Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 13 Review: The Man of the Moment

Oh, Chicago Fire. Please don’t go where I think you’re going.

The dynamic between Stella and the new firefighter at 51, Carver, has been interesting from the start, but Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 13, “The Man of the Moment,” hints at even more complications to come.

While the two started out on rocky ground, Stella has worked hard to become a real mentor to Carver, even when doing so has crossed a line. She’s gone out of her way to show up for him personally, which is what she believes a good leader would do, and so far, it’s been a good thing.

It’s been a way to show off Stella’s leadership skills and how they contrast with Severide’s, which is a fun dynamic to explore between them. It’s also challenged her in some productive ways.

It has even allowed the audience to soften toward Carver. He became likable really quickly, even with all of his baggage and “hot-headedness.”

Carver started to show real respect and admiration for Stella, especially considering how she literally saved his life. And now those lines are getting blurred.

While subtle at first, and the hints have been there for a little while now, the look on his face on this episode says it all. I suppose it’s realistic. She saved his life, she’s helped him in more ways than one, and she’s let him open up to her about the past he hasn’t felt comfortable sharing with anyone else.

Now, his jerk of a brother shows up, and she goes out of her way to bring him his prestigious award from the city, handing it to him in front of his brother.

Is it crossing a professional boundary? Maybe. But the reason she does it is to give Carver a chance to look like a success to his brother.

She knows that’s something he needs, and it’s really endearing that she’d do that for him. It’s also not as though these people don’t stick up for each other like that on a regular basis. She declares Firehouse 51 to be a family, and she’s right. It’s a running theme of the show, and it’s why the school fundraiser bit with Herrmann is so special as well.

If only we could leave it at that. But Carver has, as they say, caught feelings, which especially makes those close quarter saved problematic. And his reaction to these feelings is ultimately to blow up at Stella.

Based on her conversation with Severide, it sounds like it could be time to get rid of him. The problem is, it’s frustrating to continue becoming invested in new characters that then disappear just as fast as they joined. There’s been a little too much turnover in the firehouse lately, and to see him go would be a detriment. 

At the same time, building to any sort of a love triangle, or any tension that could hurt Stella and Severide’s relationship at this point would be an insult. Too often, those two wind up facing obstacles to their relationship that feel forced — conflict for the sake of conflict. I certainly hope we aren’t going to go down that road again. 

I’ve also been enjoying Carver’s character very much, and it’s a shame after seeing him become so vulnerable with Stella — a great performance by Jake Lockett, by the way — that we’d then have reason to dislike him all over again. 

Meanwhile, the episode also features some nice moments between Brett and Severide, which isn’t a pair we get to see much of in this way. 

It happens because they work together, along with Violet and Cruz, to save a man who has suffered from one heck of a freak accident. He’s been shot through the neck with an arrow at an archery range. (If this sounds familiar, you’re probably also a fan of Ghosts.)

The man manages to recover and spends much of the episode trying to repay Brett and Severide for saving his life. As much as they’d liked to take those checks or smartphones, there are rules against that sort of thing. It’s mostly a storyline that’s there to provide some levity, but it also puts Severide and Brett together more than usual, which I really do enjoy. 

It also winds up connecting really nicely to the PTA fundraiser everyone helps Herrmann with. The man they saved is so insistent on paying them back, Severide finally figures out a way he can — make a donation to the fundraiser to fill in the gap that they didn’t earn. 

Brett and Severide even have the chance to reminisce about Casey while helping set up the fundraiser. It’s nice that Casey is being kept in the conversation, but I find it disappointing that he and Severide aren’t staying in touch very much. Considering how close they were, I don’t know how believable I find it that they haven’t even been texting once in a while. 

The fundraiser storyline is the other key part of this episode, and it allows for some complex emotions for Herrmann. Cindy’s cancer diagnosis is a big part of the series right now, which I appreciate — I’m glad it’s something that’s going to affect everyone for a while instead of being resolved easily.

It’s also high time Herrmann gets a storyline with such substance like this, and the fundraiser isn’t as much about taking on one of Cindy’s tasks as it is proving he can handle things while she’s recovering.

And it’s hard on him. It’s clear how much she’s been doing for the family and how much she takes care of, probably without everyone realizing it. To see him take this to heart in such an emotional way says a lot about their relationship too. I’m just glad he doesn’t allow himself to be defeated, and that he accepts help when it’s forced upon him. 

Again, the found-family aspect of this show really is everything. 

—

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!

Chicago Fire: Taylor Kinney to Take a Leave of Absence