Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 19 Review: Take A Shot at The King
Denis Kimathi
at
.
Politics is a dirty game, and some politicians are messier than others. You need a certain mentality to survive the game, but sometimes that mentality becomes part of who you are.
Boden played political games on Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 19 when he learned that a corrupt politician had put his firefighters at risk by cutting corners and violating building codes.
Besides running his district, ensuring that nothing puts his firefighters at risk is in Boden's job description.
He sometimes has to go against influential people who have gained immense power in their little ecosystems to do that.
This might be his least favorite part of the job.
We have seen Boden go against a million and one rivals, but it is always angering every time one of them pops up.
Corruption is one of the biggest detractors of development, but when people talk about it, the financial part of it is focused on more than other possible outcomes.
Certain checks are put in place to protect everyone, and while they might appear to be stupid, they cover every scenario.
Don had been taking bribes to look the other way when people he was involved with used the building for the wrong reasons.
The first thing that would come to mind when this is brought up would be concerns about how much ill wealth he had amassed for himself.
And focusing on that is important because money makes people more powerful, but when looking at an issue, it's important to see every angle.
And that's what Don didn't account for.
He could have gotten away with such blatant violations without the fire. Without his knowledge, he had put innocent people at risk, people looking to save lives.
The simple act of taking bribes started a chain of events that would see Carver and the lady he saved become victims.
This act was akin to a traffic cop letting a lousy driver or motor vehicle continue operating, only to kill more people in an accident.
Don was the villain we never knew we needed because even when he showed up on Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 14, it was clear that he was bad news.
His return was even more angering because he became an even worse person. Not only was he a cheater, he was also corrupt.
He was like every single horrible trait of a politician muddled together to form a resemblance of a human being.
When he made his play and set up Boden, I felt the restraint it took Boden not to knock him down flat on the ground.
The issue was serious when Don involved his firefighters, but it became even more personal when he went directly for Boden. From stalking him to ambushing him in front of important people, he had crossed a line, and Boden won't let that go.
If I were you, I'd take the win. We're gonna shut down those companies cleaning out the whole contract process. Isn't that what you wanted? To make the city safer?
Don
It felt like such a hollow victory after getting what he wanted but having to watch the man bask in the glory of crowning himself the hero when he was nothing but.
He should be in jail. Instead, he's doing a victory lap.
Boden
Elsewhere, Gallo was occupied with catering for his aunt's needs.
In as much as that accident was harrowing to see, it was a blessing in disguise for Gallo.
In his own words, he had steered himself to a career where he would save people daily to feel less guilty for failing to save his sister.
It doesn't take a psychiatrist to know why I'm in this line of work. Pretty much spent my whole life trying to go back and save my sister. It's delusional, I know. I can't help it. But saving her. Getting her out of that car. That was the first save. I felt just a little bit of redemption.
Gallo
That must have been a lot to carry all these years, and look, everyone in your life has a purpose even when you don't see it.
Blake and Carver started as rivals, but Carver has been a great support system with his aunt.
Regarding family, Gallo can get stuck in his head too much to his detriment. Carver reminded him of an important lesson where no one is responsible for another person's mistakes except themselves.
She's perfectly capable of screwing up her own life without any help from you. She's proven that much. You had every right to say what you said.
Carver
His aunt's return was important in more than one way. He saved her from the car accident, which was something he used to make peace with the events from his childhood. He had failed to save his sister, but saving his aunt was pretty close.
He also got the chance to heal the wounds inflicted by his aunt when she left. Helping her through recovery made him feel needed and less alone.
If the ride stays smooth, their relationship will benefit him since she is the only link to the family he lost all those years ago.
Dylan sprang something on Sylvie when he went out of town for a few days.
That story didn't make much sense because I expected it to have some significance, especially concerning their relationship.
She was still trying to heal from "Hurricane Matt," but she had no idea that the hurricane would return in a few weeks and all the work would have been for nothing.
Based on how many released promo images featured Ritter, I expected him to have a bit more screen time, but it was better than nothing.
"Take A Shot at The King" felt like something we needed, especially when it leaned into some firefighter detective work that had been missing since Severide left.
The emergency was well structured and seamlessly connected a past storyline to the present.
Over to you, Chicago Fire Fanatics. What did you think?
Will Sylvie be able to handle Hurricane Matt's return?
Chime into the conversation in the comments section, and don't forget to watch Chicago Fire online via TV Fanatic.
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.
