Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 9 Review: Something About Her

In what is probably the most engaging episode of the season, Chicago Fire Season 12 Episode 9, “Something About Her,” introduces another new paramedic, and Severide gets to play fire cop once again.

Oh, and Mouch has a stalker, giving reason for Chicago P.D.’s Trudy to make an appearance in the most satisfying way possible.

CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

The new paramedic:

Now that Lennox has been forced out, space is available once again on Ambulance 61. The new paramedic, Lyla Novak, played by Jocelyn Hudon, comes in blazing and immediately gives Violet some concerns.

Violet, meanwhile, is obviously wary of any new paramedic at this point, not only because of what happened with Lennox but presumably because it’s also hard to work with someone new after partnering with Sylvie Brett for so long.

Lyla doesn’t raise red flags because of her abilities as a paramedic or even as a team player. It’s her history of complicated relationships and her personality of being a fun-loving party girl that make us question whether she’s a good fit for 51.

CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: (l-r) Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden, firefighters — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

51 definitely hasn’t had a character like that before, and it brings a new energy to the cast that could be really interesting. It also turns out she has some similarities with Brett, like being able to talk a gun out of a boy’s hand, going rogue when she feels she should even if it’s dangerous.

With all of Violet’s hesitations, by the end of that shift, she’s decided Lyla deserves a chance to work a few more shifts at 51. It will definitely be fun to see her interact with more of the cast.

Another case with OFI:

Severide has been working with OFI so much that I’m not sure why he’s still even trying to stay at 51. It does make sense that his character would follow that path, but isn’t it too convenient that he still gets to do fire investigation regularly while remaining at 51?

It is a good way to balance both worlds, though. Severide can be a leader and fight fires while also doing the kind of work that’s clearly in his blood. And at least this particular case is local.

CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: (l-r) Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide, Tim Hopper as Van Meter — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

This case involves a recording studio and a brutal death from an intentional fire. Though Van Meter figures the police are stretched too thin to care much about solving this one, leaving him and Severide to assume they’ll investigate on their own, they’re surprised when it actually gets some extra attention from Chicago P.D.

It’s too bad it’s another missed opportunity for some crossover with Chicago P.D., as none of these cops are anyone we’ve ever met. (There is a bit of crossover at the end, but it’s with Trudy, not this storyline.) 

The whole thing is a whodunnit that takes a surprising turn, but more than that, it proves how good Severide is at this kind of work.

CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: (l-r) firefighter, Seth Boyer as Dale, Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

He also actively involves Stella, which is good for their relationship. Though I have to say, I wish she’d been involved even a little more.

Mouch and his stalker:

First and foremost, I love to see Mouch getting such a substantial, serious storyline. This is also a reminder of another gap left by Sylvie Brett.

She and Mouch worked together to get the paramedicine program going a few seasons back, and while there hasn’t been much of this seen on screen, it’s been referenced enough for us to remember that it exists.

Before Brett left, she asked Mouch to make sure to give it plenty of attention, and now he’s doing just that. I assume he’ll need more help with it soon, but for now, I guess he’s doing the work with most of the patients?

CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

The patient we see him working with at the beginning of the episode already lays it on thick with Mouch, telling him how happy she is that he’s in her life. It’s not until she shows up to the firehouse later that he realizes there’s a problem.

She arrives under the pretense of bringing back Trudy’s dish and going for a walk like Mouch suggested. Then later, Ritter finds her sleeping on one of the bunks.

Mouch tells her to leave, sharply, but then when he arrives home later, he finds her at his kitchen table with Trudy. 

Mouch is obviously worried, more for Trudy than for anyone, and there’s an awkward moment when Trudy tries to politely serve the woman’s cake.

Is it too convenient that Trudy already had a background check on this woman? Probably. But I’ll look past that detail because of how perfectly satisfying it is to see Trudy knock her down on the table and handcuff her, knowing full well that cake was dangerous.

Trudy’s appearances on Chicago Fire are always fantastic, but this is the best we’ve seen from her in a while. It’s a really great moment.

Boden and James:

Boden’s stepson makes for another new face at the firehouse on this episode, along with Kylie, who is working one shift as a floater. 

We learn that James in a difficult situation with his mother’s house, and he might lose it based on some mistakes he made in bringing on roommates. He doesn’t want to ask Boden for help because he thinks Boden has done enough for him already.

Thankfully, he has a heart to heart with Kylie that winds up getting him the help he needs.

Because while Kylie is there as a firefighter, James is doing her old job, and she’s conveniently available to assist him in that role when he runs into issues. His main concern, though, is over when he’ll get his first paycheck, and he eventually confides in Kylie about his financial issues.

Boden, later confides in Kylie that he’s disappointed in James’ and how little he seems to care about the job. Kylie breaks confidence, pretty quickly actually, and tells Boden everything.

While it’s disappointing that we don’t see Kylie in action much at all on this episode, even though she’s there as a firefighter, it’s nice that she plays such a significant part in all of this.

This is also an excellent arc for Boden. It’s a new dynamic for him, and the way he steps in to help James with no judgment is perfectly fitting for his character. Anytime Boden gets to do something new is a plus, and seeing him in this fatherly role after being such a father figure to everyone else over the years is wonderful to watch. 

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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