through Mouch (and could we really blame her for not believing Mouch would have her back against Boden?) or go over Boden's head. 

Edited February 11, 2016 by squidprincess

[MissLucas]

Double standards and all the other issues aside I was glad to see Severide get some platonic interaction with a female cast member (two since he also talked to Gabby). It's actually surprising how well that works given that he's supposed to be the man-whore of Firehouse 51. And then I started to miss Shay, damn.

[roamyn]

The problem is that when Chili went to the Chief, she arguably had a decent reason and argument: basically that Boden wasn't treating her fairly or listening to her complaints, and that his "strike one" style of unofficial reprimand wasn't proper procedure and didn't give her the chance to fairly contest or defend herself.

And she wasn't wrong about Boden's discipline method. That's why there was the whole "are you sure that keeping this other paramedic (Brett) is going to be worth this trouble?" bit in the previous episode. Boden got dinged on this sort of thing before, actually. When he sent Hadley to another house because of the prank and mutt comment to Mills, he didn't file anything officially about what Hadley had done to deserve it. That empowered Hadley to come back and make a stink and gave Michelle Forbes's character another weapon to use against Boden/Station 51 in season 2.

If anything it makes the entire situation much worse. If the reason that Boden is treating Chili differently from Severide is because she went to the Chief, arguably protecting her rights, then that doesn't fix the double standard. That makes it retaliatory. And that starts getting into employment law and lawsuit territory. If I were Chili, I'd be looking into hiring a good lawyer.

Boden's biggest weakness as a boss is that he tries to handle discipline issues as unofficially as possible. This is likely because he is trying to look out for his subordinates and protect them (even for Hadley: he didn't put the reason for the transfer in the paperwork so that Hadley would have it following him.) But unfortunately, it also means that his disciplinary methods look arbitrary, capricious, and unfair to an outside observer. And since he doesn't appear to be documenting these "strikes", verbal warnings, and quiet discussions, he can't really protect himself from that accusation. And arguably, he isn't actually helping them at all, because the unofficial disciplinary methods prevent them from going through any real official appeal process. If we look at Chili's "strike one" for being late as an isolated incident, we start seeing the problem. If Chili genuinely felt like her "strike one" was having a negative effect on her workplace, her treatment by the officers and her colleagues, and her ability to do duty, then what recourse does she really have? There's nothing on paper that she can challenge. She can only really go through Mouch (and could we really blame her for not believing Mouch would have her back against Boden?) or go over Boden's head.

I don't disagree with you regarding Bowden's handling of the situation, or the double standard.

It's the attitude, the smugness, that has turned me off Chili's character forever.

I think more than anything it was her insubordination that had that same effect on the Chief. Some of it could be her upbringing, some of it could be her youth, but some of it is also that generation who thinks they know it all and can treat adults and superiors with that attitude.

In real life there are specific ways of handling these types of issues, and Bowden would be dinged for trying to handle it himself and in his own way.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I still miss Shay so much.

 

Severide was taking painkillers because he was seriously in pain from a job-threatening neck/cervical vertebrae? shoulder injury? and was getting a few of them through Shay because a doctor would have called him on the injury and he would have been put on desk duty. I didn't get the impression that he was addicted to them, or at least he wasn't taking them because of an addiction--he didn't have a stint in rehab for them, he finally was persuaded by Casey? Shay? Mary Sue Gabby? to go to a specialist, and he had some experimental surgery that magically cured him. That was a long plotline for this show. I have yet to watch this week's episode (will watch it later this afternoon), but it sounds like Chilly was not using them for pain but because she is addicted to them. So there is a difference in a way in why Boden treated Severide differently than he is treating Chilly, and can be seen as not a double standard in a sense. Boden definitely needs to have a couple of strikes against him for his lack of a paper trail with his staff--that was one thing his replacement last season was really good at, going by the book.

 

If Chilly was on probation for whatever reason when she transferred into the house, it sure wasn't clear to me, and interesting that she would still be Brett's supervisor. 

