SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 15, Episode 6.

Episode 6 of Chicago Fire Season 15 does exactly what fans think it’s going to do. That doesn’t mean “Over the Edge” is a bad episode of the NBC drama. Rather, it delivers what viewers are looking for, while reminding the audience how hard it is to come up with something new after hundreds of episodes.

“Over the Edge” is unintentionally hamstrung both by Chicago Fire‘s long history, and the pitfalls that come with the constant entertainment news cycle. This episode would feel different if One Chicago fans didn’t know what the show has to do to move forward, or what’s been reported in media headlines already. This is an example of how off-screen elements impact what viewers see on-screen. The episode’s still entertaining to watch, but the surprises are bigger for the characters than for viewers at home.

The main storyline revolves around the three remaining candidates on their last shift at Firehouse 51, and where they’re going to end up. There’s meant to be suspense, as there’s only one official full-time job available, and it’s at another firehouse. But since it was already announced that Da’Vinchi is the new Chicago Fire series regular, the audience knows that there will be some way for his character Marcus Burke to stay at 51 well before Kelly Severide comes up with it. And since Joe Cruz just left Squad, it’s easy to connect the dots.

The plot might’ve played better if there was more emphasis on Severide’s journey to letting go of Cruz and accepting Burke, making it more about the emotional arc than the destination. But then it would be Severide’s story, and “Over the Edge” really wants to be about the candidates, which is fair enough when two of them aren’t going to be seen again. So it becomes more about Stella Kidd searching for landing spots. Viewers also have to see the moment when Burke earns his place at 51, and just like Blake Gallo before him, it’s doing something dangerous and unexpected. It’s still impressive to see Squad create a human anchor point, but Burke’s hero moment isn’t that far out of the ordinary.

That being said, it’s heartwarming to see how both Severide and Sal Vasquez step in to help Stella with her candidate dilemma. Of course one expects that from the former, but it’s always welcome to see the professional rapport that Stellaride have built and not just their personal one. And Vasquez, who was the new guy himself not so long ago, now has his own voice and even gives Severide a fair opinion of Burke, despite still not liking the guy. It’s a small scene yet an example of Vasquez’s own growth.

The subplot in “Over the Edge” invites the most criticism, and that’s because One Chicago fans have seen this one too many times before. After teasing fans with mentions of Violet’s mom, Margaret finally appears (as played by Melinda McGraw from The X-Files and NCIS). It’s revealed that Margaret has been diagnosed with ALS and has less than a year to live. The entire One Chicago universe has a habit of killing off characters’ parents to create angst—see Pat Halstead, Bob Ruzek, Cornelius Rhodes—so the reaction is more “here we go again” than genuine sadness. This is terrible for Violet, but too familiar for the audience. As is that the bad news motivates Violet to finally make a decision in her personal life and move forward with Jacob (Carlos Miranda). The most surprising part of Violet’s arc is that her newly revealed backstory sounds incredibly like the College Admissions Scandal, minus the fake sports.

Anyone who’s a regular viewer of Chicago FIre knows the major plot points of “Over the Edge” before they happen. They’re still executed capably, and with these milestones out of the way, the show can move past them and on to its next idea. This episode on its own is perfectly average yet at least it gets the job done.

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.