Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 14 Review: Run Like Hell
Carver manages to redeem himself on Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 14, “Run Like Hell.”
First, though, he upends the firehouse by calling in sick on short notice because of drinking too much the night before. Let’s be clear — this guy is still a mess. But knowing his history and seeing his scars from being pushed into a fire by his brother when he was younger makes it much easier to have some sympathy.
The fact that he’s obviously developed feelings for Stella makes it all the more complicated, but the good news is that he seems to be setting all of that aside in order to have the Firehouse 51 family he lied about not wanting.
Once again, Stella is able to talk some sense into this guy, proving how excellent her leadership skills continue to be.
It’s definitely a good thing that by the end of the episode, it’s clear he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. And while I’m a little relieved he’s setting aside his feelings for Stella, either way that goes isn’t going to be good.
His being able to just ignore those feelings and forget all of this ever happened would make it feel like Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 13 just threw in some drama for the sake of a quick conflict.
On the other hand, more messiness when it comes to Stella and Severide isn’t something anyone wants to see. For that matter, I think we’re all tired of any more messiness between Carver and Stella, too.
Meanwhile, Ritter gets a substantial storyline for a change, and he shows a new side to himself that I kind of want to see more of. Slowly but surely, he’s a character who has been growing into himself, so to speak. He’s getting bolder and more confident.
When he catches Don Ramsey, the City Treasurer who is also a former firefighter, in the midst of an affair, it tests Ritter in a way we haven’t seen before. It’s bad enough that Ramsey runs off from the fire, but then he shows up to threaten Ritter and the entire firehouse when he sees that an unidentified man is mentioned in the incident report.
This man is full of himself and so self-conscious, that he can’t fathom that Ritter wouldn’t want to spill his secret. Ritter nearly goes to Herrmann for help, but with Herrmann’s hands being full enough as it is with Cindy’s care, he decides to handle it himself.
And handle it he does. It’s extremely satisfying to see Ritter tell this man off and get him to back down. It also harkens back to the theme of found family in the show. Granted, it comes out in a way that’s almost too cheesy, but that can be forgiven.
Another enjoyable part of this episode is seeing Mouch try his hand at playing Fire Cop!
Any time Trudy shows up on Chicago Fire is a good thing, and it’s even better seeing the relationship between her and Mouch. In this case, she comes looking for Severide to help with an arson investigation, but Mouch wants to impress his wife and keep the spark between them, so he tries it out on his own at first.
Mouch is such an endearing character, and while he doesn’t totally have a knack for this, he’s not far off. It’s sweet that Severide steps in to help him, but when it comes down to it, it’s Mouch that has it figured out and who gets the credit.
Other notes from the Firehouse:
- Muncell really is the worst, but more importantly, it’s frustrating to see this kind of storyline for Violet right now. That includes the kiss with Gallo. This would have been better suited for an episode later this season, or even next season.
- Herrmann getting all the gossip for Cindy is such a sweet, funny detail. The show is smart to let that storyline include some levity, while also giving David Eigenberg a chance to tap into some new emotional depth with the character.
- What do we think Severide is showing Stella at the end of this episode? Is this going to be how they write Taylor Kinney out for upcoming episodes? It certainly seems like it could be.
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.