[squidprincess]

I don't think it really matters whether or not Severide was addicted to the pain medication or not.   He was self-medicating for an injury that he did not disclose to his superiors, while taking part in a high risk job that depended on its members being able to act physically in a moment's notice.  During the drug test episode, Shay even described the pills as being ones "Michael Jackson couldn't handle."  If anything, Severide committed three bad acts: he hid an injury, he was high on the job, and he was consuming drugs that were obtained illegally.

 

Chili drank alcohol on the job and got fired for it.  She did have two other strikes, to be fair, but given that those strikes were being late once (which still seems ridiculous to me given how often Casey and Severide divert their crews/vehicles to places for personal reasons) and screwing up with one patient and lying about it (it was probably the lie more than the screw up, to be fair), it just seems like an undeservedly harsh ending.  And the fact that Severide was the one to push her into turning herself in really just highlights that.

 

I agree that of the two, Severide is far more likeable.  But Boden, as their boss, really shouldn't be acting on that 

Edited February 12, 2016 by squidprincess

[Noirprncess]

I guess once again I am one of the few that has been happy to see Chili got fired. She should have been fired when she administered the wrong drugs, then lied about it at the hospital.

Honestly, I guess y'all are forgetting that her drinking on the job isn't even the first time since she pulled that same act at her previous house. They had quietly let her go the first time, so being at House 51 was her second chance. The paramedic supervisor said as much last week. Yes, Boden might have been lax with his documenting his version of a strike system, but Chili really sealed her fate when she went over his head to the chief. That triggered the events that lead to them pulling her records and realizing that she's done this before. Up til then, I think Boden was more willing to work with her. Remember he didn't even KNOW about her reputation before that point.

There is no way this is like the Severide situation. He's been suspended a few times and even demoted.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Noirprncess

[squidprincess]

Actually, Brett found out about Chili's work history first, and tried to talk to her about it.  That's what led to Chili going to first Boden, then above Boden's head to get Brett transferred.

 

Severide's demotion isn't comparable.  The official reason for that demotion was because of Squad's high turnover rate (which was blatantly not Severide's fault) and the unofficial reason was because Riddle was challenging Boden.  It was portrayed all along as something that was unfair to Severide, and as soon as Riddle was out of the picture, Severide got his position back with no hesitation.  Severide was treated as the victim of unfair treatment there (and he was), and the genuine mistakes that he made (particularly the Scott Rice stuff that had been just before his demotion) were conveniently never addressed.

 

If Boden had fired Chili as soon as he learned about her mistake with the medication, and her subsequent lie, I wouldn't have a problem at all.  But he didn't.  He fired her for drinking on the job.  And it's really off-putting that it was Severide, who had been high on the job for a much longer period of time and never faced any consequences for it, who forced her to turn herself in.   It'd be like if Casey had turned Jimmy and Chili into Patterson for canoodling in the showers.  It just gives the whole situation a very bitter taste.

Edited February 12, 2016 by squidprincess

[Noirprncess]

But in this instance, given the discussion between Boden and the paramedic supervisor, I don't think he could give Chili leeway even if he wanted to. That was the point of the discussion with the higher ups. Boden got a minor ding for his informal strike system, but at the same the supervisor figured if ANYONE could help Chili, it would have been worked out in House 51. When it became apparent that she was just going to be a problem, her goose was cooked.

So again, had she not tried to pull rank, Boden might have been able to use his informal system of strikes to avoid formalities and allow her admission as the first formal write up. The drinking would have gone on record but she wouldn't be fired since it was officially the first record in her jacket. BUT, when the supervisor got on Boden over the informality, you can bet he had to record everything leading up to this point. Recording her admission of drinking on the job was OFFICIALLY her third strike. Boden couldn't do a thing to help other than offer sympathy.

[Watermelon]

I guess once again I am one of the few that has been happy to see Chili got fired. She should have been fired when she administered the wrong drugs, then lied about it at the hospital.

