Chicago Fire – Take a Knee

By: MaryBeth McMahon

While spending time with Anna in his apartment, Severide (Taylor Kinney) is called down to the police station to pick up Benny (Treat Williams), who spent the night in lock up after a drunken fight. Severide isn’t thrilled to see his father, especially under these circumstances.

Gabby (Monica Raymund) and Matt (Jesse Spencer) are on their way to shift when they drive by a crack house in a seemingly wealthy and peaceful neighborhood. Matt becomes immediately suspicious of the building.

Gabby and Brett become acquainted with their new trainee, Harris (Will Kiley), at the station. Boden (Eamonn Walker) firmly tells Harris that he is there only to observe and not to give medical advice or take part in the rescues in any physical capacity. Benny and Severide walk into the station and greet the crew just moments before a call comes in for a trapped victim. Truck, Squad and Ambulance 61 arrive on scene and find a man trapped inside of a freezer with his fingers jammed in the door. Cruz (Joe Minoso) improvises and provides the team with an alternative rescue method that would save both the man’s life and fingers; his plan goes without fail.

On the way back from the rescue, Matt takes Truck 81 with him to visit the crack house. When they pull up to investigate, they notice an expensive car parked out front and a kid locked inside. The moment Matt breaks the window a worried mother comes out of the household without any explanation as to why she was there.

Cindy (Robyn Coffin) pays a visit to Station 51 to inform Herrmann (David Eigenberg) that their son, Lee Henry (David VonKampen), has been suspended from school for not saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Herrmann is furious and tells her to bring their son to him. Ambulance 61 walks into the station and informs Harris of the most important tip of the day: “Every successful run ends with junk food” and to take the job seriously. While the three are getting to know one another better, they are interrupted by a call. They arrive at a restaurant where the customers and employees are all vomiting. Harris realizes that everyone is sick from the improper cleaning of appliances. While Gabby and Brett are tending to the sick in the front of the restaurant, Harris makes his way to the kitchen in an attempt to help a cook who is suffering from a heart attack. Gabby warns him to stop helping, but before Harris listens to her he manages to break the rib of the victim while doing chest compressions. The once light and supportive banter between the group quickly turns to tense and awkward. Back at the station, Gabby tells Brett that she would do the exact same thing if she were Harris.

Severide and Benny decide to make plans to have dinner together so he can meet Anna (Charlotte Sullivan). Severide is a bit reluctant to give in and proceed with the plans. Severide informs Anna of the plans and she shows more excitement over it than him. She warns him that she will most likely be late, as she is getting off late from work that night.

Chief Hatcher (Sam Porretta) holds a meeting with Gabby, Brett, Harris and Boden to discuss the incident that occurred at the restaurant. He relieves Harris of his duties as trainee to Ambulance 61 and demands a report to be filed by Gabby and Brett. Surprisingly, Gabby takes the heat off of Harris by saying she told him to begin CPR on the victim and witnessed it occurring, even though he was not in her line of sight and she did not give the order. She also commended him for identifying the cause of symptoms seen in the victims. Although Harris’ actions were dangerous, Gabby and Brett were willing to put themselves on the line so a trainee with as much potential as he would not be suspended from the training program indefinitely. As they leave the building with Harris, Gabby and Brett give him another piece of advice: “Save lives first. Worry about consequences later.”

Matt visits the home of the woman who left her child in the car and discovers that she was at the house trying to bring her older daughter home. He learns that her daughter, Chelsea (Bella Wholey), was kicked out of their house for drugs and is now under the control of Rojo (Danny Henriquez), the man who operates the crack house. Matt is now determined to do whatever it takes and “Go Gabby Dawson on this” to get the crack house shut down and get Chelsea out of that situation without having to go to jail.

Boden gives Matt permission to take Truck 81 back to the scene to “knock” on Rojo’s door. The firefighters “smell smoke” from inside of the house and break the kick the front door in. Rojo pulls a machete on Chelsea, prompting the men to fire the extinguishers in their hands to limit the visibility in the room. Rojo starts a fight with Matt, but quickly flees in the midst of it. Chelsea’s parents enter the building and are able to convince her to get the help she needs so she can return home.

Chief Hatcher revisits Gabby and Brett and, much to everyone’s surprise, tells them they are ordered to “mandatory re-training” due to the events that occurred with Harris. Brett is interested in the experience while Gabby is visibly agitated and insulted that her abilities are being questioned in such a manner.

Anna arrives late to the dinner with Severide, Benny and Trish (Abigail Mason). Severide anxiously awaits Anna’s arrival and is very excited to see her. Anna is clearly upset and exhausted from her long shift at Chicago Med and says very little at the table. Holding back tears, Anna leaves the table and exits the restaurant. Severide chases after her and struggles to see why she was upset. Anna hails a cab and says that they are “wrong for each other” and that she made a mistake moving there. Severide is stunned and confused.