Chicago Fire Review: Winterfest (Season 10 Episode 9)
Please note this review contains spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 9.
Chicago Fire needs to get its groove back.
While Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 9, “Winterfest,” is an endearing holiday episode, it’s lacking in a lot of ways.
Just about everything regarding Stella and Kelly, and Wendy Seager, for that matter, feels like a stretch. Granted, the good news is that’s addressed pretty directly, including how weird it is and how confused Kelly is by his fiance’s absence.
There’s a clear suggestion that something more is going on, especially when Severide arrives home to find Stella there waiting for him — and looking like she has a lot on her mind.
That setup certainly has potential, and maybe we’re about to get some really interesting stuff regarding her character. But even if that’s the case, this all still seems like forced storytelling. It just doesn’t fit the character we know.
Her prolonged absence has Boden in a tough position because he’d very much like to fill Casey’s vacant position with Stella Kidd. It has to be a bit of a blow to him after being such a mentor to her and helping her get to the place where she could be lieutenant, that now she won’t be taking that very position at Firehouse 51.
Instead, the position is going to Pelham, who is a welcome addition to the firehouse and brings great new energy. Everyone’s impressed with him, and it even seems that he and Kelly could get along quite well. That doesn’t fill the Matt Casey-sized hole in our hearts, but it could help — a little.
Stella’s absence also leaves room for a bold Wendy Seager to spend more time with Severide. Can I just say it? This whole thing is too awkward. It’s hard to watch her throw herself at him as he tries to brush it off, and while having a night out might be nice for him, I refuse to believe their relationship could ever be anything besides professional.
However, Seager is mostly throwing herself at Severide for professional reasons. She knows he’s made for arson investigation and will maybe never stop trying to get him to return to that office.
We’ve already been there and done that, though, and Severide already made his decision.
Meanwhile, Brett is still working to get her paramedicine program off the ground, and she’s got Chief Hawkins backing her up. It winds up being a really satisfying turn of events. Just as she’s about to be told it can’t be funded, Hawkins shows up with a group of citizens who have already benefitted from Brett’s program.
This is a good thing for Brett, and it’s already proven to offer some new and interesting opportunities for her character. I’m sad that Casey is gone, but after spending so much time on that love story, and others before it, it’s nice to see a different type of storyline for Brett.
The most endearing part of this episode, though, comes from Mouch. He’s become much more introspective lately, and he’s deeply affected by the rescue that takes place at the top of the episode.
Santa being impaled by a Christmas Tree is definitely a new one, and that could be a bit comical if it wasn’t so emotional. This is a man who loved dressing as Santa and being there for children every year, and Mouch follows up to find out how he is after the rescue.
He tells Herrmann he’s been more affected by rescues lately, and wondering what happens to people after they’ve been taken to the hospital. So he takes it upon himself to find out this time, and he winds up helping him spread some Christmas cheer.
Santa on a firetruck while the team at Firehouse 51 hands out presents to kids — that’s enjoyable to watch, and it’s exactly the kind of thing this group of firefighters would do.
Other thoughts:
- I’ve possibly never felt as bad for Ritter as I do when he admits he didn’t write down the recipe for his award-winning beer.
- The relationship drama between Gallo and Violet has gotten messy fast, hasn’t it? It also seems a bit over-the-top that Gallo ending things with Carla would cause them to lose their access to the brewery.
- I may be scarred for life after the Christmas ornament call.
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.