Chicago Fire – Deathtrap

By starrymag | March 7, 2017

By: MaryBeth McMahon

 

The four-show crossover event opens with Firehouse 51 responding to a call at a large warehouse. Connie (DuShon Monique Brown) is away on vacation and has left behind a replacement, Marcy (Mia Hulen), to whom Boden (Eamonn Walker) assigns the job of calling headquarters. The team arrives on the scene and is greeted by the daunting image of people screaming and fleeing in terror from the fire-ridden building. Boden assigns Ambulance 51 to triage and he calls for back up for the 2-11 alarm fire. Severide (Taylor Kinney) attempts to break through a jammed door, behind which many people are trapped inside with the growing flames. He manages to wedge the door open, in turn freeing the trapped victims and creating an entrance for the fire fighters to enter through. Station 51 tirelessly searches the large structure for any victims they can find.

 

Meanwhile, a considerable number of ambulances pull up to the scene aiding Ambulance 61 in triage and hospital transport. Boden and Otis predict and fear that they will end up pulling a lot of bodies out of the wreckage.

 

Herrmann (David Eigenberg), Mouch (Christian Stolte) and Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) enter an incredibly smoky area of the building and hear muffled voices calling for help. The crew props up a rather sketchy, improvised ladder against the balcony above where the ailing victims are trapped. Just when Herrmann reaches the first victim, the concrete structure collapses, landing on top of Mouch. Thankfully, he survives the crash and is able to exit the building with his team and the people they just rescued. As a number of victims receive help from triage (including Mouch who claims to be okay, but clearly isn’t) an explosion goes off towards the roof of the building.

 

Moments later, Olinsky (Elias Koteas) approaches Boden and says that his daughter, Lexi (Alina Jenine Taber), was supposedly in the building. He is restrained when he attempts to run into the building in search of her. Boden gives the firefighters permission to re-enter the fire in an attempt to locate Lexi. Boden and Severide hear a woman call out and are happy to see Lexi, who is passed out on the floor. Olinsky is relieved yet still worried when he sees his daughter carted into the ambulance.

 

Chicago Med is beginning to feel spread too thin as they attempt to treat the influx of warehouse fire victims entering the ER. Maggie (Marlyne Barrett) requests that any available nurses be sent to help in this great time of need for extra hands.

 

Lexi is wheeled into Chicago Med and Brett (Kara Killmer) notifies Dr. Hallstead (Nick Gehlfuss) that Lexi has sustained burns over 60% of her body. She is minimally conscious and her airway is extremely restricted. Olinsky has no choice but to exit the room and observe from afar.

 

The following morning, Casey (Jesse Spencer) and the crew attend to the cleanup of the horrific and fatal fire. As he and Boden observe the scene, bodies of the unreachable victims are carried outside, conveying a very chilling scene that even these seasoned firefighters struggle to process.

 

Mouch meets a young girl in the hospital who happened to be one of the fire victims. She describes how she took a chance to exit through a window, climbing on top of people – individuals she couldn’t tell were living or not. She is riddled with fear as well as guilt for not trying to stop and help people. Mouch assures her that none of it is on her and she can’t focus on what may or may not happen. Down the hall, Burgess (Marina Squerciati) arrives to provide support to Olinsky. Olinsky is trying to convince himself that his daughter is going to be okay, repeating that phrase as well as asking Dr. Hallstead, trying to keep the severity of her weak condition out of his head. Burgess sees the reality of the situation and is teary eyed while observing her partner and his daughter.

 

Outside of the warehouse, Voight (Jason Beghe) and Crowley (Barbara Eve Harris) of the intelligence unit are introduced to Lt. Hubble of The Office of Fire Investigation Division (OFI). Hubble informs them that the building owner is willing to cooperate and apparently was unaware of the number of people present at the on-site party he approved of. The scene is released to OFI for further investigation.

 

The crew arrives home to Station 51 where the atmosphere is somber and quiet. Marcy tries to express compassion towards the physically and emotionally drained firefighters; however, there are no words that could possibly help them right now – not even the promise of food. Otis doesn’t entirely make things better when he announces the current and growing number of victims lost in the fire. Stella; however, observes Marcy who proceeds to prepare a meal for the crew, even though they said they weren’t hungry. A smiling Stella appears moved by Marcy’s selfless and caring action.

 

Severide attempts to process the day and in his office he leaves a voicemail for Anna (Charlotte Sullivan). He doesn’t often have someone to reach out to when in need of support and he certainly doesn’t make a habit of opening up when he needs to talk to someone. Surprisingly, he says that he had a very rough night and misses her. He decides to head back to the factory and offer a hand in the investigation.

 

The property owner enters the scene and is harassed by a very determined reporter who is asking about the building inspection. The large crowd of mourners on the street corner overhear that this man is the property owner. The crowd yells at him and blames him for the deaths of the people inside. Punches are thrown at the man, forcing the police and firefighters to intervene. He is taken in for questioning by OFI and Boden at the fire station. Lt. Hubble bluntly tells the guilt ridden property owner, Mr. Kimball (Steven Sean Garland), that the rising death toll is on him. He requests to go to the bathroom and once he is alone in the bathroom he uses a gun to commit suicide.

 

With Severide’s help, OFI discovers that the fire was a result of arson. They discover a broken light bulb at the location where the fire began.

 

In the midst of the dark events, Casey receives a bit of positivity when the parents of a girl they saved visit the firehouse. They express their gratitude and invite the entire crew to visit their deli for free food. Brett and Dawson (Monica Raymund) have a happy moment of their own when they realize the couple’s daughter is the same girl they have been trying to track down all episode; a young man met their daughter on the night of the fire and after hitting it off so well with her he wanted to make sure that she was okay. Gabby and Brett were thrilled to reunite the two and create a happy moment in the midst of all of this loss.

 

Marcy enters Boden’s office to tell him that Casey is there for a meeting with him. Boden puts that message in the back of his mind and chooses to take a moment to commend a clearly stunned and affected Marcy on her big, first day in 51. She continues to tirelessly show compassion for and a commitment to everyone in the house when she asks Boden if there is anything he needs. Casey asks the same thing during his meeting with Boden as he feels guilty over not seeing any signs that Mr. Kimball would take his own life under their watch. Severide interrupts and shows them images of where the fire started. Severide explains that the light bulb left behind was used as a timing device. The arsonist put an oxidizer (i.e. kitty litter, chlorine, etc.) and a light bulb filled with fuel inside of a brown paper bag. Once the bag was dropped and the light bulb broke, the chemical reaction between the materials ignited an immediate fire. They found the cause and just need to find the person responsible.

 

Stella delivers a message to the pensive Severide in the locker room. He walks into the garage and receives a surprising greeting from Anna. She shows support for Severide in the wake of this intense shift by making sure that he is okay. However, that is not the only reason she is there. She tells him that the “someday” idea developed between them was her idea and he is not the one who gets to decide when their “someday” is. She tells him that there was an opening for a Pediatric Nurse in Chicago Med and she took the job. After such a long and difficult shift, Severide has found a moment of happiness.