Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - "A Chicago Welcome" Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 Review: A Chicago Welcome | Tell-Tale TV Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - "A Chicago Welcome"

Chicago Fire Review: A Chicago Welcome (Season 8 Episode 13)

Chicago Fire, Reviews

Gorsch is back to cause some trouble on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13, “A Chicago Welcome.”

After Firehouse 51 mysteriously receives a shiny new truck, Gorsch shows up to the scene of a fire. Coincidence? Nope.

Supposedly, he’s showing back up because he’s interested in the work Chief Boden is doing with cancer prevention for the firefighters. He’s convincing, almost, with a personal connection to cancer and his plans to help secure a second set of gear for all of the firefighters, which would greatly reduce their exposure to carcinogens. 

Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - Eamonn Walker as Wallace Boden, Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz
CHICAGO FIRE — “A Chicago Welcome” Episode 813 — Pictured: (l-r) Eamonn Walker as Wallace Boden, Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz — (Photo by: Adrian Burrows/NBC)

But Steven Boyer, who plays Gorsch, is just subtle enough to make us feel uneasy. You can listen to him speak without assuming there must be some sort of catch, even when the words coming out of his mouth are heartfelt.

After Boden and Severide work with him on getting the gear, the catch becomes clear. Gorsch is trying to have them buy gear from a friend of his — gear that hasn’t been tested. It’s shady business, but the good news, is they catch on quick. Seriously, he didn’t really think he could get something like this past those two, did he?

It’s a clever way to bring Gorsch back into the picture and to keep the cancer prevention storyline at the forefront. Even better, the firehouse is able to get the extra sets of gear, which they may not have pursued so quickly without Gorsch showing up in the first place.

Meanwhile, Joe is adjusting to Foster as a new roommate, and there are some serious growing pains. It’s really a bit painful to watch. 

Foster mentions to Joe that she’s throwing a party on Friday, which we’d probably all assume means that he should plan to be there. Actually, we’d probably all assume she’d ask if that was okay first, which she doesn’t do. 

Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz, Annie Ilonzeh as Emily Foster
CHICAGO FIRE — “A Chicago Welcome” Episode 813 — Pictured: (l-r) Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz, Annie Ilonzeh as Emily Foster — (Photo by: Adrian Burrows/NBC)

Joe is uncharacteristically nervous and excited about the party. He’s acting so strange about it that both Severide and Kidd find themselves scratching their heads at his behavior. 

Unfortunately, when he shows up to his own apartment on the night of the party, he’s rudely turned away. Turns out, Foster was saying he should find someplace else to stay that night.

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For starters, this is the kind of roommate drama you might more expect from college students than grown adults. It’s shocking that Foster doesn’t discuss the party with *both* of her roommates before making plans. Had she done so, it would have been clear that this wasn’t the type of party Joe would want to attend in the first place.

I actually have a hard time buying that her character would act in this way, and then, of course, there’s the missing detail of Brett, who also lives in this apartment.

As for the way Joe is acting leading up to the party he thinks he’ll be a part of, it turns out that it reflects some anxiety he has over getting married soon. That’s the most interesting part of all of this.

He’s fixating on this party and he’s wanting to live vicariously through Emily’s lifestyle a little, which one might argue goes even deeper than dealing with his upcoming nuptials and also has something to do with his grieving process over Otis. It’s almost his way of acting out and seeking something he doesn’t typically seek. Maybe throwing another “rager” with Foster will help him through that a bit.

I’m also curious to know how Chloe fits into all of this. Would she not have gone to the party with Joe? And was it so hard for Joe to find a place to stay when he’s engaged? Some of these smaller details could have been easily addressed, and it’s a shame they aren’t.

The best part of this episode involves Casey and Brett and a man that the firefighters rescued at the beginning of the hour, Mr. Larson.

Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey, Kara Killmer as Sylvie Brett, David Selby as Tim Larson
CHICAGO FIRE — “A Chicago Welcome” Episode 813 — Pictured: (l-r) Jesse Spencer as Matthew Casey, Kara Killmer as Sylvie Brett, David Selby as Tim Larson — (Photo by: Adrian Burrows/NBC)

Larson’s wife, unfortunately, doesn’t survive the fire, and it’s more heartbreaking than this kind of tragedy might typically be, because Larson and his wife had only recently moved to Chicago after retiring. It’s a place they’d always wanted to go, and they finally had the chance. Sadly, because they were new to the city, they hadn’t had the chance to make friends there yet.

