TV REVIEW: Chicago Fire’s “Until Your Feet Leave the Ground” Leaves Us Wanting To Jump

I know, I know. I keep saying the same things every week.  Chicago Fire is lacking the heart and the soul it had last season. This second year finds the firefighter drama fighting to find its identity instead of developing its characters. Repeat. This week was no different.

It was a rehash of story lines we’ve seen before, characters not acting like themselves, and little or no character development. The latest offering began with the heavily tweeted about Shay (Leslie German) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) couple’s retreat. Gabby’s sick of Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Leslie’s hoping Dawson will switch teams. Half of that is true.

The girls end up in a cabin owned by a super couple who probably have nicknames like “sweetcakes” and “snookums” for each other.  Shay teases, “This is gonna be you and Casey in twenty years … matching sweaters.”  Apparently, she didn’t see the fight Dawsey had earlier where they both looked like they could go for some conscious uncoupling. Have they been married for twenty years or do they just have that “I’m so sick of you I may put a pillow over your face tonight” look of a long married couple?

Dawson cries and I fear we may have to cry RIP Dawsey by episode’s end. Not so fast. Super couple argues loudly, our favorite paramedics overhearing and cheering from the sidelines. I’m calling foul. This was so out of character for both of them I thought I butt dialed the remote to one of those new Resurrection/Believe shows, and that these weren’t the same old characters I’ve grown to love but ones that had been replaced by cheap imitations.  Do we really buy that they would gleefully listen in with Shay declaring, “I love hearing couples argue?” No way.

The downward spiral continued into the land of wine and cheese .. .hold the wine (although maybe I should drink heavily before next week’s eppy).  The husband is injured trying to play John the Plumber because we all know how dangerous plumbing can be.  He’s actually almost KILLED, no joke, although I was laughing at his melodramatic acting straight from one of those Better Call Saul commercials.  Shawson springs into action telling the wife he may not make it.  They tearfully apologize to each other declaring their undying love and BAM!  Dawson realizes she loves Casey, misses him, wants to get married, and even knit matching sweaters.  I’m left speechless. Not really. Round two.

In the only semi-believable story line of the night, Severide (Taylor Kinney) continues to help Denver firefighter Bloom (guest star W. Earl Brown) battle his addiction to prescription painkillers.  We get that Kelly sees himself in this guy and it seems authentic in the no nonsense way he bails the old fireman out of a DUI and into a rehab facility. Sergeant Platt (Amy Morton) from CPD gives us a little crossover heaven as we watch Severide get Plattified.  She let’s Bloom slide with a slap on the wrist and says Kelly owes her dinner.  He looks like he might lose last night’s dinner, and she laughs saying she was just messing with him, “I’d snap you right in half.”  Oooh, a Sevisnap?  Pick me, pick me.

Pictured: Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

Kelly finds out from Boden (Eamonn Walker) that the troubled firefighter was injured in Denver’s worst fire in a hundred years. Ten firefighters were killed.  At episode’s end, Severide is waiting for Bloom at the rehab facility, but old guy’s a no show.  Just as Kelly’s about to leave, Bloom shows up, beer in hand and they walk into the facility together.

Round three. The knockout that leaves me feeling like Chicago Fire will not recover before the season’s end. The Rebecca Jones (Daisy Betts) story line. The entire thing was contrived, manipulative storytelling at its worst.  You want to shock us, then take a page from Shonda Rhimes where something truly surprising happens and the characters STAY in character.

Jones has been a badass, lying, cheating, stealing, doing anything to reach her goal of becoming a firefighter in spite of her unsupportive, overbearing father.  She goes through hell and back to reach her dream, the guys all suddenly love and respect her, and now she commits suicide.  What?  There is no way the Jones we’ve come to know would end her own life.  But from the very beginning of this episode, did we suspect this was going to happen?  Of course, because of all the little “we love Jones” moments sprinkled throughout the episode like little hints of foreshadowing droppings leaving a little trail to predictability.

First, Boden and Casey call her in to say “We’ve got your back.”  Next, Boden asks Hermann (David Eigenberg) to hook up Jones with a friend from the Women’s Firefighter Association.  Then, Dawson waxes poetically about Jones to Shay almost calling them BFF’s.  Finally, when Jones goes to Molly’s looking for Dawson, Hermann tells her, “You’ve got a family at 51 that loves you.”  He also offers to lend an ear if she ever needs to talk saying, “We’ll solve the mysteries of the world.”  Yeah, this girl is dying – and soon.  All the sudden and forced sentimentality, did point to a tragedy hitting the candidate.  The last scene of the night had Dawson getting a phone call informing her that Jones’ body had been found. Oh, Chicago Fire, you’ve got such a talented group of actors from the guest stars all the way up to our dynamic duo.  You can rely on honest story telling without contrived melodrama that seems more interested in shocking the viewers than entertaining them.

Pictured: David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

The one highlight of the night came from a sub, sub, way down there subplot involving Mouch, his golden oldies dating profile, and all the guys from 51 in a special “role playing” scene that was so hilarious it was my favorite funny moment ever from the show.

The guys spy with their little eye Mouch’s online dating profile. Let’s just say that his pic evokes memories of Arthur Fonzarelli, the later years.  After laughing hysterically, they decide to help their buddy out.  They do a blind date role playing session with Cruz (Joe Minoso) as his special lady.  And just like that Crouch is born.  Otis, you’ve been replaced by a fiery redhead named Randy.

Mouch doesn’t have a clue how to act on a date, so all the guys offer up helpful hints. Finally, he goes with “Name five things you’re scared of” as his opening line. Cruz answers, “Being here on a date with you just became number one.”

The scene was funny and sweet with us routing for the lonely fireman to find love.  He ends up on a cute little date with a cute little lady and we are cheering more for his love connection than the rescues (there were two I think) that occurred on the show tonight.  Enjoying the comic relief of the episode more than any of the main story lines is probably not on the short term goal list of the show runners.

We’re on the ledge, ready to jump to the land of indifference. Please surprise us these last four episodes.  Please give us some of those authentic emotional feels from season one.  Please give us back the characters we love.  Thank you.  I’ll be back next Tuesday night, tuning into NBC at 10/9c, hopefully taking a step back, not ready to jump just yet. Four more episodes, time for a little redemption ChiFi.

Random Notes

The heavily promoted scene with a man on a ledge was a letdown. It was over in the blink of an eye with Severide jumping out and grabbing him, saving the day.  The other rescue of the night was a man folded like a taco between two buildings. They save him by sawing through a wall. Again, nothing special.

In a scene straight out of The Other Guys, McAuley has a poker night at his house and his wife is surprisingly beautiful.  All the guys are shocked and it takes a good fifteen minutes for tongues to come rolling back in mouths.  Can you say Will Ferrell and Eva Mendes?

Thank goodness for the humor tonight!  Best lines:

Otis says, “You asked a lesbian what she looks for in a man?”

Hermann describes a victim’s position as, “ass down and feet up.”

Casey tells Severide that asking him for relationship advice is like asking “fitness tips from Mouch.”

Debbie Downer McAuley is back as a fill in paramedic.  He asks Otis, “You just sprout pubes?”

Hermann says, “Put some Lake Michigan on that” to extinguish a grease fire.