Over the course of 13 seasons, Chicago Fire episodes have run the gamut. “A Coffin That Small” is heartbreaking, as is “Sacred Grounds,” the latter featuring the final moments of fan-favorite Otis (Yuri Sardarov). The intensity of episodes like “My Lucky Day” and “The Path of Destruction” keeps viewers glued to their seats, eager to find out what happens next.
On the lighter side — Chicago Fire is easily the lightest episode in the One Chicago series — episodes like “Out With a Bang,” in which Cruz (Joe Miñoso) and Capp (Randy Flagler) pour a cement mixture down the toilet at Molly’s only to find out that the bank isn’t closed, have some genuinely funny moments. There’s something for everyone on the show, with fans quick to name some of their favorite episodes.
But the episodes that stay with you, the ones you can’t stop thinking about, aren’t always the same. Sometimes, the episodes that live freely in your head may not even be particularly good, but there’s something happening inside them that strikes a chord. For me, that episode is “In the Trenches, Part I” from Season 13.
‘Chicago Fire’ Sets Up One Chicago’s “In the Trenches” Crossover Perfectly
One Chicago crossovers used to be a regular occurrence, but the most recent one, “Infection,” took place during the 2019-2020 season. Needless to say, the news that 2025 would finally see another One Chicago crossover take place was greeted with great enthusiasm.
Typically, Chicago Med is the opening show on NBC’s Chicago Wednesday, followed by Chicago Fire, with Chicago P.D. closing out the evening’s programming. As is often the case with crossovers, however, Chicago Fire will be the first to air the “In the Trenches” event. Introducing an event is a daunting task even in the best of times, let alone the first crossover in five years.
As the opener, “In The Trenches Part I” had to set the stage, give the characters a place to sit while keeping the focus primarily on the firefighters of Firehouse 51, and make it immediately engaging. Despite the challenge, it succeeded, with “In the Trenches” setting a season record for all three One Chicago series.
Specifically, it succeeded for me, and that’s important. While I enjoyed Chicago Fire, most of the episodes had a similar level. There’s an emergency, a medical emergency, then two or three subplots that advance an overarching narrative arc (like the relationship between Violet (Hanako Greensmith) and Carver (Jake Lockett) or a bit of firefighter antics). B
ut “In the Trenches” sets the bar high from the start with a catastrophic event in downtown Chicago with multiple victims and a fast-moving fire. It really feels like a can’t-miss event, the way a special episode should feel, but it often falls short of expectations.
Watching the episode, I’ll admit I have biases. I don’t like Dermot Mulroney’s portrayal of Chief Dom Pascal. He’s shady, and if the streets of Chicago opened up and sent him to violent doom, I could even accept it. On the other end of the spectrum, my favorite character is, without a doubt, Herrmann (David Eigenberg), who I’ve long said was the heart of the show, and it was only a matter of time before he took over as Chief Herrmann.
“In the Trenches, Part I” changed my mind about the former while inexplicably setting the stage for the latter. Pascal took charge, and it was the first time that season that he not only looked comfortable in the role but actively claimed it as his own. I finally understood why Pascal was there, but it also showed that he wasn’t as antagonistic as one might think.
Pascal assumed he was just a placeholder from the start until Herrmann was given the role, leading to some unease between them. However, instead of being annoyed, he took Herrmann under his wing, teaching him what it takes to be a leader when things went wrong, revealing a rather decent man beneath his tough exterior, something I never expected.
I can’t stop thinking about “In the Trenches, Part I” ‘Chicago Fire’s’ Trenches, Part I” for its raw character moments
The unexpected character development is what I love about this episode, but that doesn’t explain why I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s when the rawness of the episode comes in when all pretense is dropped and the firefighters reveal their true selves. There are two separate things that happen in “In the Trenches, Part I” that speak to this best.
The first happens when Herrmann, who has been tracking Pascal, finally reveals that unless he joins his team in actions in the Season 13 finale, setting up another important character moment.
The second example had the power to be the most gut-wrenching One Chicago moment ever: the shooting of Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton). It was a legitimate surprise and the one story within the larger narrative that had me engrossed to the very end. She was literally dead, and they played that out through all three parts before she was brought back to life.
And it wasn’t just the fact that she’s such a beloved character that made it so devastating, but Mouch’s (Christian Stolte) reaction to hearing the news added another layer of hurt. When he gets to Med to see Trudy, the look on his face is indescribable, just wrenched with the pain of seeing the love of his life taken away. You don’t forget (or forgive) a moment like that, one so raw and emotional that it hits you as if she were someone you knew personally.
We’ve seen that wordless affection between them before, like in Season 5’s “My Miracle,” but not under circumstances like this. For those two show-stopping moments and a host of other heroic scenes throughout the hour, “In the Trenches, Part I” lives rent-free in my head and undoubtedly will for some time.