Honestly, I guess y'all are forgetting that her drinking on the job isn't even the first time since she pulled that same act at her previous house. They had quietly let her go the first time, so being at House 51 was her second chance. The paramedic supervisor said as much last week. Yes, Boden might have been lax with his documenting his version of a strike system, but Chili really sealed her fate when she went over his head to the chief. That triggered the events that lead to them pulling her records and realizing that she's done this before. Up til then, I think Boden was more willing to work with her. Remember he didn't even KNOW about her reputation before that point.

There is no way this is like the Severide situation. He's been suspended a few times and even demoted.

But Boden didn't work with her. He told her to get her shit together. Which isn't actually helpful, because of course Chili doesn't NOT want her shit together. 

 

Once he knew she had an issue with alcoholism (via the old house) he should have made allowances for that, like making AA or some other self help thing a condition of her staying on at the house.

[WendyCR72]

But Boden didn't work with her. He told her to get her shit together. Which isn't actually helpful, because of course Chili doesn't NOT want her shit together. 

 

Once he knew she had an issue with alcoholism (via the old house) he should have made allowances for that, like making AA or some other self help thing a condition of her staying on at the house.

 

True, but - and as discouraging as it sounds (and I don't mean it to be) - AA isn't 100% all the time. And considering this isn't a first offense, I don't think that would be sufficient. Chilli seems to need inpatient rehab perhaps. And it's clear this job is too much pressure. If it were an office job? Sure, that's one thing. But being a paramedic means dealing with the lives of others constantly, and one needs to bring their A-game every time.

 

Or it ends up as it did: Wrong drugs given, etc. Since Chilli, unlike Severide, had a lengthy history of such issues, I think Boden was in a corner here. Any further accidents with patients could very well open the city to lawsuits if it ever came out the paramedic was an alcoholic and continued to work while drinking on the job.

 

I'm sure Chilli didn't mean to do what she did, but the fact is, she still did it. And now must face the consequences after so many chances blown.

[Noirprncess]

But Boden didn't work with her. He told her to get her shit together. Which isn't actually helpful, because of course Chili doesn't NOT want her shit together. 

 

Once he knew she had an issue with alcoholism (via the old house) he should have made allowances for that, like making AA or some other self help thing a condition of her staying on at the house.

I know we are debating a tv show. However, Chili forced Boden's hand when she got the higher ups involved. Her complaint forced him to document her previous "strikes". Had that not happened, Boden might have been able to help her.

DH used to work for the county which had a generous addiction policy. They wouldn't fire for the first offense as long as you went to rehab. If you committed a second offense of addiction, as long as it was for a different type of addiction, you went to rehab again. But if the addiction was the same as the first time, then they fired you.

[Chas411]

 

but given that those strikes were being late once

And honestly that strike was more about him being in a bad mood and under pressure because of the abuse allegation then it was about her being late.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Now that I've actually watched this episode last night--I really don't think it is like the Severide situation. His unreported and untreated injury was preventing him from being 100 percent on the job, not the painkillers. Chilli was buzzed on alcohol on the job.

But regardless, there is no way the FD is handling Chilli this way. There has to be a protocol on handling this situation. She would have been peeing in a cup randomly and also whenever she was suspected of drinking, whether after the first meeting with the higher ups or starting after the meeting with Boden on this episode. No matter how many "strikes" she had for issues unrelated to drinking on the job. Human Resources and the union reps need to crack down on Boden.

I didn't like this character very much so not sorry to see her go. I wish Show would get some believable female characters in the house--they wear more makeup during the daytime than models in cosmetics advertisements, every hair is always perfectly in place, and their skin tight clothes are just stupid. Neither Brett nor Chilli look like they could physically do the job, either. The men are all believable and so are the wives of Boden and Herman.

Don't even get me started on the sexy lingerie Dawson (again, in full battle makeup) leeringly gave Casey. Ickety ick ick ick.

