Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 11 Review: Frostbite Blue
The idea of a lawyer coming to check on the firehouse on Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 11, “Frostbite Blue,” sounds terrifying, but this time it might be for the best. Even though Herrmann is skeptical at first, Uncle Larry is the saving grace he needs after his house burned down.
Thanks to Severide’s investigation and the fact that the oven’s manufacturer is the one to blame for the fire, Herrmann and his family will receive a payout that will allow them to rebuild their house on their lot. This is the kind of positivity that Herrmann needs after everything he’s been through and dealing with Mouch’s absence.
While Herrmann is relieved he is, as Mouch puts it, coming home, he won’t be fully happy until they find a way to bring Mouch home, too.
While at first it seems like Mouch is adjusting to Firehouse 40, the call he works on with Violet and Novak gives us a different insight. Even though he handles the call like an experienced professional, the way the other firefighters don’t let him do any heavy lifting is a clue to what his experience has been like.
Mouch is being treated like an old timer, as someone who cannot hold his own anymore and needs the help of the younglings to make it through a call. They respect his rank, calling him lieutenant, but it seems that’s where the respect ends. He doesn’t get a chance to show he’s still got it.
If viewers have been afraid that this change would mean the end of Mouch on Chicago Fire, they will be relieved to know the show isn’t ready to give up on him just yet. Even though Mouch mentions that if he can’t work at Firehouse 51, he doesn’t want to keep working, Herrmann encourages him by saying they will bring him home.
Hopefully, the happy ending Herrmann gets on this episode is replicated in Mouch’s storyline, and we can get him back where he belongs.
As Mouch tries to find his way back to where he belongs, it seems Vasquez gets the confirmation he needed to know he does belong at Firehouse 51…and likely with Violet.
Carver’s return brings closure to a relationship that truly needed it. The bond he had with Violet before leaving the show was real, and Violet deserved more in order to move on and get the love she deserves.
Carver’s natural reaction to act like the alpha male and try to put down Vasquez is understandable, but not rational at all. He chose to leave, so he has no claim over who Violet decides to move on with. And the truth is that his read on Vasquez is quite far from the truth.
Nevertheless, Carver’s visit does bring Violet some closure. While she doesn’t see his devastated face as he leaves her behind (once more), her anger and sadness at his departure finally give her the answer she needed. This, in turn, allows her to give everything she’s got to this new relationship with Vasquez.
He promises her he isn’t like Carver, and from what viewers have seen, this is true. Vasquez is capable of more than people give him credit for, and it seems Violet knows this. Hopefully, the ride home leads them down the path of happiness they both deserve.
If Stellaride fans were looking for a good moment between their two favorites, Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 11, “Frostbite Blue,” delivers. Yes, the episode does focus heavily on Severide and Van Meter’s relationship, but it is Stella who helps him find the right answer to the problem.
Van Meter’s “you’re not family,” hurts both the viewers and Severide. It is a true statement, but we all know that Severide has placed a familial bond on Van Meter that has guided him through his work at OFI. And the reality, as Stella puts it, is that the relationship has come to replace the relationship Severide had with his father, which wasn’t at all perfect.
Unlike with his father, Severide has the opportunity to help Van Meter and help him feel as helpful as he wants. While this has been an interesting storyline, we hope Severide’s own storyline can move away from Van Meter and focus on the things that have been unspoken for several episodes now.
What did you think of this episode of Chicago Fire? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.