Tonight’s Chicago Fire presented us with the first half of an explosive crossover event between our fearless firefighters and paramedics and the guys on Chicago PD.
Fire’s Season 8 Episode 15, titled Off the Grid, brought everything I love about this show in what was probably the best episode in weeks.
Even though Chicago Fire has been pretty consistent this season, I’d found myself slightly bored of what felt like mostly filler episodes these past few weeks.
But Off The Grid threw all of that out the window, presenting two amazing stories that are finally — finally — moving this season’s plot forward.
The Brettsey of it all
I feel like this is an inevitable section of this recap every week now, because these writers are not kidding around when it comes to these two. The Powers That Be are fully onboard the Brettsey train and they’re not even trying to be subtle anymore.
This week, Casey offers to drive Brett to her birth mother’s place in another town, which prompts a road trip with just the two of them.
Honestly, I was almost expecting their car to break down somewhere to have them spend the night (and then there was only one bed!) because it felt like it was straight out of fanfic — and I say this with so much love. I’m pretty sure the Brettsey shippers are drowning in their feels right about now.
They talk, they get to know each other better, and he tries to reassure her and calm `down before they make it there.
However, when they arrive at the address Sylvie received, a man opens the door and says that there’s no Julie there, much to her confusion and heartbreak.
Because at this point, as she later confesses to Foster, she has already allowed herself to imagine again what her biological mother is like; and to have it crash down on her like that was a major disappointment.
But surprise, surprise, mysterious Julie shows up at Firehouse 51 during Brett’s shift and, let me tell you, Kara Killmer really came for my feelings in this scene.
The sheer amount of different emotions displayed on her face as she recognizes who the woman really is — who looks just like her, I might add — was nothing short of incredible.
This was definitely her best performance of the season, and I’m so glad that they’re finally giving Killmer something juicier to work with.
And then there was the mother of all plot twists, because Julie, now at 46, is very much pregnant, but she wants Sylvie to be in her life, if she’d like.
Brett is called away on Ambulance 61 before she can even react to the shocking news, but how much do you want to bet there’s more to this story? There’s no way she just reached out to Sylvie out of nowhere, after 30 years, because she just wanted to get to know her daughter.
I just really hope she doesn’t break Brett’s heart. But whatever happens, I’m pretty sure Casey will be there to help, because honestly? The man is absolutely smitten.
Roman and Severide play detectives
Brian Geraghty returned as former officer Sean Roman, looking for his younger sister Sara, who has been missing for a few weeks. He shows up at Firehouse 51 right after Brett, Foster and the rest of the guys return from a call where they found three teenagers who had apparently overdosed on some kind of drug.
Roman tells the guys that those kids were part of a new group his little sister had been hanging out with, and he thought that it was no coincidence that all three of them had OD’d. If they found out who was selling those drugs, they might get a lead on his sister’s whereabouts.
Boden tells him that his wife is actually a teacher at Roman’s sister’s school, and enlists her help to try and get some information from the other kids, especially after one of the teenagers that overdosed doesn’t make it. Severide tags along with Roman and once at the school, they talk to one of Sara’s friends.
That’s where they find out that the girl has been dating an older guy named Logan, who was a former student of that high school and had never graduated after being expelled. But that didn’t stop him from hanging out at the school parking lot every single day, where he is obviously dealing.
And this is where Roman loses it. He loses his objectivity and he loses his cool; and even though Severide still tags along when he pays a visit to a place where a dealer he used to know when he was a cop lived, things go sideways fast. Roman is no longer thinking straight and refuses Kelly’s offer to go with him to the address they manage to get from one of the dealers.
He does, however, tell Kelly that the Intelligence Unit is already all over this case and that Voight doesn’t want him to get involved; but promises that he will go to them once his lead pans out.
But to Severide’s everlasting surprise, when he mentions that to Ruzek and the guys from PD, they’re surprised to hear Roman is even in Chicago, and this is the first time they even find out that his sister has been missing for a while. And even worse, Roman has gone off the grid and no one can reach him.
And then — surprise, surprise — Firehouse 51 gets called in for a house fire, and guess who comes running out of the basement apartment that is completely engulfed in flames? Yup, Mr. Sean Roman himself, gun in hand, which just puts him in a terrible position.
The crossover event continues with Chicago PD tonight at 10/9C.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8C on NBC.