Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 13 Review: The Man of the Moment
Denis Kimathi
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When someone is sick, the focus is on them, and with good reason, but others in their life can be forgotten when they are affected also.
On Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 13, the effects of having a sick spouse were explored. Herrmann found himself overwhelmed with all the duties that had fallen on his shoulders after his wife was diagnosed with a serious case of cancer.
Carver's demon-spawn of a brother showed up in Chicago asking for money, triggering some old feelings arising from their troubled childhood together. This led to him confiding in Kidd, and some unwelcome feelings emerged.
Severide and Brett found their moral convictions tested when someone they saved insisted on repaying them by offering expensive gifts.
The Firehouse 51 family came together to help Herrmann in his time of need, even when he was hesitant to ask for or receive help.
"Man of the Moment" gave Herrmann more screen time than any other character because he was dealing with a lot.
It is easy to dismiss stay-at-home parents as unambitious or lazy until you find yourself in their shoes. Many people think that all they do is sit down, drink wine or beer, and scream at the TV until the family is back together in the evening, and then they make dinner.
The reality of the issue is that maintaining a house takes effort. Making sure a child is looked after and safe is a huge task. Now imagine having as many children as Cindy and Herrmann have.
It is all the cooking, cleaning, cleaning after, attending school events, work events, and preparing for a million and one things that come up at any time that leaves one feeling emotionally and physically exhausted at the end of the day.
Cindy had been out of commission for a while, and Hermann felt the pressure.
Having people you can rely on during a time like this cannot be overstated. But to get help, you first have to ask for it.
Sit down. This is happening.
Mouch
Herrmann was hesitant to ask for help because, first of all, he didn't know he needed it. He must have seen Cindy do all this with what appeared to be such ease that he thought it was easy.
Second, asking for help would make this too real or too permanent. If Chief Boden had taken Mouch's advice -- coming from the best of places and intentions -- Herrmann would have felt pitied.
There is nothing that someone who is going through a tough time hates than feeling as if people are talking behind their back and pitying them.
Herrmann had to be in sync with his kids' schedules, but no one could blame him when Kenny slipped his mind.
While we saw how hard it was for Herrmann, I believe his kids are going through the same thing.
Teenagers can be mean, but his daughter's behavior could have been a sign of something deeper. Herrmann had made the mistake of promising them their mother would be fine, but things were far from fine. They were dealing with the real possibility of losing their mother.
Seeing her dad struggle so much, or people like Blake and Ritter trying to be nice to her, must have felt awful, to be honest. It makes you feel helpless, seeing they cannot help the situation.
You could even say his son making out with his girlfriend in the firehouse was a sign that he wasn't feeling too good and was looking for a way to deal with his fears.
Being saved from the jaws of death by someone cannot go unappreciated, and Alexander was one of the most appreciative people ever. I mean, $3000 cash? And a $1600 phone. For each of the two people?
It was great that Severide and Brett had strong moral convictions. Severide had the moral conviction of two people because Brett was faltering there for a moment. I, too, could reject the money -- but a brand new phone? Maybe not.
We work under a strict code of ethics that prevents us from receiving gifts.
Severide
Carver has been growing on us every episode, and the trend continued.
That man's childhood must have messed him up a lot.
I ran away from that family as fast as I could when I was of age.
Carver
People say you should always be there for your family no matter what, and you know that's true. However, people forget that blood relatives might not necessarily be family. They just so happen to be the first people we know and share something in common.
Family like that could be poison. Kill you from the inside.
Kidd
Making a family takes work and sacrifice. It's a flawed idea that you must bow down to their every demand just because you are related to someone, even when it puts you emotionally or physically at risk.
When we learned that Carver's brother would be in town, I thought he must be passing through or there for something else, not to demand money. When you need someone's help, the least you can do is show them some respect, but he wasn't respectful in the least.
While Kidd's stunt might have worked to shut him up in the moment, I don't think he was impressed. It is hard to impress someone who thinks very little of you.
Your brother has saved a lot of lives. This is a huge honor. You should be proud.
Kidd
Carver and Kidd have been getting closer since he joined the house but dare we say too close?
Carver is emotionally insecure, and he can't be blamed, considering his childhood. Kidd must have identified with that, so she goes above and beyond to accommodate his every rant and outburst.
But having never been properly loved like a person needs, he must always be craving it. It was no surprise he developed feelings for her. This must be his first time having someone pay attention to him, let alone a woman.
Carver was unaware of his feelings for Kidd, and it shocked him when the realization hit him. It was easy for Kidd to squeeze herself into that space because she felt nothing romantic, but that simple act upended his life.
You're a great leader because of the way you take care of your team.
Severide
All this makes me sympathize with him even more.
Many people know how it feels to fall for someone who can never love you back.
His fallback self-protection mechanism was to lash out at Kidd, hoping this would prevent him from falling deeper. It is the only way he maintains control in an otherwise wild situation.
"Man of the Moment" was another great Chicago Fire episode that dove into the characters more and was entertaining from the beginning to the end.
Does this mean we might see Carver leave the house to avoid working with Stella? Because outbursts like the one he had in the locker room will continue to happen, and that's mighty inappropriate and unprofessional. It's not a conducive environment for both of them.
Does this episode end the conversation on whether women should be paid for housework?
We love hearing your thoughts, so don't hesitate to comment below.
As always, you can watch Chicago Fire online anytime on TV Fanatic to catch up on what you might have missed.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
