Chicago Fire Review: Best Friend Magic (Season 8 Episode 9)

Gabby Dawson returns for Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 8, “Best Friend Magic,” and it’s… fine? I guess?

Gabby’s return to the fire station is nice, especially since the first thing she does is to spend some time at Otis’s memorial.

Unfortunately, it’s all too brief, and the focus is mostly on her asking Casey to join her for a charity fundraiser. Casey hesitates but eventually decides to show (thanks to some nudging by Brett) and the night ends in the two of them sleeping together.

It’s not that it’s unwelcome to see the two connect, and maybe even get some closure, but it all feels like a bit of an afterthought. Gabby returning should have been about so much more than this.

I would see the benefit if it means the two now have some closure, and this does serve as a bit of a reminder that they didn’t get a divorce because they didn’t love each other anymore. But there’s no closure here.

Casey learns Dawson was the one who requested to go to Chicago of all places, and there’s so much that’s unspoken between them that it makes things murky. Ultimately, it’s underwhelming and feels like a missed opportunity.

What’s more meaningful is another return, albeit of a very different kind. While cleaning off shelves in the firehouse, Cruz comes across a drone that was Otis’s — and that he had broken and never fixed for him. So he makes it his mission to rectify that now, and he gets some help from the two youngest firefighters, Ritter and Gallo. 

It’s really touching that those two offer as much help as they do. And the diagnostic cable gives Cruz something even better than the ability to figure out what’s wrong with the drone. There’s a video of him and Otis trying out the drone, and in it, they lean into their bromance, even referring to themselves as Crotis.

It’s so sweet and yet another beautiful tribute to Otis. I have to say that I’m pleased at how much Otis’s death has continued to affect the story rather than being a tragedy that just sort of falls away. It’s truly being used in meaningful ways. 

As for Stella, she’s still working herself hard, partly to keep from disappointing Boden, and it comes at a cost. Her lack of sleep affects her judgment and causes her to get in a wreck leaving the firehouse. Luckily, no one is badly injured, but it does serve as a wake-up call.

And you know, it’s one worth talking about. This isn’t presented as some shocking and serious issue, but it’s incredibly relatable. We have a culture of overworking ourselves in order to be successful, and it often does come at a cost. I appreciate seeing that in Stella’s story. 

It also allows for a nice bonding moment between her and Boden, when Boden realizes he’s been pushing her too hard because he made her his “project.” He realizes he needs to be a better kind of mentor to her, but she admits how much this experience has done for her and her confidence. 

I’m curious to know where this will all lead for Stella. It would be pretty great to see her in a leadership position at the firehouse.

And look, this wouldn’t be a Fall Finale without some sort cliffhanger, and Severide is in some trouble. No, it’s not just that his new partner obviously has a crush on him (as pointed out by Casey). It’s that he’s stumbled into dangerous territory with another arson investigation. 

It’s a quick moment, but we realize it’s all quite the setup, and the episode ends with Severide facing an arsonist who seems more than happy to burn the whole place down.

We’ll have to wait until January to see how that all turns out. That’s going to be a long wait, ChiHards!

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

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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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