Top5: “Real Never Waits” (Season 2, Episode 22)
When it comes to season finales, you know big stuff is going to go down. In this case, it turns out the boarding school blaze that kicks off the proceedings isn’t even the most devastating call of the episode. There’s also a lot going on in the personal lives of the folks at 51, the biggest being Boden’s wedding, which — despite a glitch with Herrmann’s offer to hold the event at his church — winds up being a beautiful affair.
Unfortunately, the party ends abruptly thanks to a call for a building fire. The episode ends abruptly after the building explodes — with everyone but Boden still inside. Hello, cliffhanger!
Top 4: “A Dark Day” (Season 2, Episode 20)
What starts off as a quiet morning outside the hospital before a marathon — Dawson is running, Casey is volunteering — turns instantly horrific after a sudden explosion. We’re talking massive bloody mayhem here. Turns out it was a car bomb, which did profound damage to the garage and took out the ER. Even worse, Dawson was inside the hospital when the bomb exploded and has yet to be accounted for. While Zoe is looking through the rubble, she gets impaled but pretends she’s fine, which comes back to haunt her pretty quickly.
As if all that isn’t bad enough, Boden shows up and immediately recognizes the all-too-real possibility that there could be a second bomb… and he’s right, unfortunately. Fair warning: This is part one of a two-parter that concludes in the Chicago P.D. episode, “8:30 P.M.”
Top 3: “I’m Not Leaving You” (Season 7, Episode 22)
Yes, it’s a season finale. Yes, there’s a cliffhanger. No, the episode isn’t wholly without closure. Severide really gets to shine as an arson investigator, which provides him the opportunity to finally solve a mystery his late father never could. As per usual with finales, it’s the end that makes this can’t-turn-away TV, in this case a fire in a mattress factory. As Herrmann puts it succinctly to Ritter, “We’re gonna take a beatin’.”
He’s not exaggerating, which becomes crystal clear when Casey has to tell Kidd to “help the living.” As soon as we learn there’s an industrial boiler that’s about to blow, we know the closing credits are just about to arrive…
Top 2: “Sacred Ground” (Season 8, Episode 1)
Season premieres often serve as a release after a stressful summer of waiting, but that doesn’t apply here. Not only is everyone not okay, they’re still actively in danger. Brett’s arm is in bad shape. Otis… oh, sweet, dear, nerdy Otis. Chicago Fire viewers have dealt with the loss of beloved characters before — risk is part of the job — but for something to happen to Otis so soon after he narrowly avoided death, the loss is on a whole other level.
The episode also covers Brett’s country life with Kyle, a new male-model paramedic, and the reinvigorated relationship between Severide and Kidd. But it begins and ends with Otis, and it’s devastating, particularly when Boden translates his last words. That closing shot? They don’t come any more poignant on this series.
Top 1: “My Miracle” (Season 5, Episode 22)
Another season finale, another reason to hold on tight and prepare for the distinct possibility of waiting several months for the resolution to a cliffhanger. There’s so much going on throughout the episode — Herrmann bonding with an injured kid over their mutual love of the Chicago Cubs, Mouch deciding it’s time for him to retire, Joe getting pissed off at Mouch over being suspended, Casey and Gabby getting into it over her dad overstaying his welcome — but it’s the ending that matters most.
While the team tackles a warehouse fire, Mouch has a heart attack, Herrmann gets caught inside while trying to save him, and Casey’s trapped too because of the spread of the flames. And just as Casey delivers the title-inspiring line over the radio, it’s hello, closing credits. AAAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!
