Chicago Fire Review: Rattle Second City (Season 9 Episode 1)
The team at Firehouse 51 is back in action, and that alone should bring any Chicago Fire fan a little joy.
On Chicago Fire Season 9 Episode 1, “Rattle Second City,” the newest member of the firehouse makes her first appearance, only to quickly find herself in a scary situation along with her new partner.
Let’s start with the new paramedic. Gianna Mackey (Adriyan Rae) is already bringing a new energy to the firehouse. She’s also friends with Cruz, who we learn has always been quite protective of her.
It’s sweet how Cruz rushes to get to the firehouse in hopes of being able to introduce Gianna. He misses that chance, but that winds up letting us see a glimpse of what their dynamic is like.
It would have been nice to get a little more of that backstory and even to see more of their interactions, but this is a good start. He sure is hard on Gallo, though!
Gianna is barely able to settle in before her first call with Brett, which has them being held at gunpoint. It’s the kind of storyline that feels a little too familiar. After all, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a paramedic team in danger due to a call, so it’s a bit disappointing.
It does, however, allow us to be reminded how good Brett is under pressure — and even how she’s evolved as a character. It also gives Casey an excuse to feel protective and insist on sleeping on her couch.
We really have to expect a romance between these two to come to fruition soon. The way Casey rushes over there makes him feel like her boyfriend as it is — in fact, a lot of their interactions tend to read that way.
But it all remains very sweet and innocent, though the looks and the flirtations are there. It’s really a nice trajectory for these characters. It’s always made sense for this to be a slow burn because of Dawson, and their friendship being the basis of anything else feels realistic.
I also appreciate that Casey’s Australian accent isn’t very good at all — while the actor who plays him is in fact, Australian. It’s a fun detail.
Brett’s sense that she was in danger was, unfortunately, right though. The episode ends in a cliffhanger, with Brett and Mackey having been run off the road by the man who’d held them at gunpoint. It looks bad, that’s for sure.
And though I assume both characters will come out fine (Mackey will, because Rae was just added as a series regular), I do appreciate that big of suspense, especially since we didn’t get a classic sort of cliffhanger at the end of last season.
Meanwhile, things are looking good for Stella Kidd. Boden has already been championing her, but the way she saves Severide on this episode really proves her skill and her leadership. Boden takes his mentorship a step further in recommending Stella take the lieutenant exam soon.
What’s great is that she’s not resistant. She asks him if he thinks she’s ready, but deep down, I think she knows she is. She also has the support of Severide, who clearly couldn’t be prouder of her. It’s really wonderful to see their relationship so solid.
Something else to note about this episode is the way it handles our current crisis, or really, how it nearly doesn’t. The details are there, but the episode isn’t about the pandemic, which I have to say, I appreciate. Instead, we see the changes that have been put in place, and there’s an understanding that that’s the world we’re all living in right now.
Joe gets his temperature checked before he can enter the firehouse, everyone wears a mask when they’re out, and Stella makes the case for her Girls on Fire program to return as long as they take the proper precautions. It’s all there — but the story doesn’t revolve around it, which makes it all feel more natural and relatable.
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
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.