Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Wow Me
Carissa Pavlica
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Never let it be said that Chicago Fire doesn't bring on the feels.
On Chicago Fire Season 3 Episode 2 there were tears of joy, tears of despair and tears of excitement. This damn show can make a wooden pole tear up. I swear, it's true.
This week Severide returns to work, Casy and Dawson try to move on to the next phase of their lives, Cruz and Mouch present a plan to grow Molly's to Hermann, Mills searches for his roots and Boden takes issue with Newhouse bringing his girl to the firehouse.
Let's dig in!
Thank God for Casey, because without him Dawson would just be getting steam rolled at every turn. She has lost so much and fought so hard to get where she is, but there are always obstacles getting in her way. Casey deciding to put her through her paces in anticipation for her transfer worked very well for her, didn't it?
Unfortunately, after a romantic (sweaty) proposal and a night of passionate love making, the next morning two things were on her mind: Severide and Shay. Severide is a concern for everyone right now, and we'll touch on him in a moment.
Dawson: I"m sorry. I'm sorry, it's just umm, it's just nuts that this wave of it suddenly hits me...
Casey: Hey, hey, you gotta talk to me when that happens. What do you think this thing's about? It's not just free sex, lady.
Dawson: OK. The thing is, this morning, when I woke up, my first thought was 'I can't wait to tell Shay.'
Casey: She helped me buy the ring. She was really happy for us.
In Casey, Dawson has found what every girl wants. Someone to love and understand her, promising to be there for her through it all (and provide good, free sex). It's going to be uncomfortable for her to watch Severide on his downward spiral because it will remind her of her own pain.
The idiot Welch at the other firehouse refused to work with a woman and put the kibosh on her transfer, even after she bribed them with a case of good beer. It wasn't exactly heartening to hear the Chief say gender doesn't play a role in such decisions, actually daring Dawson to make it an issue. Jerks abound.
Taking the high road is the way to go and Dawson put Welch in his place beautifully. We kind of knew this was going to happen though, right? What were the odds Shay would be killed and Dawson would leave the house within a couple of episodes? Sadly, women get the shaft on Chicago Fire. When they prove me otherwise, I'll take note.
Dawson and Brett are getting chummy, but I can't help but wonder if something isn't a little off with Brett. Why the big wad of cash in the middle of her living room within view of the window? I can understand needing a checking account in your new town to some extent, but in this world online banking is so easy taking a chance with cash is just stupid.
Hopefully that's not a sign of something to come, but together with her similarity in appearance to Shay and the track record of women, I'm holding my breath for her trial period to end so she's fully inducted into the house.
It's impossible to blame Severide for what he's doing. Drowning your sorrows feels better than living with pain; at least while you're drunk. He's alienated Brett and lost his romance with Erin Lindsay, so he has a long way to go before he's feeling any better. No matter how bad things are, he's still 100% on the job. I'm thankful for that.
Does anybody else think something is up with the information Mills' mom gave him about his dad's family? The whole thing was too cliche, from the snarling dog in the white man's hands to his surprise that Mills was there all the way to the man's shock when Mills told him to tell all Mills people in the vicinity to go to hell.
The time has to be coming when we learn more about the history of Mills' father and Boden. That's all I can come up with, because the black woman infiltrating a white family felt really off. It was as if his mom knew the best way to call him off the subject all together was to play the race card.
That's really a shame, because the smile on Mills' face when he thought he might have found a link to his father's family was very touching.
I'm glad we got a little context on Boden's reaction to Newhouse bringing in his daughter to the house. Donna has a high-risk pregnancy so he's afraid his dream of fatherhood might never be. He's had enough loss. He will have a healthy child. If I have to find him one, he will have his dream!
Newhouse is an awesome father and a great addition to the firehouse. He just kind of snuck in there without much fanfare, but he's great at his job and adding Naomi into the mix makes the house feel homey again. We kind of lost that when Jones joined the team and Mills stopped cooking. Now Naomi is showing the old folks how to make computer presentations. How precious is that?
Did anyone not cheer for Cruz and Mouch when they got the "shockya yeah yeah" or whatever the hell Herman gave them for their brilliant work on the Molly's food truck presentation? Cruz was so proud as he presented and now we have more people in the Molly's family. Here's hoping they go out on location with the food truck, because -- awesome!
I was worried about the loss of Shay and I will greatly miss Lauren German. HOWEVER, the addition of Newhouse, Casey and Dawson forming a family and the others joining Molly's retains the closeness of the house. That's really important.
They'll all be needed to support Severide as he continues his stubborn streak of turning away helping hands and pretending the world is rosy, when in actuality he's in more pain than one person can handle.
What did you think of the first post-Shay installment of Chicago Fire? Are you still on board? Who do you want to know more about? Hit the comments and don't forget to watch Chicago Fire online via TV Fanatic when you need a fix.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
