‘Chicago Fire’ season 5, episode 2 review: The future of Steven R. McQueen’s Jimmy
There are several things that you can very-easily praise NBC for when it comes to “Chicago Fire,” but to us, one of the biggest ones is clearly the way in which they’re able to cultivate real stakes and be able to send off characters in ways that make sense in life.
After Tuesday night’s new episode, it was clear that Steven R. McQueen would not be a part of the main cast anymore, given that his character Jimmy was severely burned — and it was hard to imagine this going any other way. After believing that Boden was responsible for his brother’s death, he refused to listen to him. In turn, this cockiness cost him his future as a firefighter. Jimmy was a stubborn guy, one made emotional by recent circumstances. It was heartbreaking to see this happen, but it felt real.
Who knows? Maybe we see him again someday, but for now Firehouse 51 has further division than it did going into the episode.
Elsewhere, the big news for now appears to be that we’re done with Severide and Stella for the time being, as she is pushing him to get him. It doesn’t appear that he is facing any legal troubles, but this will probably still stick with him for some time. We’ve seen Kelly fall down a whole before, so how he bounces back from this should be notable to watch.
While there were other moments in this episode — whether it be Casey’s mounting political pressure to Dawson pushing him to do whatever he needs to for the sake of Louie — we admit that the stuff with Boden and Jimmy for now overshadows almost everything else. It’s hard not to when you’re throwing at us severe injuries, “Chicago Med” characters, and at the end of the day, and exit from the house.
Grade: A-. As we said, powerful stuff with Jimmy, and above all kudos to the writers for providing him an exit that felt purposeful for this world more than just deliberately sentimental.
Next week – Maybe some parts of life will return to normal … but not all of them. Head over here for more on what’s next. (Photo: NBC.)