Chicago Fire Review: Hot and Fast (Season 10 Episode 16)
Once again, Joe Cruz has me all sorts of emotional, this time with one of his most endearing storylines to date.
On Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 16, “Hot and Fast,” Cruz bonds with a little boy, Javi, who he saves in a fire. Let me rephrase that, actually — he literally catches him in his harms when the boy falls from an apartment window.
It’s a powerful scene in itself, but then because Cruz is able to communicate with the boy more easily than anyone else due to the language barrier, he really becomes the one to make him feel safe.
As it turns out, Javi is an immigrant with no relatives to take care of him. He’s being sponsored by a woman through a local church, but after the apartment fire, that’s all about to change.
I love seeing this kind of deep storyline for Cruz, and he does it so well. It’s right in line with his character to want to bond with this child and then, to go a step further and be willing to take him in.
Of course, as an added bonus, it means we get some time with Chloe too, and a glimpse into their home life with the new baby.
Meanwhile, Wendy Seager continues to be around more and more, though this time, it feels less like an issue.
Because that apartment fire looks suspicious at first, Seager joins Severide and Cruz in determining the cause. She’s coincidentally working out of her car for the time being and needs some office space. Well, guess who has office space?
Firehouse 51 always seems to have room these days for whoever needs it. It seems like a stretch to me, but maybe not by too much. The real win here is that Seager winds up bonding with Stella over pranking Mason, which has the potential to change that entire dynamic around Severide.
I hope it does.
This may also be a creative way of making it possible for Severide to keep doing work with OFI, for better or worse. It’s definitely something that plays to his strengths, and this could be a convenient way for him to have the best of both worlds.
This episode also allows us the chance to see Violet and Hawkins together a bit more. They’re still keeping their relationship under wraps, but they aren’t doing it very well. It’s maybe a little too obvious that Hawkins fills in for Brett while she’s away, but it’s a great opportunity to enjoy their chemistry.
I have to say, I also find it pretty remarkable that they’re so engaging as a couple despite being amongst the newer characters on the series. You really can’t help but be invested in these two already.
Unfortunately, they get careless and get caught kissing while on shift, which isn’t revealed until the end of the episode when the firefighter who saw them mentions it to Gallo.
Poor Gallo, he really blew all of this, didn’t he?
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if there hadn’t already been a show of favoritism with the ambulance heater, but now it looks like things are likely to get a bit more complicated.
The call that Hawkins receives from headquarters certainly sounds ominous.
—
What did you think of this episode of Chicago Fire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.