Chicago Fire Review: Finish What You Started (Season 10 Episode 19)

The truth about Emma is revealed on Chicago Fire Season 10 Episode 19, “Finish What You Started,” and it’s not entirely surprising.

Actually, it winds up being a simpler explanation than it what it seemed at first. Her lies and her scheming, her suspicious nature in general, are all really about the fact that she wants Violet’s job.

She wants it so badly she’s willing to lie and ruin someone else’s career for it.  

This is where the complication of Violet and Hawkins’ relationship comes into play once again. They are now under a microscope, and Hawkins has to be extra careful not to show favoritism. Unfortunately, Violet just needs a leader to step in and help — but there’s no way Hawkins can do that right now. 

The Violet and Hawkins dynamic has quickly become one of the most interesting on Chicago Fire lately. Their chemistry just drips off the TV screen, but their working relationship is unlike any we’ve seen on the series.

Yes, the most iconic of couples were members of Firehouse 51 who worked together — Casey and Dawson, Casey and Brett, Severide and Stella — but for Violet and Hawkins, he is so directly her superior that it becomes a different issue. And yet, it’s impossible not to root for them and hope they can find a way to stay together without it being problematic. 

Especially now that the word “love” has been dropped! Violet shouts “Why did you make me fall in love with you?!” to which Hawkins replies that he feels the same. Things are definitely going to get interesting.

Meanwhile, there’s another couple making strides forward. While I’m still having a hard time getting over Stella Kidd just disappearing for an extended period of time, it looks as though her relationship with Severide has never been stronger. Stella brings Severide to a spot with a difficult memory — the place where she almost lost him — then says it’s where she wants to get married.

It’s a sweet moment between the two of them, and it sets the scene for what could be one of the most memorable weddings on Chicago Fire. 

Speaking of Severide, he gets a chance to show once again what a good man he is. After a jet engine lands on a school (the stuff of nightmares, truly) Severide is accused of stealing a piece of it as a souvenir. 

Why outside sources always seem to be attacking Firehouse 51 is beyond me, and this feels like a bit of a stretch, especially when Severide denies taking the piece. Even just a few more minutes on those details could have made this whole thing more believable.

So Severide sets out to find the missing piece, and he and Cruz head over to the school to explain how important it is to the students. 

The whole thing is resolved fairly quickly, thanks to one student who decides to do the right thing. But what really matters is that Severide chooses to keep the kid who stole the piece out of this completely. He saves that teenager by taking a risk of his own.

Other thoughts:

• I love the way Stella and Bowden become so protective over Kylie.
• This episode goes above and beyond with the gore, though it serves an additional purpose with Violet and Emma’s storyline.
• Brett’s absence is well-explained because of Casey, but it feels odd for her to be gone this long, doesn’t it?

 

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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