SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 14, Episode 21.
There’s much about the Chicago Fire Season 14 finale that does feel like an ending. From the episode’s title “Thank You” to some of the story choices, the final script by Andrea Newman comes across like it’s turning the page between her era and what comes next. But despite that, the episode is surprisingly open-ended.
Newman uses a nonlinear structure, telling several different stories while repeatedly flashing forward to an emergency call. The concept isn’t a bad one necessarily, but the execution hampers the finale. Every time there’s a flash-forward, it’s followed by a title card telling the audience how much closer they are to the emergency, forcing viewers to devote some of their focus to keeping the timeline straight. “Thank You” would have been more effective if it had simply been straightforward, building up to the action. But between the ins and outs, there are some valuable plot points.
Firstly, the episode finally brings back Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal. When Mulroney’s hiatus from Chicago Fire was announced, it was noted that he was supposed to return. The reasons for Pascal resurfacing are murky; even doesn’t know what his future is. But his function in the plot is to be the counterpoint to Captain Van Meter, urging Kelly Severide to stay at Firehouse 51. It’s nice to see Mulroney again, and that he gets to be part of the big action sequence, not just present for one pep talk.
But here’s the big problem: the dilemma going into the episode was what Severide would choose between 51 and the Office of Fire Investigation, and when the finale ends, the audience still doesn’t know. Severide tells Pascal that he’s decided, yet doesn’t say what he chose, which feels like a letdown for audience members who’ve been waiting specifically for that answer. The other Severide plotline, in which he and Stella Kidd discover that their former foster son Isaiah wants to move in with them permanently, is more positive. Yet if Chicago Fire was going to go that route, why not just leave Isaiah with Stellaride in the first place, instead of having him move away to Cleveland?
Elsewhere, Christopher and Cindy Herrmann renewing their vows serves as the emotional set piece for the finale. Again, David Eigenberg is tasked with a big speech, and he’s once again great as is Robyn Coffin. The ceremony’s theme of “gratitude” allows for a brief look back, as photos of Chief Wallace Boden and Violet Mikami with Evan Hawkins are shown. It’s a bittersweet surprise that Violet admits she’s still not over Hawkins’ death; it seemed like the series had moved on from that once it set up Violet and Sam Carver. But Hawkins’ demise was one of those Chicago Fire moments that sticks in the mind, so it’s nice to hear him mentioned again. Even if it’s just so that Violet can tell Lizzie Novak to go after Sal Vasquez, thus confirming once and for all that the writers’ room has pivoted from Violet and Vasquez to Novak and Vasquez.
Those are the two biggest developments. Chloe Cruz gives birth to not one but two babies, yet since that happens off-screen there’s less excitement (maybe Fire didn’t want to steal the baby-delivering thunder from Chicago Med). Mouch finally gets to be a published author when his old romance novel resurfaces, in a recycling of one of the show’s most random subplots. And Vasquez is officially offered his spot back in the police academy, but since it would be a significant loss for Brandon Larracuente to leave after just one season—especially given the aforementioned clarity about Novak and Vasquez—that feels like a non-starter. And that’s the underlying issue with the Chicago Fire Season 14 finale: a lot is poised to be changing, but how much is going to actually be different?
Visually, the choice of using some first-person camera shots doesn’t really work either. That was great in Wolf Entertainment’s On Call, where the directors could organically use the characters’ body cameras, but here it’s a distraction that keeps viewers from taking in the full scope of this episode-ending potential disaster. The cliffhanger—not knowing which characters will survive being trapped inside—is classic Chicago Fire, as if Newman is paying tribute to her predecessor and colleague Derek Haas. But this isn’t as effective as, say, “My Miracle” because the fire scene doesn’t reach its full height until the very last moment. Since the firefighters don’t clearly know what’s going on, the audience also can’t completely grasp the peril.
The cliffhanger has also already been undercut by the news cycle, as it’s already been leaked that Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo have new contracts, so Severide and Stella have to survive. That doesn’t mean Cruz, Herrmann or Mouch can’t be killed off, but it narrows the field significantly. (Fans may want to also rule out Cruz; it feels in poor taste to kill him in a fire given the arrival of his new babies, as well as the fact that his best friend Otis was written out in similar fashion.)
“Thank You” does have a sense of turning the page, whether it’s Stellaride poised to become adoptive parents, the Herrmanns renewing their vows or Severide making the biggest choice of his career. It’s got the right tone for a season finale, especially one that involves a changing of the guard off-screen. But it doesn’t answer enough questions. Both Chicago Med and Chicago PD have hefty amounts of resolution, even if not everything gets finished. In contrast, Chicago Fire feels like a work in progress.
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
