Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 4 Review: The Center of the Universe
I’m still mad about that shocking death scene, but it does at least lead to some great storytelling on Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 4, “The Center of the Universe.” (Spoilers ahead if you aren’t sure what death I’m talking about.)
If anything, this entire storyline is giving Hanako Greensmith a real chance to shine. Her performance on Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 3, “Complete Shattered,” was remarkable and part of why that episode was so emotional.
And her performance on this one, where Violet is dealing with her grief, is an entirely different and yet equally remarkable performance.
I’m glad to see her talent used in this way, and the way she handles her grief over losing Evan feels entirely realistic. Her eyes are almost blank, and she retreats from everyone around her, sulking in her loneliness. It’s not overdone — it’s all just right and feels entirely authentic.
Her Firehouse 51 family has been reaching out as much as possible, sending gifts and messages, but also allowing her the space she seems to want.
But interestingly, there’s one person who decides to invade that space and take a different approach.
Severide shows up with beer and doesn’t take no for an answer. He’s there to relate to Violet, though, rather than just offer sympathy. After all, he’s been through his share of loss.
He tells her about Anna, and shares with her how he coped with that loss. That going back to work is what saved him. He also brings up Shay, and it’s actually surprising to me that he doesn’t talk more about that loss as well, especially when Violet says she’s worried about seeing Evan everywhere when she’s at work.
It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to honor Shay a bit more — I mean, her name is on the truck that Violet rides in.
Nevertheless, it’s a really heartfelt conversation, and it’s enjoyable to see Severide mentoring Violet in this way. They wouldn’t normally cross paths so easily. Plus, this is something new for Severide to do, and a way to remind us of stories from the earlier days of Chicago Fire.
What he says makes an impact, and Violet does return to work — to a family that greets her with open arms and a lot of hugs. It’s a good thing, too, because her skills wind up being useful in saving a man’s life just about as soon as she returns to her shift.
It also turns out that Violet has been going to one place all this time, and that’s to the hospital to see the man Evan saved. She goes during non-visiting hours and hopes for him to recover — that Evan’s death wasn’t in vain.
Thankfully, the man recovers, and when Brett takes Violet there to see him, Violet is almost beside herself when she sees the family surrounding him. It’s a really endearing moment, and it all does make for great storytelling.
Like I said, I’m still bitter. But I can’t not acknowledge the interesting stories that came from this.
Elsewhere on the episode, Chief Boden gets a heartfelt storyline of his own. Walking Terrence to school, he feels guilty about how little time he’s been able to spend with his son. Then, on the same day, a call comes in with a boy the same age in a life-threatening situation.
The boy’s been buried in a pile of sand on the beach — and trying to dig him out only makes it worse. Boden doesn’t miss a beat, and starts work himself while he waits for Squad to arrive. It’s hitting him in a personal way that makes it that much more suspenseful to watch.
They get the boy out, thankfully, but what comes later is what really matters.
This focus on Boden is great — the episodes that center on him like this always wind up being some of my favorites. There’s something so magical in seeing the vulnerable side of him.
In this case, he relates to the father of the boy they saved, who comes to thank him personally later on. Boden understands everything he says about his struggles with his son, the pandemic, and the lack of time he has to devote.
It hits Boden in a way that for a moment, makes me think he could retire soon. But what we see instead is that he plans a time for them all to get together, and it looks like the boys could become great friends.
Other thoughts:
- Carver and Stella’s tension is frustrating to watch, though it does offer Stella an opportunity to really figure out who she is as a leader.
- Herrmann and Mouch’s stein gift is a funny side story that makes for one of the most uncomfortable endings I’ve seen in a long time. That Stephanides shows up to his own little memorial to get that stein after it’s been sold… there isn’t much more awkward than that.
- Well, maybe Gallo’s fling with Herrman’s niece is also up there on the awkward scale.
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.