Chicago Fire – That Day

By starrymag | November 28, 2016

By: MaryBeth McMahon

 

 

 

Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) is out to breakfast with his stepson, James (Namir Smallwood), and his firefighter buddy Kyle (Christopher Innvar). After discussing the possibility of 17-year old James joining the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), things take a turn. Kyle begins questioning him about going to New York to attend the retirement of another firefighter. Boden is clearly put off by the request, making it evident that for some unknown reason he is not comfortable discussing New York.

 

James receives a warm welcome from the crew at Firehouse 51 and gets prepared for his shift, testing the waters to see if he wants to be a firefighter. Herrmann (David Eigenberg) then shares news with the team that he is up for a promotion; however, he quickly backtracks and makes light of the situation after everyone excitedly responds. Lieutenant Casey (Jesse Spencer) offers to let Herrmann take the lead on Truck 81 so he can assess his “style” and see where things go from there. The supportive banter between the two comes to a halt when Severide (Taylor Kinney) steps into the kitchen, requesting to speak privately with Casey. Darin Whitney (Michael Nanfria), the husband of the woman who died in the house fire, called Severide to let him know that the Office of Fire Investigation (OFI) is continuing on with the investigation. Severide is convinced of Whitney’s lack of involvement and implies that Casey had a role in the extended pursuit of this innocent man. They are interrupted by the sound of the station alarm alerting them to their first call.

 

Herrmann is the first on the scene after Truck 81 pulls up to a residence. A girl fell through a skylight and upon landing on the ground, a large piece of glass became lodged in her abdomen. Herrmann radios Ambulance 61. Dawson (Monica Raymund) is at the wheel of Ambulance 61 and drives herself and Brett (Kara Killmer) in the direction of the call. With sirens blaring, Dawson grows frustrated by the cars not moving out of the way for them. In a split second, she takes her eyes off the road to look at Brett and in that second a pedestrian walks into the middle of the road. Dawson doesn’t have time to stop the vehicle; the man slams against the front of the ambulance, shattering the windshield. Ambulance 61 is unable to provide assistance to Truck 81 and now races to save the pedestrian.

 

Meanwhile, Truck 81 can’t afford to wait the ten minutes for the back up ambulance to arrive. Herrmann orders the team to prepare the truck so they can transport their patient. Casey backs up Herrmann’s decision, shutting Otis (Yuri Sardarov) down when he says that the truck isn’t a sterile enough environment. The hospital informs Truck 81 that they saved the patient’s life by rushing her to the hospital themselves. Casey offers to fill out the paperwork for their patient, but Herrmann wants to show off more of his leadership abilities and do it himself.

 

Just when things have settled down for Dawson after nearly losing Louis, she now has to face the repercussions of this accident. Gabby, full of guilt, is visibly upset by the level of scrutiny she is now under by the department. Thankfully, Mouch (Christian Stolte) arrives just in time to provide back up while Chief Hatcher (Sam Porretta) questions Gabby about the incident. Gabby grows increasingly agitated by the questioning. Ignoring the Chief’s request to calm down, she vividly recalls all details from the scene. Gabby was strictly following the speed limit, with sirens blaring and the horn beeping. She then tells Chief Hatcher that the man stepped out from behind a van no more than10 feet in front of Ambulance 61. Gabby confidently knows there was not enough time to stop the vehicle and avoid hitting the man. She even recalls the color of his eyes as proof of her attention to detail. Once the Chief exits the room, upon Boden’s request, Casey rushes in to console Gabby who is in tears saying it was “unavoidable.” Chief Hatcher leaves the hospital after informing Boden that the Department will not protect Gabby if the victim’s family takes legal action. Mouch; however, is eager to “rally support” from the union.

 

James approaches Boden’s office in the firehouse and overhears a heated argument that his stepfather is having on the phone. When Boden steps into the hallway, Connie (DuShon Monique Brown) urges him to make a decision about the New York trip. Chief Boden immediately tells her to cancel and listen to his request. James looks taken aback by the anger and frustration that his stepfather has shown throughout the day.

 

Things continue to get difficult for Gabby when the pedestrian’s son stops by Firehouse 51 with his attorney. While the attorney snaps photographs of the ambulance, Gabby tries to talk with the victim’s son. His attorney then addresses her by “sweetheart” and directs her not to speak with his client. Gabby is immediately infuriated by the way he spoke to her; but before she can confront him, Chief Boden arrives just in time to receive his own Notification of Intent to Sue. Chief Boden is furious over the CFD being sued 5 million dollars in damages while Gabby also struggles to deal with the reality of her own, one million dollar price tag.

 

In the hallway, Gabby tells Brett that Antonio said, “Hi.” The look on Brett’s face helps Gabby immediately realize that Brett slept with Antonio. She expresses her support for the both of them. This sincere and comical moment with Brett was much-needed in the wake of Gabby’s extremely rough shift. However, the moment quickly turned sour when Brett began discussing the details of her night with Antonio. Gabby is instantly revolted. Brett and Gabby may be close friends, but no one wants to hear those types of stories when their siblings are involved. Regardless, that supportive and somewhat awkward conversation was just what Gabby needed to get her mind off of things.

