S04.E21: Kind Of A Crazy Idea

[WendyCR72]

Dawson makes an attachment to a young boy she rescues in an apartment blaze while Kidd's big idea for Molly's turns into a disaster. Lt. Severide makes a pitch for the house to upgrade some of their fire masks but hits a wall in his efforts, prompting Lt. Casey to use his political influence to pull a few strings. Meanwhile, Cruz and a reluctant Brett bring in a secret weapon in their efforts to get Otis to see Dr. Halstead and take a blood test.

[MakeMeLaugh]

First naked Casey at home in a bedsheet, then naked Severide in the locker room wrapped in a towel, in the first three minutes. Thank you, Show!!!!!

[Brookside]

Dawson, Dawson, Dawson -- me, me, me.

That entire storyline was so predictable.

Ugh.

[Dowel Jones]

This show is really slipping.  It took 58 minutes for Severide to get laid this time.  I did like his comment to Stella about her "workers" being on a "smoke break."

Would anyone here pay more money to have a giant ice cube in their drink?  I drink beer so I'm out of the mix.

As soon as they showed the foster mom to be an addict, and then Dawson sees the kid, I knew what was coming.  A couple of points.  She works a 24 hour shift.  What is her plan for parenting?  A slam dunk on Casey, forcing him to be Mr. Mom?  Add to that he works the same shift as her, so that won't really work. And then, a child of a drug addict, fostered by another drug addict, is going to be a very difficult child.  There are actual physiological problems, as well as emotional problems, that will take its toil on the parents.  Not all kids will be this way, but I know from what I speak, having gone through that.  It's all a moot point anyway, but if the writers actually carry the story for at least a few episodes, it will resurrect.

On the bright side, Otis can be a full time bartender at Molly's.  Some day, anyway.  I preferred a poster's idea from two epis ago who suggested it was just chafing from the Russian woman.

[Ailianna]

I was annoyed by Severide's attempts to get the new masks.  Not because they aren't a good idea, or that it isn't something that would save lives, but because even departments as large as CFD have budgets.  So there is only so much money to go around.  And they are paying for  a LOT of things, not only salary, health insurance, pensions (a huge expenditure for many municipal police/fire agencies), building and equipment maintenance on every house, replacing worn out gear, running the academy, arson investigation which includes chemical/laboratory testing which costs money--in other words, the fact that a certain new super expensive mask isn't being bought doesn't mean that there is corruption and people misusing funds--it means there are only so many funds to go around.  I'm not saying that there isn't some abuse of funds possible, but the show presented it as if only those nasty politicians would stop stealing the police and fire money, masks for everyone!

In addition to the money aspect, no department goes whole hog into new equipment (especially the number of these masks needed for every house!), without doing some testing, making sure the masks work as promised, and negotiating as good a price as they can, which with volume sales is very realistic.  It doesn't happen overnight, even if all the money is there for the asking. 

So Kelly's sanctimony, especially to the other chief, as if it's just people don't want to be bothered with new gear, was very obnoxious.  Especially since he's been there long enough to know that asking doesn't always mean receiving, and that there are very good reasons for that.

[Crs97]

Casey's lesson learned - You dance to Dawson's tune or you don't dance at all.

I was so happy that the social worker gave her the side eye about becoming Louie's foster mother.  Thanks for adding the voice of reality to the situation.  Why do I have this fear, however, that Dawson will magically be approved because she is too special to have ordinary rules apply to her.

I thought the ice cubes were ridiculous (although hubby says they are really a thing), and I didn't think Hermann overreacted at all.  I wouldn't trust Stella to do anything after that stunt, much less get the new sheetrock in.  Aren't they probably going to have to have electricians come in to check the wiring?  Or is she supposed to know how to do that, too?  Not surprised she and Dawson are friends.

Anyone else hoping the children's center is no longer viable because the city had to spend money on fancy new masks for their fire fighters?  And did everyone need one?  About buying two or three (or even only one) for the lead search and rescue people?

