Chicago Fire returned last night with an action-packed season 9 premiere, filled with tension, promises of a new romance, and protocols for firefighters and paramedics to work in the midst of a pandemic.
While season 8 cut off abruptly due to production halting because of COVID-19, they managed to get back on their feet and start their ninth season with a bang.
Chicago Fire Season 9, Episode 1, titled “Rattled Second City,” placed the show’s women front and center. Despite being introduced later in the series, Sylvie Brett and Stella Kidd both firmly established themselves as leading ladies.
The best part about this is that, even though they are both romantically involved with the male lead characters, that’s not their only purpose on the show, and we love that breath of fresh air.
Both consistently had storylines allowing their characters to grow and develop by themselves to become the kickass women they are today.
And the Chicago Fire Season 9 premiere was a testament to that.
Brett is cool as a cucumber
Let’s start with our girl Sylvie Brett. Remember when she was that sweet baby paramedic when she first started in season 3? Boy, look how far we have come in six seasons.
The Sylvie Brett we saw last night was the very definition of a badass, and we love to see it.
When Ambulance 61 got a call, it seemed to be a pretty standard OD case. Brett instructed the new paramedic Gianna Mackey (Adriyan Rae) to have Narcan ready, and they immediately set out to help the unconscious man.
But all that changed when there was suddenly a gun pressed against Brett’s head. The guy’s brother held them both at gunpoint, telling them to save the overdosed man, or they would all die.
The way Brett kept her cool while that deranged man was threatening their lives was nothing short of extraordinary.
When he pointed the gun at poor, trembling Mackey and Brett immediately said, “Hey, point that gun back at me” — friends, let me tell you, I felt that line right down in my soul.
Brett took control of the situation, kept her cool, and got the patient out of the apartment and into the ambulance, all while having a gun pointed at her head.
I’m telling you, this was one of the most badass moments that have ever happened on Chicago Fire.
But of course, things could not be resolved that easily. Because the patient ended up dying, and the lunatic brother had a rap sheet that was a mile long.
Boden called PD in and recommended that they take Ambulance 61 out of the rotation for the day, but Brett wasn’t having it. That all changed when she got home at the end of her shift, and her door was open.
Rightly scared, she called Casey and waited for him to get there before entering the apartment together.
Cue Brettsey shipper freak out.
And now we need to talk about this for a moment. Sure, she was rattled that her apartment had apparently been broken into, but let’s be real. This was just a roundabout way to get Casey and Brett in a situation where they had to be alone in her apartment.
Definitely not complaining, but that entire sequence of Casey insisting on staying, and then they were having a beer and playing games and generally having a fantastic time together… that was straight out of fanfic.
Down to the moment she pauses for a second to look back at him before going into her room.
I’m telling you, straight out of fanfic.
And then, when we think everything will be okay, Ambulance 61 is suddenly chased by the lunatic criminal brother, who is hell-bent on shooting them.
An electric high-speed chase ensues until he manages to run them off the road, and the ambulance comes crashing down off an overpass, nearly giving me a heart attack.
I’ve heard that this was supposed to be the Season 8 finale, and let me tell you how relieved I am that we won’t have to suffer through an entire hiatus to find out what happened to them.
Stella Kidd for President
Meanwhile, my girl Stella Kidd is just shining bright in Firehouse 51.
When her Girls on Fire outreach program gets shut down because of the pandemic, Stella fights tooth and nail to get it up and running again. And I love the fact that they have been slowly building her up to be a ranking officer.
Last season, Boden encouraged her to take that training (seminar, workshop, or something — my memory fails me) that was supposedly only for ranking officers.
Then he encouraged her to go ahead and try to get her Girls on Fire project off the ground, all the while watching as she blooms right before his eyes.
So it was only natural that now that he’s seen what an amazing leader she is, he encouraged her to take the lieutenant exam, and I could not be prouder of our girl.
Especially after that fantastic save in last night’s episode.
Severide was as good as dead, and Kidd literally broke through a wall to get to him. Of course, he’s the love of her life, which definitely played a role in this situation; but she kept her cool, ensured that those girls were taken care of, and then went after her man.
We love a show that doesn’t shy away from putting women in leadership positions.
Other highlights of Chicago Fire
- I love, love, love Mackey. Adriyan Rae is a breath of fresh air on this show, and I loved the levity that the character brought to Firehouse 51.
- I’m not crazy about the overprotective brother routine from Cruz; I’m totally down for a Mackey/Gallo ship. He’s an adorable puppy; she’s an adorable puppy. Let them be adorable puppies together.
- Herrmann’s treasure hunt was a fun little distraction that we all knew was going to fail. It was good for the 0.2 seconds it lasted, though.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8C on NBC.