Chicago Fire Season Finale Review: Who Comes Out Of The Building?

When the tried and true works, don’t fix it. To close Season 5 of Chicago Fire, the show once again left the fate of most of its main characters in question. This time the horrible twist is that several members of Firehouse 51 made some difficult career choices before they walked onto the scene which could change the lives. The players on the Chicago Cubs team were on hand to assist 51 with what they needed, but only the 51 team members could walk into a burning building and risk more than a game.

51 rescues a kid trapped from a car accident with relative ease. Though he ends up in the hospital, all things considered, it could have been a lot worse. Herrmann hangs around long enough to see how much the kid has gone through, and the only thing he wishes for is to get a new stack of Chicago Cubs baseball cards to replace the ones he lost in the accident. I can’t believe Herrmann pulls it off, but he gets this boy to Wrigley Field to meet Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, and Mike Tirico! Talk about fireman being heroes. Herrmann feels good about himself, but no one else feels like a hero.

Cruz’s impending suspension leaves him with a lot of pain and anger.No matter what Mouch tries to do, no matter how much he apologizes, Cruz can’t forgive him. Instead, he carries all of that pain against Mouch, dreading every second of the conversation where he tells his brother he can’t go to college because Cruz won’t have the money to get it done. I wish it wasn’t the case, but Cruz is right with him being out of touch with the current politics at CFD. Taking a new job makes sense, but can he really leave 51? The situation with Cruz may have pushed Mouch in this direction, but to him it feels like it’s time. Trudy knows exactly what her husband is feeling after so many years in CPD herself. With her support, he can make the decision to walk away.

I can understand Casey being frustrated and incredulous with his life. At work he has to deal with angry constituents who are being manipulated into thinking Matt is a self-serving politician. At home Casey can’t get any peace because of his demanding, childish father-in-law. Just because Gabby feels guilty about ignoring her father when he fell on hard times, doesn’t mean she owes him her life. The man is supposed to be grown, not getting drunk at Molly’s and torpedoing Casey’s chances for getting his First Responder Bill passed. That really should have convinced Gabby that her dad had to go. It’s not her fault he left his marriage after 30 years and blew through all his money. Yes, the man needs love, but he needs the tough kind.

What makes Matt Casey so special is that he always finds a diplomatic solution. It’s what made his friend Tamara push him to run for alderman in the first place. While he has a head for politics, his heart’s not in it. Casey knows what he believes in, but that doesn’t mean he’s the one to be the voice for the people if there’s someone better suited. For the good of his job, for the good of his marriage, Casey resigns his alderman seat to Tamara.

Casey and Mouch both made pretty big career choices before the final act of the hour. Most of 51 went in, but no one came out. Instead the fire trapped all of truck, and Severide, in the building. If that wasn’t enough to make your tear ducts well up, Mouch had a heart attack as Cruz waited helpless outside for his friend. As for our beloved Dawsey, we’ll find out in the fall if Casey has spoken his last words to his wife.

Do you think everyone will survive the season finale? Find out when Chicago Fire returns in the fall.

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