I hate to say it, but I'm so glad this was the penultimate episode of season 12.

This season has had a couple of decent storylines, but frankly, the majority of it has been pretty dull.

For a show predicated on action and drama, there's been a definite shortage of those things over the last dozen episodes.

This installment lacked the exciting follow-ups we hoped to see after Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 11 and answered none of our questions. What do we have to do to get some background around here?

The episode wasn't all bad. To be entirely fair, the growing bond between Violet and Novak (who again introduced herself as Lizzie in this episode, so who knows where all the online sources got "Lyla"? Well, we know. Right here at NBC!) has been lovely to see.

Novak opened up a lot more, giving Violet and the viewers some insight into who she is.

For someone who has made it clear she prefers to move on frequently and stay free from attachments, it's starting to become clear that Novak is quite sentimental and emotional.

She dealt with a really difficult call that involved discovering a deceased patient, which would be traumatizing for anyone, and it impacted her more than we could have expected.

Honestly, Novak seemed to be a bit surprised by her own reaction.

Watching Violet show up for her new partner and give her a shoulder to cry on was pretty great.

This relationship will probably be really good for Violet, too, who needs a reliable partner who takes the job as seriously as she does.

Violet profoundly cares about the people she treats, and she sees that in Novak, too.

While it could sometimes be seen as a weakness in their line of work, their empathy is, as Violet put it, a superpower.

Violet: I've noticed you have this superpower. This empathy that runs so deep. The way that you connect with people, that's such a gift.
Novak: Yeah, I'm not so sure anymore.

• Permalink: They way that you connect with people, that's a gift.

There was a moment in Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 12 where it looked like we might be facing a casualty.

Cruz went down after a rescue on a call and had to be taken to Med for evaluation.

We already know we'll be saying goodbye to a significant character next week, thanks to Eamonn Walker's departure from the show, so it felt pretty unlikely that they would kill off Cruz with no warning.

It's clear that the writers wanted us on the edge of our seats during that scene, but it felt so forced and unrealistic.

There have been times on Chicago Fire when I held my breath for fear of losing a beloved character, but this wasn't one of them.

The thing is, I'm craving the kind of suspense that they're attempting to deliver, so it's not that I don't understand what the writers are trying to do.

It's just falling flat for some reason.

Here's hoping the finale next week can capture that feeling better than the rest of the short season has managed to.

Speaking of Boden's absence and forthcoming exit, there's been much speculation about what will happen to his job after he's gone.

It doesn't seem likely that Severide will take it over -- he's not technically qualified and absolutely hates the paperwork-heavy side of leadership.

Plus, Paramedic Chief Robinson is toying with her agenda at the moment. If the last few minutes of this episode mean anything, Severide and Lennox are probably going to take some risks to thwart her as she tries to weasel into the promotion she wants.

Depending on what they do, there's little chance it'll result in a promotion for Severide.

Hopefully, Stella will get back before he does anything stupid enough to get himself fired, or he'll be joining Lennox at the unemployment office.

On that note, what exactly is Lennox's angle in all this?

After Severide essentially got him sacked, it seemed a little out of character for Lennox to come by and warn the lieutenant about Robinson's motives.

Given how little context we've been given for other strange moments this season, I doubt we'll ever find out why Lennox was being weird about that.

This episode was missing several key characters.

At this point, the explanations for their absences are getting flimsy. Stella, Carver, Mouch, Boden, and Hermann were among those absent from the story.

That's likely a huge part of what has made this season feel boring. Mouch is one of the most entertaining characters on Chicago Fire, so his presence is missed when he's not around.

While Boden has been away, Hermann has started to feel like a replacement father figure for some of the others.

Cruz could have used Hermann's advice about his struggles with Chloe, but he was stuck talking with Capp instead, who had basically no insight.

Hopefully, next season will bring more consistency in the cast and storylines for each of them that we will care about.

With the season finale coming in hot, we only have one episode left to get some questions answered.

Some big ones, like what is going on with Damon, how they will handle saying goodbye to Boden, and what mysteries lie ahead for Stellaride, are on fans' minds as the season wraps up.

People are especially curious to know if a Stellaride baby could be on the horizon and whether Damon has any past ties to someone on the team.

So, what say you all?

Are we being too harsh in our take on the season so far?

While we wait for next week's finale, you can watch Chicago Fire online and discuss your theories with us in the comments.

Haley Whitmire White is a staff writer for TV Fanatic.