Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 2 Review: Tension at Firehouse 51

Severide’s new role as Captain complicates things for him and Kidd on Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 2, “Rattle the Cage.”

The new role was bound to shift the couple’s dynamic, but it’s not just a change in their working relationship that makes things complex.

Chief Lowen visits the firehouse and makes it clear to Severide that his wife now working for him instead of with him is something headquarters is keeping an eye on.

He’s under a microscope for other reasons too — and that tension means he’s second-guessing how he handles things at the firehouse.

Severide snaps at Stella at one point, but it’s nice to see they’re able to communicate and work past some brief tension. Honestly, it’s good to see a new type of conflict here as well. Seeing Stella and Severide navigate this change at work could offer some great character development for both of them. 

Meanwhile, there are other tensions at Firehouse 51 thanks to the new probies, who now must prove they can work together. Still, there are egos in this group, and that nearly causes one of them to be killed at a scene. 

It’s not the tension between the new firefighter candidates that’s an issue as much this time, though. Now, it has to do with Vazquez, who starts a fight with Burke. 

While it’s honestly pretty frustrating to see Vazquez be the one to start the fight, Burke isn’t doing himself any favors at 51. By the end of the shift, though, he and Vazquez at least take a little step toward making amends.

So far, none of the new candidates have shown themselves to be likable at all yet, and it feels a little too much like the same formula Chicago Fire tends to follow when it brings on new characters.

Even though having a rotation of candidates makes it a bit more unique, everything else about this is familiar. 

The best part of this episode is the storyline involving Violet and Novak. It winds up being emotional and satisfying, and it also includes a personal connection to Novack that deepens her character a bit further. 

Violet and Novak treat a patient who they learn has escaped from a mental health facility, but the patient begs them not to take her back. She seems lucid and knows exactly what medication she takes, down to the dosage.

Unfortunately, when law enforcement gets involved, she’s taken back anyway, despite Violet and Novak’s protests. 

As is often the case, Violet and Novak can’t just move on when their instincts tell them something is amiss. In this case, some further investigation and a chat with Dr. Charles from Chicago Med lead them to the horrifying realization that this facility was keeping the patient against her will for the sake of profiting off of her. 

Thankfully, they’re able to get her out — thanks in part to some help from one of the officers who was on scene when they first treated her.

The emotional moment of the patient recognizing Violet and Novak is perfect. It’s heartfelt and hits all the right notes, particularly when it comes to Violet’s response that she was just following up on a promise. 

Novak is the one who keeps thinking about that patient after the fact, though. Thinking about her own mother, she lingers over the detail that the woman said she had no one in her life. 

Other thoughts:

• It’s disappointing that we don’t see Joe in this episode, but we do hear a somewhat positive update about him doing physical therapy.
• Mouch’s book reading must have been incredibly entertaining. It shouldn’t have been surprising that Herrmann tricked him into doing the reading himself. 

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

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