Chicago Fire Review: The Unrivaled Standard (Season 6 Episode 21)

While Chicago Fire Season 6 Episode 21, “The Unrivaled Standard,” seems a bit all over the place at first, it quickly proves it has a powerful story to tell.

We get a glimpse of Herrmann serving as basketball coach, and watch him butt heads with another dad whose passion makes everyone uncomfortable, and all of that seems like the least important link to the story. It’s not. It’s actually the most powerful, and that sneaks up on you.

Watching Herrmann in that role is fun and endearing, but more satisfying is seeing him deal with real emotional turmoil. Because of course, the dad he butts heads with — and who he comes to an understanding with after hearing the reasons behind his actions — winds up as his partner in a dangerous fire.

As soon as the two get paired together, you know something bad is going to happen. Still, I didn’t quite see this coming.

As Herrmann turns back to unhook a victim and get him out to safety, already well beyond the time that Chief Boden called for everyone to evacuate, he loses Colannino and gets out his own, assuming his partner was already out. Colannino, though, had gone back to find Herrmann, the two miss one another, and Colannino doesn’t make it out alive.

Of course, Herrmann takes this hard, and it’s a great opportunity to see another layer to his character — one that we don’t get to see as often as I’d like. His emotional response is heartbreaking and it reminds us of the sacrifice firefighters make on a regular basis.

There’s little time to grieve because what’s important next is for everyone to be there for Colannino’s family. And they are — they all show up, and you can feel the love in that room.

That’s the note we end on, but let’s back up a little, because someone from Kelly’s past is back, and it’s irritating.

Renee sounds like she’s there for a decent reason, but I don’t trust her in the slightest. More importantly, it feels like another unnecessary hurdle for Stella and Severide to contend with.

What I do like about this is the reminder of how complicated Severide’s past really is, which is something we’ve been returning to often this season. His own mother gave Stella a warning about Severide when it comes to women, and here’s another one from his past.

Just a few episodes again Stella learned Severide had been married before, and she’s also stood by his side to honor the Ana, the girlfriend who died.

All of this is clearly leading up to something, and my hope is that something will be a solid relationship with Stella. The feels like the very thing Severide needs right now.

What he doesn’t need, is to watch two of his mentors in a rivalry, but that’s exactly what’s about to happen.

I really like the idea of Casey and Severide getting behind Boden and helping his case for Commissioner, and I think it’s interesting to see Boden in this position. He wants to be able to move and to do more — and he’d be good at it. Casey and Severide see that and so do we.

Their support of him goes a long way, too, and they already manage to do some convincing. Boden is Boden, however, so naturally, he’s frustrated and hesitant at first. It wouldn’t be like him to jump on this idea right away.

In the face of a tragedy, he decides he wants it, though. But he’s not the only one.

Ugh, Grissom, can’t you just go away or something?

It’s hard to know what this guy’s goal is, but he pretty much seems to be causing problems everywhere. Now, he wants to run for the position Boden has just decided to run for, and that’s going to put Kelly in an awkward position.

Either way, though, it could be a chance for Boden to move up the ranks, which I’d love to see, but also worries me a bit — because if Boden’s gone, what does Firehouse 51 look like?

Finally, there’s Cruz. Cruz made a bad decision by hooking up with an ex-girlfriend, but the important part of that story is Brett’s reaction.

I love the friendship between these two. I don’t know if we’re supposed to see them developing feelings for one another, but it’s sweet to see their friendship grow, especially with the level of honesty and accountability they’ve been building.

As for the affair itself, I’m glad to see a quick resolution in the form of Cruz getting punched in the face. It’s a concrete consequence to his actions, and now he can move on.

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Fire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Chicago Fire airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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