‘Chicago Fire’ season 5 premiere review: Severide’s shocking move; Brett / Antonio begins
There was a lot for “Chicago Fire” to take on in its season 5 premiere on NBC, but the writers did a fairly effective job of navigating many highs and lows across the episode, and also making sure that not everything was completely and utterly grim.
Take, for example, the beginnings of Brett’s new “professional venture” with Mouch working on trashy firefighter romance stories. She uncovered them online, realized that he was the author, and determined that they needed more of a female perspective. This should be a great source of comedy, especially as more and more characters start to find out about it. Brett’s also getting potentially a real-life romance courtesy of Antonio, who she awkwardly admired in front of Dawson. We know that this will become something much larger and unexpected, so there is something fun about the humble beginnings of it.
Obviously, things did take a turn for the serious over with Severide, who found himself in an extremely precarious position thanks to Grant, who he potentially killed in what he felt was a move to protect Stella Kidd. How this unfolds could mark a big story for Taylor Kinney’s character this season; on the romantic side of things, though, we’re not sure how fast this is going given his current stance on “commitment.”
Hey, at least Casey and Dawson are showing some commitment to each other! They’re working to raise Louie and actually thinking of his future. That’s why Dawson was actually relieved when she stayed on ambulance duty rather than having to continue putting her life on the line at the end of the hour. That whole drama came about because of the conflict between Jimmy and Boden, as the former still blames him for his brother’s death. For now, Jimmy’s staying put on truck, and that could mean plenty more trouble moving forward.
Grade: A-. While we won’t consider this to be a legendary episode for the show, it did provide strong updates on important characters while setting the stage for drama to come.
Next week – You can get a preview for what lies ahead over at this link. (Photo: NBC.)