Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 5 Review: Buckle Up
Jessica Lerner
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Dun dun da duuuuuun. Dun dun da duuuuuun.
In case it wasn't clear, those are supposed to be wedding bells, as Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 5 ended with Cruz and Chloe getting engaged.
Yes, it was obvious the two were heading toward reconciliation, but I didn't expect it to be this fast.
Following the pair's abrupt breakup during Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 4, I posited that an unexplained pregnancy could be the cause of Chloe's doubts, but the reason the writers gave made just as much -- if not more so -- sense.
Related: Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 4 Review: Infection, Part 1
Following Otis' death, Chloe spent a fair amount of time with Lily, and after watching everything Lily had to go through, she started to question what would she have to deal with if Cruz died in the line of duty.
Brett: Ok, that covers columns for department-wide news, weather reports, and fall fashion.
Hermann: Fall what?
Brett: Not everything is for you Hermann.
She always knew he was a firefighter, and his job put his life on the line but watching Lily deal with Otis' death put things into a different perspective.
It's natural to be scared, but bad things can happen to anyone anytime.
While Cruz's job involves life-and-death stakes, he could just as easily get hit by a bus or end up in a bad accident like the two accidents Firehouse 51 responded to this episode.
What doesn't necessarily happen, as Brett put it, is finding someone who makes you see floating hearts.
Joe’s job is risky; there’s no getting around that. Accidents are going to happen. But what doesn’t happen to everyone is finding a guy who makes you see floating hearts. Joe is one in a billion. Crazy would be letting him go.
Brett
Sometimes, you have to put yourself on the line and take a leap of faith when it comes to love.
Everything worth living and writing about in this life comes with a risk, and there has to be some reason why som any authors, poets, and songwriters keep droning on about love, right?
Chloe eventually got that through her skull and asked Cruz to propose via baked goods, which was cute.
The pair ended the episode on a high note, but there will probably be a few more bumps down the road before they walk down the aisle.
Kidd: Looks like they’re doing a killer job closing the gender gap, huh.
Justine: What?
Kidd: Oh, we’re the only two women here.
Justine: Right.
And speaking of bumps, things got a little hairy for there for Mouch for a minute when the same guy from the City Safety Committee who had it out for Casey on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 1 came down pretty hard on him.
Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies!
Apparently, the call Mouch made during a call -- to have a civilian tow truck driver tow a car on the scene -- could have created some liability issues for the city if something had gone wrong.
Together with everyone at Firehouse 51 forgetting his birthday and Brett commandeering his newsletter, the incident had Mouch feeling pretty down on himself.
He even went as far as to advise Gallo to choose someone more senior in the firehouse to look up to, which was a somber moment.
Gallo: And then Mouch ran over and was like, ‘We’re commandeering your tow truck.’
Mouch: I never used the commandeering.
Gallo: Either way it was pretty badass.
It's never fun to see anybody at 51 hurting, but it's hard to see Mouch down on his luck, mostly because he's just a giant teddy bear.
He's always so chipper and good to provide a laugh or two, so to see his down in the dumps was unpleasant.
Fortunately, he rebounded by the end of the episode, after getting a dose of gratitude from a victim of the crash who thanked him for his service.
It also wouldn't have hurt if his friends had thrown him a surprise birthday party at Molly's at the end of the episode like I thought they would, or at least got him some birthday cake, but what's done is done.
Foster: I think I know what’s going on here. Wasn’t it your birthday last shift?
Brett: Oh, Mouch, did we all forget?
Mouch: No, that’s not why.
Foster: Then why does it say Mouch’s belated birthday celebration on the daily events?
Mouch: I did this for team unity.
Foster: And cake.
Mouch: Well, who doesn’t love cake? That’s what unity is.
Some stray thoughts:
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Did anyone else think Hermann was too hard on Luke? His son is just a little kid and made the smart decision to call both his firefighter father and 911 after his friend jumped off the roof and wasn't breathing.
Just because Luke is a firefighter's son doesn't mean he should be held to higher standards as a child.
Herrmann should be proud for having raised a responsible son who handled himself perfectly in this situation -- how many other pre-teens know how to do CPR -- instead of getting mad for not preventing his friend from doing something idiotic.
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Should Intelligence make Severide an honorary member of the unit at this point?
Whether he's investigating the cause of a fire, running down leads of his own, or tailing suspects, he's shown he has a knack for police work. I'm not opposed to a buddy cop spinoff with just him and Halstead as they take names and solve crime.
Related: Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 3 Review: Badlands
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Was anyone surprised that Brett commandeered Mouch's newsletter? All the poor guy wanted was for his family to remember his birthday, and Brett turned his subtle nudge into a whole thing.
Micromanaging everything and everyone was completely on point for her, but it's just one of the reasons why we love her. - Kidd absolutely crushed it at her leadership retreat. Do we a promotion in her future, and if so, would that happen at Firehouse 51 or some other station?
So what did you think Chicago Fire Fanatics?
Who had a tougher run of things this episode: Cruz or Mouch?
Is the City Safety Committee guy going to be the obstacle Firehouse 51 has to overcome this season?
What was your favorite subplot?
Don't forget to comment below and to let me know what you think. And it you happened to miss the latest episode, no need to worry. You can watch Chicago Fire online right here at TV Fanatic.
Jessica Lerner was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in October 2021.
