While we understand the dramatic effect behind Isaiah’s departure on Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 9, “Crime of Passion,” one must wonder why the show is set on always taking children away from people who love them.
Everyone, including Stella and Severide, knew that his time with them had an expiration date, but I doubt anyone suspected it would be so soon. The moment Stella announces that his mom is out of the coma, we know chaos is coming because that is the way the show works.
There are two major things that come out of Isaiah’s goodbye. The first one is that once again, Stella is faced with the loss of a child. After losing her pregnancy, there came a comfort in having found someone to share all that love with. Now, she must put the pieces back together…yet again.
The second one is that the entire situation has created a gap between Stella and Severide. While she is worried about Isaiah and doing her best for him, she is struggling with the notion that she is doing it all alone.
Yes, we understand what Van Meter means to Severide, but shouldn’t his family matter too? He should have been there for both Stella and Isaiah through this transition. Even though it is great that he arrived at the last minute to say goodbye, that is the least important part of the process. And Stella’s cold shoulder to him shows how deeply hurt she is by his lack of support.
Severide is buried in his grief, anger, and desperation. Feelings that are completely understandable given who Van Meter is and what he represents to him. It is good that Cruz shows up to keep an eye on him and help him solve the case.
This, on its own, symbolizes that Firehouse 51 is a family, and they never leave anyone alone in a time of need. While Severide might not be able to show up for those who need him at the moment, he has support to get him through this difficult time.
The cherry on top is that he can help CPD find the man who caused the fire that has wreaked havoc on his life.
The men of Firehouse 51 seem to be really good at not letting things go and getting to the bottom of what happened. That is exactly what Vasquez does after the airbag goes off when they shut down everything in the car.
His knowledge of cars and thirst for an answer lead him on a chase that eventually lands him at a car shop that has been installing faulty airbags. He uses his best macho voice and makes sure the owner of the shop recalls every single airbag he put in.
But why does this stand out? Because it is Violet who is going on this chase with him, and who finds herself very attracted to Vasquez in that moment.
Even though she tells Novak that she won’t repeat history and is staying away from any men in the firehouse, there is an attraction between her and Vasquez that cannot be denied. While she thinks that Novak might be attracted too, we know there is actually something between Novak and Frost that gives Violet the go-ahead with Vasquez.
While they end the night going their separate ways, something tells us this is only the beginning.
While Vasquez and Severide are both chasing their own demons, Mouch, Herrmann, and Pascal are trying to prevent Engine 51 from being decommissioned and to keep Mouch from losing his job. However, the plan they think will save them all backfires on them.
By bringing their story to the news, they save Mouch’s job, but at a cost that might be just as hard as retiring. He must now transfer to Firehouse 40 and leave behind the team (family) he has been working with for most of his career. Given how important the firehouse is to Mouch, this is just as devastating as being forced to retire.
This storyline opens the floor for people to focus on two things. The first one is that Pascal is a hundred percent part of the Firehouse 51 family. Even though they might have all been reluctant at first, there is no denying it now. He is willing to do anything to keep his house and his team safe and together.
But this might prove to be really hard now that Firehouse 51 has an enemy at City Hall.
The second point is that this storyline highlights the hard time the elders have at work and how easy it is to disregard them. Mouch is only one of the many elder firefighters who have been pushed out of their jobs and forced into retirement.
Chicago Fire is doing a great job at handling this storyline, and hopefully it will continue to do so.