Edited February 13, 2016 by MakeMeLaugh

[Watermelon]

Now that I've actually watched this episode last night--I really don't think it is like the Severide situation. His unreported and untreated injury was preventing him from being 100 percent on the job, not the painkillers. Chilli was buzzed on alcohol on the job.

But regardless, there is no way the FD is handling Chilli this way. There has to be a protocol on handling this situation. She would have been peeing in a cup randomly and also whenever she was suspected of drinking, whether after the first meeting with the higher ups or starting after the meeting with Boden on this episode. No matter how many "strikes" she had for issues unrelated to drinking on the job. Human Resources and the union reps need to crack down on Boden.

I didn't like this character very much so not sorry to see her go. I wish Show would get some believable female characters in the house--they wear more makeup during the daytime than models in cosmetics advertisements, every hair is always perfectly in place, and their skin tight clothes are just stupid. Neither Brett nor Chilli look like they could physically do the job, either. The men are all believable and so are the wives of Boden and Herman.

Don't even get me started on the sexy lingerie Dawson (again, in full battle makeup) leeringly gave Casey. Ickety ick ick ick.

Meh.

My cousin is barely 100 pounds and drove a private ambulance.  It's not about how big you are, it's about how you move the people.  There's nothing to indicate Brett and Chili couldn't move a grown adult, if needed.

[MakeMeLaugh]

It's not their weight that makes them less than unbelievable to me. Well, except the weight of the false eyelashes. They all look like they're in a beauty pageant--maybe just one could look like a real person, like the guys do.

Edited February 13, 2016 by MakeMeLaugh

[squidprincess]

Honestly, I don't think Severide or Casey are any more realistic looking than Chilli, Dawson or Brett. I keep waiting for some victim to ask "Why do your lieutenants look like catalog models? Is that a requirement for promotion?"

Edited February 13, 2016 by squidprincess

[MakeMeLaugh]

Yes, totally agree on those two, and baby Severide aka Jimmy. But the male hotties at least are balanced by Boden and Mouch and Herman and Cruz and Otis and more guys who we never hear speak--not that they are homely.

[roamyn]

Honestly, I don't think Severide or Casey are any more realistic looking than Chilli, Dawson or Brett. I keep waiting for some victim to ask "Why do your lieutenants look like catalog models? Is that a requirement for promotion?"

Eh. My cousin us a lieutenant with the Cleveland FD, and he's a very good looking guy.

[Dowel Jones]

Not to beat a dead horse, but, speaking from observatioal experience, in real life, there is almost no way that Chili's history did not precede her to Station 51.  Company Officers talk to each other.  Battalion Chiefs talk to each other.  Assistant Chiefs talk to each other.  Whether or not they are supposed to.

 

I keep waiting for some victim to ask "Why do your lieutenants look like catalog models? Is that a requirement for promotion?"

 

I keep waiting for someone to ask "Why doesn't your Fire Department require you to shave?"

[Happy Harpy]

Double standards and all the other issues aside I was glad to see Severide get some platonic interaction with a female cast member (two since he also talked to Gabby). It's actually surprising how well that works given that he's supposed to be the man-whore of Firehouse 51. And then I started to miss Shay, damn.

It was the only good thing for me about this episode. I think it might be my favorite thing about the show in weeks. And it makes me all the more sorry that Chili is gone because it would have given Severide  an interesting storyline.

[Chas411]

Finally watched the episode and hated it. With the exception of Hermann and maybe Kelly I disliked all characters involved with Chilli's storyline especially Boden who came off as a hypocritical jerk. He's made exceptions before but the difference with Chilli's case just seemed to be that she wasn't one of his favourites and he didn't want to go out on a limb for her. Also, telling her 51 would always have her back as he fired her was the a dick move.

 

Jimmy's lack of response or interest in her storyline as well kind of paints him as a jerk character in my eyes. I get that they didn't work out but he didn't bat an eyelid while she was having an obvious breakdown. I was delighted when Antonio knocked him out.

 

Firehouse 51 family motto really fell flat here. It just seemed like they're all in their own little bubble and Chilli never really fit into it.