That puts Larson alone in the hospital with no visitors, which makes Brett hyperfocused on finding his cat, Dusty. 

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She and Casey take on that mission together and find the cat pretty easily — something we learn on this episode is that cats usually find their own way out of burning buildings. (Thank goodness!)

I talk a lot about how Chicago Fire centers itself on the idea of found family, and that’s absolutely the direction this storyline takes. Mr. Larson makes funeral arrangements for his wife, but doesn’t count on many people being in attendance. Had they never moved to Chicago, he notes, she would have had a large funeral.

But Chicago shows up for each other.

It’s a sentiment we get when the firefighters are called to an incident involving a human chain — a large group of strangers working together to keep hold of a little boy who is close to falling into the river. It’s a no brainer for these strangers to work together to save the boy while they wait for first responders, and the story gets a happy outcome.

In the same way, Chicago shows up for Mr. Larson. Just as the funeral is about to begin, with only Larson in attendance, Brett and Casey show up, followed by the rest of Firehouse 51 and a line of other people, thanks to some of Casey’s prior connections.

Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 13 - "A Chicago Welcome"
CHICAGO FIRE — “A Chicago Welcome” Episode 813 — Pictured: (l-r) Jesse Spencer as Matt Casey, David Selby as Tim Larson, Kara Kilmer as Sylvie Brett — (Photo by: Adrian Burrows/NBC)

The room becomes so full that many stay standing, and Mr. Larson is surrounded by a new sort of found family. It’s an overwhelmingly beautiful, tear-jerker of a scene that encapsulates what Chicago Fire is all about. It’s a perfect ending.

I have to back up a bit and discuss one more thing, though. Brett and Casey have some nice moments on this episode. We’ve seen a growing respect develop between these two as well as some clear chemistry, though at this point, it’s quite the slow and uncertain burn. They are clearly friends first, but they share some glances that are pretty undeniable on this episode.

Add to that, Brett opens up to Casey about the fact that her birth mother is trying to reach out — something I assume we’ll be exploring more in later episodes. In the very least, the groundwork is there, and I think it’s being laid so carefully and slowly that if they do wind up heading toward something romantic, the payoff will be fantastic. 

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That said, I remain bothered that Gabby’s recent appearance hasn’t come up more than it has. In my mind, there are a lot of interesting things happening with Casey’s character that we simply haven’t gotten to see on screen.

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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Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

2 comments

  • I enjoyed this episode and some of the more emotional moments.

    I also was wondering why Joe would have had such a hard time finding a place to stay when he was barred from Emily’s party. I kept thinking, well, he could go to Chloe’s, right? Unless she wasn’t there or couldn’t have him over for some reason, which would have helped if that was brought to light. I also wondered where was Sylvie going to spend the night? Maybe Stella’s old place at the Herrmanns’?

    I think more of his friends should have called out Joe on his behavior and asked why he was acting the way he was, rather than just letting it go. I think if Otis was around, he would have definitely confided in him…or maybe it’s a good time to bring Leon back into the picture to lean on during the lead up to the wedding.

    In a way, I was wondering why Gorsch was brought back to the be the bad guy regarding the firefighters’ safety being compromised…was he lying then, about his cousin? What about his brother-in-law, Trey, that almost became 51’s Engine Lieutenant? Is he really that callous to potentially harm family members?

    On the other hand, I like the Brett & Casey storyline with Mr. Larson. It was really moving, and you expect no less from Sylvie to want to help as much as possible. I like that she’s the type person to also get others to help her out without even asking (in this case, Casey), just because she is who she is. The 2 of them sitting quietly together on the back porch stairs waiting for Dusty was a nice scene, with Sylvie sneaking an admiring peek at Casey.

    Thanks for you Chicago Fire reviews…I look forward to them after each episode!

    • Thanks so much for reading, Rowena! And for your kind words as well. I’m hoping we will see more of Joe and Chloe soon.

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