Edited May 4, 2016 by Crs97

[iMonrey]

Color me surprised the baby store didn't just hand Louis right over to St. Gabby as soon as she asked for him. I was fully expecting her to walk out of there with that kid in her arms. For a show not exactly known for reality it was nice to see a good dose of it for a change. But yeah - I have the same concern as Crs97, next week she'll magically wind up with that kid somehow. Hopefully they'll drop the whole thing because this isn't a show known for long-term storylines.

I hope they're not planning to write Otis off the show. Honestly there has been such a revolving door of regular characters on this show it's almost as if they have some sort of quota. I still feel like Stella just came out of nowhere and seemingly just to give Severide yet another slam-piece. Like he's so hard up for tail. 

[Fostersmom]

They really need to stop trying to make Stella happen. She's not really clicking as a character or with anyone in particular. And seriously, she couldn't manage to make a kid's party happen, why the hell would she be trusted to do stuff for the bar. Those ice cubes are a thing, at trendy higher end places. Your neighborhood bar, not so much. And her reasoning was kind of counter productive too. It doesn't melt as fast and won't water down your drink....uh, the extra fifty cents isn't going to cover the cost of a second drink when your first one gets weak.

If they kill Otis off, I'm going to be all sorts of pissed with this show.

Gabby's get a kid plan was just so stupid, it hurt. Sure, they'll just hand him right over to a single woman with a highly dangerous job because she finds him adorable. What's her plan, making the kid the new Pouch for the firehouse?

[BindsTheTuna]

When Gabby said, "It's hard for me to take no for an answer," or whatever, I almost turned it off. SIT DOWN, LAWS OF ILLINOIS. St. Gabby wants her a baby and you better recognize.

And UGH at stupid Hermann looking so beatifically at her in the ambulance. She has his blessing! *barf*

[MakeMeLaugh]

I must say yet again, Go away, Gabby. This time I'm serious. Mr MML actually loves the character so things are a little frosty here on Tuesday nights. I sort of hope she gets approved to be a foster parent in the next six months and gets a kid she can't stand (not really--but in six months she'll be wanting to be a social worker and then in six more months a lawyer so she can be a children's advocate down at Casey's swell youth center).

I don't think high-end bars charge extra for an "artisanal" ice cube, I think their drinks just come with them? But yes, ridiculous that Stella is repairing the place all by herself (surely a commercial establishment needs a permit for repairs by a licensed tradesman following a fire handled by the CFD, and inspections of same--astop-work order will be slapped on Molly's so fast), and Severide has zero chemistry with her so please get her mitts off him and vice versa.

Edited May 4, 2016 by MakeMeLaugh

[Dowel Jones]

Quote

About buying two or three (or even only one) for the lead search and rescue people?

That may be an option, but many FDs provide everyone with their personal mask, which goes with them regardless of assignment.  A much better solution would be to invest in portable thermal cameras, which could be used by anyone. 

[Ohgeez]

That little boy was breaking my heart

[izabella]

I loved the Baba appearance!  That's how to get things done. 

I hope Otis is wrong, and his father's illness was perhaps untreated, or not treated soon enough, or not with today's medicine.  Otis is afraid, and that makes people think the worst, not realizing that years have passed and treatments for many conditions have been developed or improved.  I like Otis, and I don't want him gone!

And, um, fire fighters who own Mollys?  You guys are familiar with Chicago building codes, fire codes, and inspectors, right?  You won't be able to re-open that bar until you pass inspection, so maybe, just maybe, you ought to make sure that your "contractor" isn't going to make you lose more time and money.

[Kel Varnsen]

4 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Gabby's get a kid plan was just so stupid, it hurt. Sure, they'll just hand him right over to a single woman with a highly dangerous job because she finds him adorable. What's her plan, making the kid the new Pouch for the firehouse?

Except what you described is pretty much exactly how Olivia Benson got her kid (except the pouch part), which made it bug me even more.

