Chicago Fire Review: Light Things Up (Season 8 Episode 19)

Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 19, “Light Things Up,” is one of the best episodes of the season. And no, that’s not just because we get a chance to see our favorite firefighters dressed in formal wear. 

Most of the episode is centered around something we haven’t seen before. The firehouse is taken over by protesters. It starts small when a group of protesters chains the doors and then one of them chains himself up to their rigs. 

What seems simple at first — that the protesters are disrupting a working firehouse and should be forced to leave, isn’t actually so simple. The protest is for a good cause. 

It’s not easy to stop, though. This is a delicate situation not only because of optics in general but from a moral standpoint also. The firefighters have to be careful and Boden doesn’t want too many police officers. 

Unfortunately, as more citizens get wind of the situation, the takeover gets out of control. 

It tests the characters in different ways. This is a situation we’ve never seen, and the episode is surprisingly more suspenseful than it would be if it centered on a house fire or other rescue. Something about the invasion of the firehouse feels more unsettling than life-threatening rescues. 

And even as the crew at Firehouse 51 comes to be on the same side of the original protest group — they’re sympathetic to the loss of that other firehouse — the whole thing is an illustration of mob mentality.

The second group of protesters that show up for solidarity aren’t as peaceful, nor do they have quite the same motives. And as more police officers become involved, it all gets out of hand too quickly. 

After hours go by, though, the original protestor, still chained to the rigs, begins to lose consciousness. Everything stops as the crew comes together to save him, including the alderman Casey brought over to the firehouse to speak with the protesters. 

It’s the kind of hero moment that makes this such a feel-good show. Despite all of the previous tension, the focus is entirely on saving a life. It’s not just about how skilled the folks at Firehouse 51 are — it’s about how well they work as a team and how they serve as heroes for their community, no matter what.

That seems it would end the protest, but the alderman leaves and the other protesters aren’t ready to let go of their stand. A fight breaks out and, of course, it’s Cruz who gets hurt. 

It’s not terrible, but it does mean he has a bandage on his head for his wedding. He gets there just in time.

Before everyone heads to the wedding, Boden asks Ritter and Gallo what they posted online — because it had the desired effect. Throughout the episode, the two youngest firefighters were focused on social media, and wanted to try to do their part to change the narrative of what was happening. 

They manage to succeed with a moving video that shows everyone coming together, even during the protest. It highlights the best parts of Firehouse 51 and the importance of community. 

I actually find the wedding, and the moments leading up to it, to be a bit of a missed opportunity. Cruz’s injury feels rushed, as does the wedding itself. It really feels like the audience is short-changed a bit.

We barely see Chloe at all, though the look on her face when she sees Cruz’s bandage is a nice touch.

Something else that doesn’t feel quite right about the wedding is that Stella and Sylvie are the first two bridesmaids lined up next to Chloe.

While it’s a nice picture to have as many main characters close together as possible, and it’s sweet seeing Stella walk down the aisle with Severide and Brett walk down with Casey, I’m not so sure I buy that Chloe wouldn’t have chosen someone else to be by her side. It’s a small thing, but it does feel off.

Otis’s absence is also felt hard on this episode. Earlier, during the protest, Cruz is outraged at the fact that people are climbing over Otis’s memorial — and that only highlights the fact that he’s gone. It should have been Otis standing next to Cruz on his wedding day. 

The good news is that the wedding is otherwise perfect. Again, we don’t see much of it, but it’s not hindered by any sort of shocking moment or interruption. We just get to enjoy Cruz’s happiness and the support of his firehouse family.

The other major plotline on this episode is regarding Brett, and I can’t help but feel like it’s all a bit of a missed opportunity. Brett’s biological mother died in childbirth on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 18, “I’ll Cover You,” leaving a baby to be cared for. 

Now, with Brett already grieving the loss of a mother she’d only recently found, Scott shows up during the protest to tell Brett he needs her to take the baby. He insists he can’t care for her and that Brett should adopt her. 

So with everything else going on, Brett has to consider that possibility quite seriously. At least she can do so with Matt Casey by her side once again. 

I say this is all a missed opportunity because it’s happening too quickly. Even watching Brett develop that relationship with her biological mother felt too quick. Now grieving her loss feels sudden, as does everything we know about Scott. 

Honestly, I expected more a twist from Scott than the fact that he’s a decent guy who’s just afraid. His reaction when he answered the door the first time Brett showed up felt like it should have been setting up something more substantial. 

Once the protest is over, Brett finds Scott pacing outside of his daughter’s room, and she convinces him that he can do this. Her perspective, having been adopted herself, turns out to be really significant. I do hope Brett can continue to have a relationship with them. 

There’s one last detail that happens at the hospital that I find significant. Foster has a quick conversation with Will, who asks who performed the procedure in the field on that protester. When she says it was her, Will is clearly impressed and says she must have missed her calling. 

Foster has been struggling with that fact since she arrived on Chicago Fire, but it’s especially been evident in recent episodes. Could her conversation with Will be an indication that she might move over to Chicago Med at some point? 

All in all, it’s not a perfect episode, but it’s still a great one. The protest makes for one of the most interesting storylines we’ve seen in a while, and Cruz’s wedding is just joyful to watch. He deserves some happiness, and it’s nice to see him get that with such a beautiful wedding. 

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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