Chicago Fire Review: Protect a Child (Season 8 Episode 17)

The best thing about Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 17, “Protect a Child,” is the way it reminds us of older storylines — something I often complain this show neglects to do. 

Most significant is that it brings up personal history for Casey. After the team rescues a mother and son from a house fire, Casey gets a visit from a woman with social services who believes the mother is unfit. It’s not what Casey or Gallo saw in the slightest, and it hits a nerve for each of them in different ways. 

For Gallo, it’s that he remembers being that little boy hiding in the fire, and it’s because he lost his family that day. For Casey, it’s because he remembers what it’s like to have a child taken away from him. 

Granted, the circumstances were quite different when Casey and Gabby were caring for Leo, but it brings up that feeling of loss all the same. 

I’ve continued to feel that we don’t talk about Gabby’s absence enough, even after her appearance on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 9, “Best Friend Magic,” so I appreciate this reminder of what seems like a previous life.

All of this is revealing of Casey’s character and the ways he’s grown from it. It’s too bad it’s been so subtle, but he could have easily become hardened after everything he’s been through. Instead, he’s a little stronger and a little more aware of what either people could be feeling and the kind of compassion they need. 

So he makes his case, first objecting when social services come to take the boy away from his mother, then visiting the woman who started the paperwork and appealing to her by sharing his personal experience.

It’s… too easy?

Sure, it’s nice to see this story get a happy ending, and it’s nice to it’s because of Casey, but lately, Casey has just been able to wave his hand and fix problems just a little too quickly because of this connection or that one. 

Meanwhile, Stella is focused on her own good deeds. After seeing a couple of young girls apparently dealing drugs, she comes up with an idea to help the community — “Girls on Fire.” She wants to start a program for young girls to become junior firefighters.

It’s an amazing idea that she gets approval for quickly, but it requires a female officer to lead it. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many of those to choose from. 

That’s an underlying problem that goes right to the heart of what Stella wants to do in the first place. It also makes for some uncomfortable social interactions.

She tries to convince the very same officer she’s had a run-in with in the past, but to no avail. Also, is Stella really a schemer? Does she really come across that way? I can’t decide.

But that’s not the only person from the past who pops back up because of Stella’s idea. Severide suggests the perfect person for Stella to approach about this: Wendy Seager.

What’s great about this is that Stella, yes, acknowledges that she’s not thrilled about approaching a woman who so clearly was interested in her boyfriend, but she brushes that aside.

Wendy is a great choice for this, and Stella’s willingness to work with her says way more about her own character. I just hope it doesn’t become more complicated than that.

Other thoughts:

• I still don’t trust Brett’s biological mother, even though everything seems okay at the moment.
• Any budding romance between Brett and Casey has become the slowest of slow burns, and that’s a great thing. At this point, what Brett’s mother sees is what we all see, I think.
• Herrmann should be able to have officers’ quarters somehow, but the shower curtain? Calm down, buddy.

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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