Critic’s Ranking: 3.75 / 5.0
3.75
When everybody thinks you’re honorable to a fault… however the proof tells a special story.
Did Dom Pascal actually attempt to kill the person accountable for his spouse’s dying? It’s not the kind of query you ever anticipate to ask a few hearth chief.
However in true One Chicago trend, issues escalated quick throughout Chicago Fireplace Season 13 Episode 21, and we’re now staring down the chance that one of many present’s highest-ranking characters might be taken down in handcuffs — or take Severide down with him. As a result of, after all.
And that wasn’t even the one emotional landmine.
Violet ended her relationship with a person who thought he was doing the appropriate factor. Stella embraced full mama bear mode. Carver all however vanished in a puff of smoke. And Ritter’s remaining episodes are being full of parking-related rejection.
Let’s break all of it down.
Stella Steps Into Motherhood — Once more
Stella’s storyline has quietly develop into one of many emotional facilities of this season.
The fallout from her almost-adoption continues to be lingering, and her connection to Natalie — the younger lady we met throughout a rescue earlier within the season — feels much less like coincidence and extra like a signpost for the place issues are headed.
Natalie reveals up searching for $200 to go to her mom. Stella doesn’t simply give her the cash — she insists on driving her personally.
There’s an exquisite quiet stress in that drive, a mixture of skepticism and hope. And when the inevitable twist arrives — Natalie’s mom now not lives there — Stella doesn’t scold her. She merely doesn’t go away.
It’s that straightforward act of displaying up — once more — that seals the bond. If we’re heading towards a storyline the place Stellaride welcomes Natalie into their life as an grownup youngster, it’s truthfully a wise pivot.
The present doesn’t want diapers and pacifiers. It wants a dynamic that enables for progress, battle, and a plausible cause for Kelly and Stella to develop into mother and father with out derailing the present’s rhythm.
And let’s be trustworthy: it’s good to see somebody select Stella as a result of she confirmed up — not as a result of she made a promise she couldn’t preserve.
Carver’s Disappearing Act
Each episode, it will get extra irritating. Carver went from emotionally wealthy storylines and significant relationships to… what? A passing point out in Violet’s texts? A reminder that he as soon as existed?
The writers invested closely in his redemption arc. They layered trauma, loyalty, and vulnerability, after which simply left it on the ground.
If he doesn’t even get a correct goodbye within the finale, it’ll be one of many present’s largest dropped balls in years. Say what you’ll about Chicago Fireplace’s ensemble shuffling, however this one stings.
Ritter Deserves Higher, Too
I say this with affection: I get it. Parking in a metropolis like Chicago is a nightmare. However actually? That is how we’re winding down Ritter’s story? Ghosted over a parking area by a man he preferred?
Daniel Kyri has delivered a lot quiet emotional depth through the years. This simply looks like a sendoff-lite — one thing to fill a couple of minutes and provides us one final second earlier than the curtain drops. It’s a disgrace, as a result of if anybody deserved a remaining emotional arc with actual payoff, it was him.
Violet, Flynn, and the Value of Perception
Flynn meant nicely. Sadly, “nicely” doesn’t minimize it. Violet by no means requested to be pushed into medical college or for somebody to drag strings on her behalf. She undoubtedly by no means requested to be instructed she was losing her potential.
That’s the issue. Flynn didn’t hear. He assumed. And when Violet lastly snaps, telling him it’s over, and that she’s in love with another person (Carver, good day?) — it lands with the sting of somebody lastly saying what’s been constructing for some time.
It’s not that Flynn was a foul man. It’s that Violet wanted a accomplice who noticed her as she is, not who he thought she may develop into.
Herrmann Rises, Pascal Falls
Herrmann’s panic over needing Pascal’s advice to use for chief felt like basic 51 power — till it wasn’t. Pascal not solely wrote the letter, he hinted Herrmann could also be wanted earlier than anticipated. Which is ominous, as a result of…
The Pascal Investigation Will get Actual
Stella and Violet understand the person they simply pulled from a fiery wreck is Robert Franklin — the identical man who killed Pascal’s spouse in a earlier accident. And when Kelly digs into the hearth’s origin, it results in a startling reality: the blaze was deliberately set.
The gas line was tampered with. A CFD-issued middle punch was discovered. And the deeper Severide seems, the murkier Pascal’s previous turns into — together with a mass casualty occasion in Miami, a corrupt investigator, and mob ties that designate why Pascal’s late spouse, Monica, lived in concern.
Pascal’s declare? He did all of it to guard her. He wasn’t corrupt however preventing corruption.
However whether or not or not he began the automobile hearth, the secrets and techniques are already unspooling. Van Meter is able to arrest him. Worse nonetheless, he threatens that if Pascal falls, Severide will go along with him.
What Now?
As we head into the finale, the desk is about for main change. Herrmann’s promotion. Pascal’s arrest. Ritter and Carver’s quiet exits. Violet doubtlessly restarting her life, and Stellaride presumably gaining a daughter.
It’s loads. And whereas not each storyline is touchdown as cleanly because it ought to ( you, Carver), Chicago Fireplace is clearly attempting to usher in a brand new chapter whereas honoring what got here earlier than.
But when Severide goes down with Pascal? If Carver disappears with out decision? Followers is not going to go quietly into that good evening. And neither will I.
However What About You?
Do you assume Pascal’s actions have been justified, or is he lastly paying the worth for secrets and techniques lengthy buried? Ought to Severide go down with him — or is Van Meter bluffing? And what’s your tackle the best way Carver and Ritter are being written out?
Would you relatively see Stellaride begin contemporary with Natalie or strive once more with adoption down the road?
Tell us within the feedback. We love listening to what you assume, and your insights preserve the hearth burning round right here.
Thanks for studying — and in the event you’re nonetheless with us after 13 seasons, you’re as a lot part of Firehouse 51 as anybody on display.
Keep protected on the market.
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