The latest Chicago Fire amps up the tension in the firehouse as Chief Boden is in for the fight of his life. Peace seems at least possible for a few in the end, but the battle is far from over.
Boden is in deep trouble after being framed for attacking his neighbor. When he gets back to the firehouse, Mouch, Casey, and Herman spring into action to help him out. A criminal defense attorney friend of Cindy’s can only deliver the bad news that the state could charge him with home invasion, which has a prison term of up to 30 years. Boden tries to handle the situation himself, and all that does is get him picked up in front of his own firehouse. At this point, the house puts in a call to Voight to ask for his help. Voight comes running to his friend’s aid and advises him that he might need to play dirty to combat the circling wolves.
Remember how I said that relationships in the house were unavoidable? That is true, and good news for Chili and Jimmy. What is never a good idea is thinking that you can make a move on your best friend’s ex. Otis goes to Cruz to ask him for his blessing to ask Brett to the Gala. Luckily, Cruz does give Otis his blessing. At first, Brett declines since her relationship with Cruz didn’t work out, but she decides later to take a chance and says yes. Besides, Cruz has bigger problems right now. He’s trying to help Freddie get out of the gang life. This story is also far from over.
Severide’s father Benny is in town for the Fireman’s Gala. When he hears about the trouble that has befallen his son, he decides to get involved. Benny digs up the dirt he can on Patterson, telling his son he needs to do what he has to protect himself. Casey is doing his best to try to appear objective so that he can keep an eye on the house and be there for his friend. There is no reasoning with Patterson. He is becoming increasingly more disgusting to swallow. What is left of the squad hates Patterson, and after the debacle with Boden, there is no hiding the intolerance the entire house has for the corrupt squad captain. Dawson calls out Patterson in front of everyone and is the first to say out loud what everyone else is thinking: Riddle is framing Boden. Boden does the exact opposite of what Riddle wants, and he shows up at the Fireman’s Gala. Casey manages to talk his boss down long enough to bring the entire house together in solidarity.
Severide tells Casey and Dawson what he has on Patterson, but Casey advises Severide that putting himself down in the gutter with the rest of them is hard to come back from. Instead, Severide offers up the information he has straight to Patterson. Patterson tries to explain his actions, but the thing is Severide doesn’t care. His approach isn’t to blackmail Patterson, but to remind him that it’s still possible to show compassion and consideration towards others. It’s the first time Patterson has let his guard down in weeks. We’ll see if it will last, knowing that eventually the time will come when he will have to make his final stand.
[Photo credit: Elizabeth Morris/NBC]