 

Boden informs Casey and Severide that OFI found evidence of an accelerant used at the house under investigation. Severide believes the husband is still innocent due to his proven alibi and is very bitter about Casey contacting OFI to pursue matters further. After Casey and Severide continue to butt heads, Boden tells them both that they have one day to write up their reports and get back to behaving like firehouse leaders.

 

At home, Casey and Gabby work with Antonio to find out more information about the pedestrian. Antonio informs them that the man has a rough past, consisting of unemployment and a police record, which contains a “court-ordered treatment for attempted suicide.” Considering the man’s long battle with mental illness, the three of them find it possible that he stepped into the street on purpose. However, his attorney is so focused on receiving that “paycheck” from the city, he most likely didn’t inform his client’s son of his history.

 

Casey meets Severide at Darin Whitney’s charred house. Things are off to a better start when the boys begin surveying the household for any evidence, or lack their of. Severide holds firm on the fact that the husband couldn’t have done it because the accelerant would ignite quickly, leaving Whitney with no time to flee the scene and make it to the restaurant where his alibi was proven. They find a pile of ash left behind from something most likely used to start the fire; however, they still don’t know what could have ignited the fire remotely or why he even tried to run back into the fire to save his wife if he wanted her dead. When Casey gives up on the search, Severide finds evidence that Whitney used an app in his phone to control the outlet where the fire began. They show up to Whitney’s hotel room with the wires he used to set the fire and proof of a timestamp that shows he used the app at the time of the fire. Whitney opens up and reveals that he set the fire to collect money from the insurance company as a means to cover debts he accrued. His wife was unaware of his plan and was not supposed to be home at that time. Severide has difficulty processing the truth as Whitney is arrested.

 

Herrmann attends a meeting with Chief Walker (Steve Chikerotis) about his eligibility for promotion. Herrmann is being held liable for evading protocol and driving the skylight patient to the hospital in the fire truck. If he accepts liability for making what was the right choice in the moment, he faces a suspension and a dock in pay. This acts infuriates Hermann and sets him off. Herrmann realizes that he doesn’t need a promotion and takes the opportunity to loudly confront Chief Walker, touching upon Gabby’s investigation and everything else that irritates him about the Department. Chief Walker informs Boden that Herrmann is “temperamentally unfit for command.” Herrmann accepts that he is not meant to make “higher level decisions,” and would much rather do the job that he knows and loves.

 

Firehouse 51 is called to an accident where a young bicycle rider has been pinned underneath a fence. The fence is the only thing preventing a tipped-over truck from crushing the girl beneath it. Severide crawls through the mangled fence and approaches the girl while the rest of the company uses a rope to pull the truck off of the fence. They hold the truck back just long enough for Severide to free the girl. After dropping the girl off at the hospital, Gabby visits the pedestrian and his son in the hospital, delivering the files that Antonio dug up on him. The son is in shock over the truth concerning his father’s attempted suicide. Gabby assures him that she did everything in her power to avoid the accident and save his father.

 

Chief Boden’s friend, Kyle, is waiting for him at the firehouse when everyone comes back from the call. The company gathers around and watches Chief confirm that he is not going to New York. Kyle won’t take no for an answer and pushes Boden to explain why he won’t go. Kyle calls Boden out on being fearful, “the first time in thirty years” that he’s ever noticed that quality in his friend. Firehouse 51 quietly stands around, confused by the vague argument happening before them. Kyle hands an envelope to Boden and tells him to consider doing it when he’s ready. Before leaving, he urges Casey and Severide to get Boden to New York.

 

In the hallway, tears stream down Boden’s cheeks as he removes a few photographs from the envelope. He composes himself and joins his team in the kitchen. Boden removes the photographs from the envelope and shows them to James. As he begins to explain the symbolism behind the photos, the entire room listens in. Boden says the photograph was taken on September 12. Instantly, it becomes clear that Boden and the CFD men in the pictures went to New York to provide assistance in the aftermath of September 11. Chills easily travel down your spine as an inspiring piano melody accompanies Boden’s telling of the CFD’s efforts to help the city in it’s greatest time of need. Chief Boden had been carrying this with him for so long and having his son and firehouse family around encouraged him to open up and talk through the pain.

 

In Boden’s kitchen where he tells of his time in New York it continues to provide a narrative during the final moments of the episode. Casey and Severide successfully travel to New York with the Chief and when they exit their cab, they gaze up at the new One World Trade Center building. Chief turns around and enters an FDNY fire station, reuniting with old comrades including Kyle. We discover that Boden has lived with an immense amount of guilt since his efforts in New York. He and his CFD volunteers were unable to locate any survivors in the rubble, leaving a hole inside of Boden and causing him to feel as though he failed the people he was intended to serve.

 

Boden tells Casey and Severide, “Hope is hard to find, when you lock it out of your mind. But maybe hope has a way of unlocking itself, if you allow it to.” A sense of relief begins to set in during his visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum with Casey and Severide. Something appears on Boden’s face that we haven’t seen all episode: a smile. A wave of relief rushes through Boden as we he realizes that all of his answers and much-needed peace could only be found by returning to that very same place. He exclaims, “The future is right here.”