Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 20 Review: Speak of the Devil

Hopkins’s presence on Chicago Fire was not as well-received as he probably wanted it to be. On the contrary, neither characters nor viewers wanted him to stick around because he meant an undeserved shake-up at the firehouse.

But Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 20, “Speak of the Devil,” marks the end of Hopkins’s time at Firehouse 51. While he will likely not be missed, his time in the firehouse will be remembered for the trigger in Severide’s second-guessing of whether he should transfer to OFI or not.

Even though it would take fans a bit to adjust to his departure, it would be quite entertaining to see him be in charge of a department he’s been so involved with for so long.

The moment we discover that Hopkins and Jean Williams were suspended for a robbery with no resolution, viewers can immediately tell that Williams was involved. It’s in the way she reacts to Severide’s visit and how she pushes for Hopkins to jump on the wagon to blame Benny for the missing watch.

While Severide wouldn’t be surprised that his father did something wrong, he won’t simply take her insinuations as proof. In true Severide nature, he goes down the rabbit hole of files and security footage to find out the truth.

Because Cruz seems to have become Severide’s go-to person for support, he jumps in on the case and immediately lends a hand. He tries to be objective and focus on the evidence at hand, but he has a hard time understanding why Severide wants to go down that path. And while he tries to keep him level-headed and fails to do so, Cruz continues to stand by Severide’s side through it all.

This is yet another example of Cruz’s relevance and importance in the firehouse. He is the quiet heart and soul of the team; someone everyone can always count on.

To no one’s surprise, Severide uncovers the truth, and Williams has to confess to Hopkins that she did, in fact, steal the watch during the fire. That is something that destroys Hopkins as he feels betrayed by his own partner and blames her for the grudge he held over Severide’s head.

What needs to be noted is that Severide confronts the issue head-on, speaking freely in front of Hopkins and always handling his feelings and actions the right way. On the other hand, Hopkins doesn’t know how to properly apologize.

He doesn’t come out and say he was wrong. He makes a call to make sure the department is no longer investigating Severide, and lets him know he will be working at Firehouse 20 from that shift on. While this isn’t the apology Severide deserved, it’s the best he is going to get.

Nevertheless, Tom Van Meter still believes Severide belongs at OFI, and he should take over.

While Severide is focused on the old case, Novak is shocked to find her sister overdosing during an emergency call. Even though her emotions are trying to get the best of her, she doesn’t let Vasquez take over for her, and she continues to treat her sister like she would any other patient.

This opens the floor for Novak’s family history (and the issues that come with it) to shine through. Her brother is mad that neither of the sisters told him about the drug addiction, bringing back the memory of everything they kept from him when he was younger.

This dynamic, which we saw a bit during the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning,” explains perfectly why Novak is the way she is. She keeps things close to her chest and is afraid to open up because of everything she’s gone through in the past.

But maybe this is the tipping point that pushes her to open up to Vasquez. While she once told him nothing would happen between them because he slept with Violet and she didn’t want to ruin that friendship, it seems Violet doesn’t think the same way. Her walking away and leaving Vasquez and Novak alone in the hospital points to her understanding that the two might belong together after all.

All we need now is for Vasquez to finally make up his mind.

What also stands out on “Speak of the Devil” is Mouch’s recognition of Herrmann and their friendship. Even though he spends the majority of the episode seemingly mad at his friend, we soon discover it’s quite the opposite.

Mouch spends the entire episode trying to figure out how he can honor his friend, the sacrifices Herrmann has made for him, and the importance of their friendship. He does so in the only way Mouch knows how: by making Herrmann a key character in his story. That is the perfect way to celebrate everything the two of them have achieved in their careers.

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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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