12 hours ago, Ailianna said:

In addition to the money aspect, no department goes whole hog into new equipment (especially the number of these masks needed for every house!), without doing some testing, making sure the masks work as promised, and negotiating as good a price as they can, which with volume sales is very realistic.  It doesn't happen overnight, even if all the money is there for the asking. 

I thought it was funny that the chief just handed over these super expensive masks to everyone, apparently with no training sessions on how to use them or anything. And I also thought it was funny that everyone in the busy houses was getting them. Why not start with rescue squad (or even rescue squad lieutenants) and work from there depending on how well they work?

[squidprincess]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

I hope Otis is wrong, and his father's illness was perhaps untreated, or not treated soon enough, or not with today's medicine.  Otis is afraid, and that makes people think the worst, not realizing that years have passed and treatments for many conditions have been developed or improved.  I like Otis, and I don't want him gone!

Thankfully, Otis's dad and Otis don't have the same illness.  His father died of leukemia.  Otis has a platelet disorder.

I like Gabby, but she frustrated me this episode.   She doesn't seem to have any real plan to take care of this kid.  Hermann has kids but he has a spouse who isn't a firefighter.  Casey took care of the Darden boys for a while, but they were older, and he also had a plan in place with his sister and help from Dawson and the other firefighters.

I'm particularly annoyed because she froze Casey out for his very reasonable objections, and then when he starts talking about shifting his schedule to make things work (the start of a plan, at least), she doesn't want him involved?  Not to mention her impatience with the foster parent process.  This seems like a terrible idea all around.

I have to admit, I'm marginally more invested in the Severide-Stella relationship than I am in most of Severide's hookups.  It helps that Stella has had a role and plots outside of him.  I'm kind of interested in seeing where this goes.

[Crs97]

I forgot to mention that I was really bothered by Louis' story because I wanted to know how they were getting the boy to look so sad.  It took me right out of the story because I was so concerned.

Did the writers forget Cruz is a Zumba instructor?  He could have run with Otis without issue.

[izabella]

26 minutes ago, squidprincess said:

Thankfully, Otis's dad and Otis don't have the same illness.  His father died of leukemia.  Otis has a platelet disorder.

Oh, I missed that part!  Thank you!

[LittleIggy]

That little boy was so adorable!

[Lillybee]

I checked out the Chicago FD schedule and it is 24 hrs on and 72 hrs off which shouldn't preclude a foster child if decent day care is involved.

[squidprincess]

6 hours ago, Lillybee said:

I checked out the Chicago FD schedule and it is 24 hrs on and 72 hrs off which shouldn't preclude a foster child if decent day care is involved.

And overnight care.  Which is doable, but it still bugs me that Gabby doesn't seem to be planning ahead on how to make it work.  Maybe we'll see more of that next episode though.

[juliet73]

This show drives me crazy!! 1. I agree about the fancy ice cubes belong at a more upscale bar.  2. Who is Gabby going to hire to watch Louie since she works two jobs? And one of those jobs being a 24 hour shift, the other, I asuume the shift ends around 2am.  3. Louie is so sweet. He broke my heart...I wanted to take him home.  4. I HATE Stella! She does nothing for this show. They are trying to make her the next Gabby and it's not working.  5. Grab a ladder Stella...you can't hang drywall by jumping up to hang it.  6. I agree about the masks...buy one or two. See if they work, etc and then buy more.  7. I know Casey has a lot on his plate now, but considering his girlfriend's bar got damaged and he's in construction, couldn't he help out with the repairs? Obviously nothing is going to get done by Stella and Severide.  8. Otis, his storyline is lame. The writers really drop the ball on the secondary characters. Otis, Cruz, Mouch, Hermann.  They deserve better than a few lines here and there and stupid storylines...can't work because of this disease that I suddenly show symptoms of even though I've had it my whole life or gang member crap or future crazy brother in law.  

[Dancingjaneway]

Casey needs to run from Gabby as fast as his alderman legs can carry him. Gabby is ridiculous and NOT worth the time. Man this show has turned to shit. 

