S02.E22: Real Never Waits

[formerlyfreedom]

A fire at a boarding school leaves Lt. Severide  shaken and wondering if he could have done more. Meanwhile, with the firehouse in full support of Dawson  as she retakes the fireman’s exam, Lt. Casey attempts some political maneuverings on her behalf. Elsewhere, Mills  looks for answers about his father’s mysterious past and Chief Boden’s  grand plans take a detour.

 

 

[SnarkySheep]

The promo showed Severide talking to Lindsay, with her trying to comfort him. I don't know how well it will work - we've seen our characters in this kind of awful mental-beat-up scenario before - but I do like the idea that at least he HAS someone that he feels close enough to confide in like that. Given what we know of Lindsay as well (mostly from the PD end of things) it's a clear sign that her character is growing too, as it's been hinted that the past Lindsay would never let her walls down for any guy.

[SnarkySheep]

Here are some stills of the episode:

 

http://www.screenspy.com/tv/reality-strikes-chicago-fires-season-finale-real-never-waits-images-details/

[Chas411]

This episode has me nervous. The cast are ampibg up how shocking it is and I'm fearing for what they'll do..

[LittleIggy]

Oh, man! I was like maybe they'll end the season on this lovely wedding with nobody in peril!! Spoke too soon! :-(

The bride and groom did look gorgeous and loved seeing Pouch at the wedding.

Hate that lying bitch Devon.

[Lillybee]

Kenny Johnson, good I like him. I wonder if he will be around next season.

[Rapunzel]

For a season finale, this episode was really just 'meh' for me. The only thing even half way interesting was the explosion and (extremely predictable) cliff hanger at the end. Oh, and maybe the Platt/Mouch scene - however unlikely that match may be. It's one that never crossed my mind as a possibility at all but it might be interesting (and maybe provide some comic relief) to see if they can make a go of it next season - assuming they can get any screen time next to Dawson/Casey.

 

Okay, so they try to keep the timelines on Chicago Fire and Chicago PD the same so they can have all these "cross over" episodes, so why wasn't there one mention of Antonio this episode? I mean, he is Dawson's brother and he was shot and we haven't been told officially yet if he's alive or not. There were also other Chicago PD cast members in this episode. I guess maybe we're supposed to assume that this episode of Fire happened a day or so before the PD episode was to have taken place? Honestly if not for the wedding it felt like this episode could have happened at virtually any point in the season. It didn't really seem to advance or wrap up any of the other story lines, though not that there are many outside of Dawson becoming a firefighter, Dawson and Casey getting engaged, etc.

 

I don't blame Severide one bit for yelling at that selfish, lying, thieving bitch Devon. I like Shay but she is an awful judge of character when it comes to people she gets into a relationship with (remember the pregnant ex-girlfriend who apparently left Shay once before under not so fabulous circumstances and, despite being married to a man and pregnant by him, went to reconcile with Shay, who took her back with the expectation of raising the baby together only to be dumped once again). 

 

If I were Severide there is no way I would let Devon stay there even for a few days (hell, I wouldn't even let her in just to use the bathroom) after the shit she pulled (which helped send Shay into that extend period of deep depression, especially as she felt responsible/guilty for what happened to her friends). In addition, Shay should definitely know better than to ever not to let that degenerate anywhere near their home again (even if she believed Devon's sob story and wanted to try to reconcile with her on her own it shouldn't involve her staying in their home) and respect him, their friendship and their home more than that. Yet for some reason we get Severide apologizing to Shay at the end of the episode? WTH?

Edited May 15, 2014 by Rapunzel

[T-A-C]

My guesses on the cliffhanger, in order of characters from least to most screwed:

 

Casey: I'm not familiar with a lot of current actors, but I'm under the impression that Jesse Spencer is pretty much the biggest name they have signed to the show right now. Besides, they've already put him through a cliffhanger before earlier in the season.

 

Mills: They just opened up a new plotline for him with the records about his father; they can't really get rid of him before tying up those loose ends.

 

Shay: Now that Devon's back, Shay's got an ongoing storyline in progress, and she just got put through a cliffhanger during the One Chicago crossover.

