Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 2 Review: Call Me McHolland

Mouch tries to change his legacy — and his name — on Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 2, “Call Me McHolland.” However, he isn’t the only one considering some major changes. Cruz is too.

This episode is a step up from the season premiere because of how it focuses on character development. For instance, Mouch wants everyone to stop calling him… Mouch, and start referring to him by his actual last name: McHolland.

He also wants to give up his spot on the couch and the pillow that marks it. This all stems from another near-death experience and the realization that he wants to be known as a hero and the kind of firefighter who made a difference — not as one who always plopped on the couch after a call. 

A nice detail with all of this, by the way, is the reminder of what that nickname means. Violet never even wondered, and for any new viewers, it’s good to have that explanation again. Man + Couch = Mouch. 

He’s almost desperate to make the change, which is more of an ordeal than you’d think. It even means getting a new name put on turnout gear.

That fact leads us to the most endearing, emotional part of the episode. Boden is willing to put through the paperwork for the new turnout gear, but in the inspiring, very Boden way that he does, he makes sure Mouch understands how others perceive him — and his name. 

Boden: The Mouch that I know will always be a hero, no matter what name he chooses to go by.

It’s a sweet moment between the two men that’s played perfectly. Mouch is obviously taken aback by Boden’s words, even choking back tears, and Boden, like I said, is inspiring and passionate — just as always. 

In this episode, Boden gives another leadership-style pep talk to Cruz, who decides he wants to take the lieutenant test and consider leaving Firehouse 51. Boden essentially tells Cruz what we’re all thinking — he’d be a great lieutenant, and he deserves it, but it would also hurt to see him leave. 

It’s a good storyline for Cruz, and it follows up the events of last season nicely. It feels like a natural progression for him to want to move up in rank finally. How he gets to that point, though, is frustrating. 

Severide has been known to be harsh, but his attitude toward Cruz, especially when he yells at him, feels forced. It’s a step too far and I’m not sure I buy that Severide would really act in that way, at least not to that degree.

He is right, I believe, about Cruz’s actions. If something had gone wrong with him getting that drone, Severide would have been to blame because he was the lieutenant in charge.

It’s a fair point that Cruz just doesn’t think about at that moment, likely because he’s been in charge and making all of those decisions for three months. 

The way he snaps at him, though, doesn’t sit right. That’s made up for, at least by the end of the episode, when the two of them finally sit down to talk (thanks to some encouragement from Stella.) Severide offers a sincere apology and also notes that yes, maybe it is time for Cruz to move on now that he’s had some experience with leadership. 

And again, much as I’d hate to see Cruz leave, this is a really good arc for his character. 

There is, however, another possibility that the show might be hinting at. And it has to do with Herrmann.

The firefighters at Firehouse 51 are a stubborn lot. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a firefighter with an injury that they refused to see a doctor for. For Herrmann, though, his age and the stage of his career that he’s in also plays a part. 

Ritter, caringly though almost annoyingly, stays on his case throughout the episode, realizing that Herrmann has suffered severe hearing loss. That hearing loss almost gets him into trouble more than once, including while he’s on a call. 

I appreciate that this is another plot point that’s being carried through from a previous episode. Rather than letting it be a throwaway that Herrmann was so close to that explosion — after saving the entire firehouse, mind you — he’s now dealing with the realistic effects of that moment. 

When he finally sees a doctor, he’s offered a simple enough solution, though it feels like it carries some foreshadowing. He can wear hearing aids — but if they stop working, it could mean he wouldn’t be allowed to work as a firefighter anymore.

Seeing Herrmann consider all of these is really painful to watch. He’s been through so much as it is. But it also presents a substantial, which he deserves to continue having.

I bring that back to Cruz because it makes me wonder if, perhaps, it would be Herrmann who’d leave instead of Cruz if Cruz became a lieutenant. The natural order of things does suggest that we should be seeing changes in command like that. 

That said, I wouldn’t mind if everyone on this show would just stay put for a while. Gallo is already gone, and Brett is on her way out, with the world’s most hastily planned wedding, it seems.

I can’t decide if this is coming from Brett’s character or a flaw in the writing, but the way Brett’s wedding with Casey is being planned is far from realistic.

They’ve chosen a date, but have done so without a venue. They haven’t sent out invitations yet, though the date is getting close. (They can’t send out invitations without a venue, though!)

It’s all quite backward. Brett doesn’t even think to tell the friend she wants as Maid of Honor that she’d like her to be her Maid of Honor — a detail that most people wouldn’t forget to mention. 

Those hasty, unrealistic details are actually detracting from the fact that Brett and Casey are to be married, which is disappointing. 

I also struggle a bit with the idea that Violet would be the Maid of Honor rather than Stella, who’s been a part of her life a whole lot longer. Perhaps she’ll be Matron of Honor, and Brett will have both.

One thing I do appreciate, though, is that there isn’t any drama among the women in the firehouse when it comes to these roles, as there might be on other kinds of shows. 

Other thoughts:

• Carver and Violet appear to be the next will they/won’t they romance. But is it because that’s the default option? It kind of feels that way.
• We get to see Kylie in action, sort of, and it makes for a nice connection. This also introduces a new firefighter, who Stella is impressed with and later learns from Kylie is a floater. It sounds like he’s coming to 51 soon. 
• I love that Tony has all of these connections in town, and it somehow feels very fitting that he’d be necessary in helping with the wedding planning.

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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