[Kel Varnsen]

On ‎2016‎-‎05‎-‎05 at 2:10 PM, juliet73 said:

This show drives me crazy!! 1. I agree about the fancy ice cubes belong at a more upscale bar.  

The ice cube thing, hell Stella trying to boost the bars revenues has been a stupid plotline. Want to find a way for the bar to make money? Figure out a way to stay open when Gaby/Otis and Herman are on shift. Because from the best I can tell the bar is only ever open when one of those three people are there. 

[Dowel Jones]

And most of the customers seem to come from House 51, anyway.

[spunky]

On 5/4/2016 at 3:52 PM, Fostersmom said:

They really need to stop trying to make Stella happen. She's not really clicking as a character or with anyone in particular. And seriously, she couldn't manage to make a kid's party happen, why the hell would she be trusted to do stuff for the bar. Those ice cubes are a thing, at trendy higher end places. Your neighborhood bar, not so much. And her reasoning was kind of counter productive too. It doesn't melt as fast and won't water down your drink....uh, the extra fifty cents isn't going to cover the cost of a second drink when your first one gets weak.

If they kill Otis off, I'm going to be all sorts of pissed with this show.

Gabby's get a kid plan was just so stupid, it hurt. Sure, they'll just hand him right over to a single woman with a highly dangerous job because she finds him adorable. What's her plan, making the kid the new Pouch for the firehouse?

I can't do a repeat of the Olivia Benson/Noah storyline. Especially is Louie, spends an entire season in peril, like Noah. I like Gabby, but can Cruz get an episode that's all about him?!

[MissLucas]

On 4.5.2016 at 8:51 AM, Dowel Jones said:

As soon as they showed the foster mom to be an addict, and then Dawson sees the kid, I knew what was coming.  A couple of points.  She works a 24 hour shift.  What is her plan for parenting?  A slam dunk on Casey, forcing him to be Mr. Mom?  Add to that he works the same shift as her, so that won't really work. And then, a child of a drug addict, fostered by another drug addict, is going to be a very difficult child.  There are actual physiological problems, as well as emotional problems, that will take its toil on the parents.  Not all kids will be this way, but I know from what I speak, having gone through that.  It's all a moot point anyway, but if the writers actually carry the story for at least a few episodes, it will resurrect.

I had an on-line friend who had to go through this. She fostered her niece after CPS had to remove the kid at six months of age from her brother's household because both parents were using. Her updates were heartbreaking. At first every thing seemed fine and okay but the more time passed the more problems arose and I remember her being devastated after a particularly difficult session with a child therapist. He told her that her little niece had been so calm and accommodating at the beginning was not a sign that everything was okay (as she and her partner thought) but that the kid had been so traumatized that she would not dare to act out in any way. And the kid needed plenty of therapy and special counseling although she had only lived very briefly in that drug hell-hole. Gabby's 'kid' is older and must have gone through a lot more of that stuff. So yeah, fostering a kid with such a backstory is not a walk in the park.

And despite at least one person acting as the voice of reason I have no doubts St. Gabby won't let go of the (admittedly very cute) kid. No matter that she's got two jobs - one of them high-risk, no partner or family to help with childcare (last thing we saw on CP was that Antonio's marriage is broken up) and hardly the income to pay for appropriate childcare when she's on shift.

Oh, and those are firemen and they deal on a regular basis with fires started by wonky wiring and people tampering with electric gadgets. Yet none of them raises some serious concerns about a DIY version of a machine that costs a fraction of the real thing?

[Chas411]

Another episode where Stella is shoved into every second scene. What's the deal with the writers obsession with this character. Have they ever forced a character this badly? It bugs me the way the show keeps trying to act like she's been everybody's best buddy the whole time. You have to earn that.

I was with Gabby and her attachment to the kid.. Until she went all Gabby on it. 

Cruz and Otis are like the Chandler and Joey of the show. Gotta love them.