 

Dawson: Gabby's storylines have enough loose ends tied up that there wouldn't really be any significant plot threads dangling if anything happened to her... but come on, it's Dawson. Do you think the writers would kill her of all characters off?

 

Severide: I don't think they'll let much happen to him now that they have him paired up with Lindsay, but it felt like a lot of this episode was building up to a sendoff if something does happen to him.

 

Mouch: Mouch isn't really a major character, but he still fulfills a useful function as union rep.

 

Otis: Otis is a second-string character at best, but he provides comic relief which the show would definitely be bleaker without.

 

Hermann: Guy has a wife and a family. That's always a bad sign in an action-drama.

 

Cruz: We haven't heard much of this guy in a while, and he hasn't had any real plotlines for a while.

 

Newhouse: The guy just appeared an episode ago and his only role so far has been to give information to Mills. I will bet money the guy's done for.

 

Well, can only wait until September-October to know if any of this is accurate or not.

[cm2772]

Here is my prediction--Capp (the cute bald one that is often looked over or forgotten, doesn't seem to have a lot of lines) doesn't make it. Making room for wait for it......Gabby to be the first female firefighter on the squad!  Therefore she could stay at 51, but she would be under Severide not Casey, so no conflict in regards to direct reporting rules and regs.

 

Which would pit Mills and Gabby for the same spot. Does Mills get it because he has more FF experience, or does Gabby get it because she has more experience overall with the CFD and the Squad has no female representation within the CFD?

 

I will bet a dollar this will happen. And of course GabbySue will get it.

 

And completely HATE that Casey got his back up with Lt. Lem about the comment of Gabby being able to cook and clean.  Casey made Jones clean the bathrooms!  Casey had Jones cook for the house!  How soon he forgets. What a dick.

[Chas411]

Which would pit Mills and Gabby for the same spot. Does Mills get it because he has more FF experience, or does Gabby get it because she has more experience overall with the CFD and the Squad has no female representation within the CFD?

Pretty sure Mills was given a permanent squad spot earlier in the season.

[SnarkySheep]

You know, it hit me this afternoon that in having their parallel universe Chicago PD having two episodes past Fire's finale (tonight and next week) they've kind of screwed themselves with this "dramatic cliffhanger finale." For one thing, Severide is among the missing, and he is Lindsay's boyfriend. Are we seriously to believe that for two weeks, this girl isn't going to say a single word about his fate? She would likely find out within hours, and thus WE would find out...not in September, for heaven's sake.

 

I'll bet that's the way it will go, though, since it's really the only way TPTB could play it out...but after all the crossing over all season, it really makes NO sense.

[dargosmydaddy]

 

Hermann: Guy has a wife and a family. That's always a bad sign in an action-drama.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Hermann was there. Boden asked him to take the day off for the wedding, and he did (hence he was in a suit while all the other guys were on duty). We see Boden ask permission to tag along on the call at the end, but if Hermann had done the same, he would have been outside with Boden in his suit. No way he could have changed into gear so quickly. 

[millahnna]

And completely HATE that Casey got his back up with Lt. Lem about the comment of Gabby being able to cook and clean.  Casey made Jones clean the bathrooms!  Casey had Jones cook for the house!  How soon he forgets. What a dick.

 

While I think him going over there at all was dumb (wildly unprofessional and likely to just make it worse for her) I understand his reaction.  Lem clearly said "women's work" which is not what Casey had in mind when he was assigning tasks to Jones (tasks he also previously assigned to Mills).  The show has established that these sorts of tasks are candidate duties; Lem took it further than that.  Now all of that said, Casey should have just walked out at that point.  But he went over there like an idiot to being with it so whatever.

[greyhorse]

I've just started becoming a regular watcher of Chicago Fire because of all the PD crossovers.  Can somebody please explain how Gabby and Antonio are brother and sister?  One must be adopted, no?

 

I'd put money on it that Gabby finds a way to stay at 51.  She's a series regular, can't be a regular if you're at another house all the time.

[SnarkySheep]

Because apparently someone among TPTB decided all Hispanic people are alike...

