Chicago Fire Review: My Lucky Day (Season 9 Episode 5)

Chicago Fire breaks form with an episode that centers entirely on two characters being stuck in an elevator, and it’s fantastic.

On Chicago Fire Season 9 Episode 5, “My Lucky Day,” Herrmann and Cruz find themselves stuck in a freight elevator with two civilians, and the situation becomes more dangerous throughout the episode. What makes this unique, however, is the focus is on them entirely.

We only see other characters just at the beginning and end of the episode. Once Cruz and Herrmann are in that elevator, that’s it. We only see what they see, and we only hear what they hear — which isn’t much, because communication is spotty. 

It’s a chance for both of these characters to really shine, and it’s also a pairing we don’t get to see often. These are two men who respect each other greatly, and it turns out they work well together too.

It’s an odd day for Cruz to be in this situation. He seems down even before he winds up in that elevator. It’s subtle, but he’s obviously holding on to something.

Eventually, he reveals that he’s just learned his wife is pregnant. But what would normally be joyous news is concerning to Cruz, who worries about the world they’d be bringing a child into. 

It’s a relatable concern — he’s worried about the state of the world and the state of his country, with everyone divided and a pandemic that still hasn’t let up. Not to mention, his job puts his life in danger regularly, which gave Cruz and Chloe pause a long time ago when it came to their future. 

The “grumpy optimist” talks him out of all of that with a speech that we probably all needed to hear. Herrmann has plenty of life advice to offer, and in this case, he’s once again acting as a mentor — a common theme that’s been running throughout the season. Only this time, he’s mentoring someone he’s worked with for years. 

Another theme that’s been common this season is remembering the fallen. This season has paid tribute in small ways to characters that have died, and in this case, Otis is extremely present. 

The elevator problem immediately reminds Cruz of his friend, and he actually uses things he learned from Otis to help them stay safe and escape. 

That task, by the way, isn’t a simple one. Even though the episode remains in such a small setting with just a few characters, it’s still heart-pounding and suspenseful. Just the thought of that elevator dropping is one thing, but the snapping cords and the fire? No more elevators, okay guys?

The emotional, real conversations are balanced with Herrmann and Cruz working together, coming up with creative solutions including turning an orange cone into a funnel and trying to keep the two civilians, Holly and Trevor, from knowing how bad the situation really is.

It’s all made that much more intense by what we hear from the other firefighters. In bits and pieces, Cruz and Herrmann learn that Mouch is in danger and Casey takes a risk.

They hear everything and can’t respond, and we’re actually taken on an emotional journey of wondering if Mouch will come out alive without ever seeing what kind of danger he’s in. Instead, the focus is on Cruz and Herrmann’s reactions to everything they hear and their frustrations and fear at not being able to respond. It’s unique storytelling that works really well. 

Thankfully, Herrmann and Cruz figure a way to get them all out of the elevator after unloading some of its weight, and that finally allows them to communicate to the rest of the firefighters. 

For the entire episode, Herrmann remains optimistic. What’s powerful is that he chooses that optimism somewhere along the way, sticking to his joy over knowing it is “his lucky day” according to a fortune cookie.

It doesn’t seem very lucky that he’d wind up stuck in an elevator in such grave danger, but he maintains his luck will come when he really needs it.

And it does. All luck aside, Herrmann tells Cruz he’s thankful they were together through this. He credits Cruz for helping get them all out safely. And Cruz thinks maybe someone else was there with them as well — Otis. Cue the tears. 

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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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