With the negligence and arson investigations behind them, is it too much to hope that Firehouse 51 can catch a break? Apparently so since this week’s Chicago Fire has Chief Boden getting grief from all sides.
Gabby is still struggling with the loss of her baby, but being back at Firehouse 51 with her family helps dull the pain a bit. She comes back at a bad time though, as Boden is in an ongoing, heated battle with Chief Riddle. Riddle makes it his business to zero in on private matters as public problems. Riddle is gunning for the position of Fire Commissioner and he won’t let anything or anyone stand in his way. He sees Gabby’s tragedy as a potential problem, so orders her to be on modified duty until he can personally assess her condition. When Riddle does get Gabby alone he questions her about who fathered her baby when he already knows the answer, then advises her to take more leave time. At this point everyone takes a collective breath to keep from punching Riddle in the face.
The house responds to a fire where the victims are apart of a wedding party and because of the day’s events the bride and groom are unable to get married. Brett has the nice idea of having the house host the wedding. Since Boden can feel Riddle closing in on all fronts, he shuts Brett down because he doesn’t want their house under any more scrutiny. At a certain point though, especially after hearing what Riddle put Gabby through, Boden has had enough. Not only are they going to have the wedding at the house, Boden makes it clear they are going to pull out all the stops. Riddle is angry when he hears about Boden’s plan. His countermove is to retaliate against Severide, telling him they will “reassess” his chances at being a Lieutenant again at a later date.
All plans seem to be coming together, including the sobering up of the Chaplain. Leftover funeral flowers are rearranged as wedding arrangements. The cake is ordered, Brett and Patterson provide the musical entertainment, and the Chaplain has had his sobering coffee. What’s more, a camera crew is called to the firehouse to portray the house in a positive light. The only person who would care about how a press opportunity is someone looking to climb the ladder, which is exactly what Patterson did. Glad he enjoyed his spotlight, because from this point forward no one in the house is going to be able to trust him.
[Photo credit: Elizabeth Morris/NBC]
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