 

Jon Seda who plays Antonio is Puerto Rican; Monica Raymund who plays Gabby is half white and half Dominican. Thus, they look VERY different, i.e. Gabby is much darker.

 

But they've had Antonio mention twice on Chicago PD that he's Dominican, so apparently they are trying to back-pedal and make things "fit," though they really don't too well.

[Chas411]

Is there any scene that this show can do that doesn't end up being all about Gabby. Every paramedic scene - all about Gabby (never Shay, just Gabby). Of course she'd punch that guy out AND aid Shay in saving his life.. she's Gabby Sue. The Chief's wedding... all about Gabby and her hesitation in Matt's proposal. Gabby, Gabby, Gabby!! Not to mention how many claps and ovations did she get in this episode... not too mention this season.

 

Fuck off Gabriela Dawson!

 

Platt and Mouch are a dream come true. Love them together already. I think this possible romance means he's a keeper for next season and won't be affected by the blast.

 

That burnt kid was one of the most brutal things I think I've seen on this show.

 

I liked the Severide/Lindsay scene. I'm surprised by how much I've liked their relationship. As crappy as most of the crossovers are I don't think their relationship has taken over either show.

 

The last minute explosion was ok but such an after thought... It's like they were writing a normal episode and suddenly realised it was actual the season finale...

[SnarkySheep]

IMHO Casey was wrong to have taken Boden's big day as the time to make his own proposal. I know he did it quietly and kind of off to the side, but I'm sure people saw, and I'm sure word spread. Casey had been sitting on wanting to propose for quite some time; there was NO reason it couldn't have waited. To me, it's just plain selfish (although I don't think Casey intended it that way) to take someone else's time to shine and make it about you.

 

 

The last minute explosion was ok but such an after thought... It's like they were writing a normal episode and suddenly realised it was actual the season finale...

 

Agreed. Plus, it just overall seemed obvious from the minute they pulled up that something major had to be happening there...I mean, they wouldn't exactly end the season on a tiny fire that nobody could even see from the outside.

 

That said, did the boarding school fire seem a little TOO big to anyone?? That entire ginormous building was completely engulfed! I'm not claiming to be a fire expert or anything, but I would think some considerable time would have had to pass for it to be that far gone. Either the teachers waited an hour to make the 911 call, or else maybe it took the firefighters an hour to get there.... (there WAS a weird segway around that part, where it was light outside, then suddenly dark, and then light again...)

[Neurochick]

 

I've just started becoming a regular watcher of Chicago Fire because of all the PD crossovers.  Can somebody please explain how Gabby and Antonio are brother and sister?  One must be adopted, no?

 

I don't understand why they can't be brother and sister.  On an earlier episode, Gabby showed a photograph of her grandparents.  Her grandfather was very dark, while her grandmother was fairer skinned.  So it's possible. 

 

I know black families where one child might be lighter or darker than another, it happens. 

[prican58]

I'm half Domincan and half PRican (get it?)  and I can say that neither one "looks" Dominican or PR. And neither do I. In fact I never get mistaken for latina.  For years I never was able to figure out Seda's ethnicity and Raymund totally confused me, even on The Good Wife. Her last name always confused me. But there are tons of Dominicans with Anglo names due to immigration over many decades. 

 

I knew 2 brothers who were Italian/Black but I never knew they were brothers  because one was decidedly Black and the other Italian. DNA is a crazy thing.

 

I am curious to find out what actually happened to all the FFers in that building. Were they all together? In different areas? Is it going to be like a coal mine disaster and they are all huddled in some place with no air ? Kenny who went into the bldg as it blew, is a goner for sure.

 

Please, did Eamonn Walker not look all kinds of delish in that suit and tie? 

 

When Gabby and Shay were in the ambo after treating the guys who were  shot, I was hoping that Gabby would  have realized that being an  EMT was where it's at and she'd forget about being a FF. Now we'll probably never see her with any of the squad or Shay and only see her fighting to be accepted at the new place and at home with Casey.

 

And really, why are the FF's at the new house so without any kind of personality but misogynistic, non verbal cave men? They don't even seem to like each other.The place is morose.