Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 3 Review: Who’s Out at Firehouse 51?
A mistake lands a firefighter in the hospital on Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 3, “Take the Hit.” That mistake then leads to someone leaving Firehouse 51 for good.
The team responds to a call involving an ammonia leak, and even though Kidd gives clear instructions to the probies, one of them decides to go rogue. Though the probie who did so thought he was helping, assuming he’d found a shut-off valve, the valve turns out to be a distribution valve instead.
His actions nearly kill Tony, who is hit with a blast of ammonia just as he’s about to solve the problem. Thankfully, he’s not hurt too badly, but it’s enough to warrant some discipline.
We haven’t had a chance to learn much about the four firefighter candidates yet, but we’ve learned enough to know their dynamic is problematic. And while Burke has been the one who seemed most problematic, it’s McCaffrey — who Burke called out for being too entitled in an earlier episode — who turns out to be the real problem.
It’s not the mistake itself that shows McCaffrey’s true colors. It’s how he handles it.
Severide and Kidd give the four probies the chance to admit who was at fault, but no one speaks up. Because they both want to see the best in people, especially Stella, they start to second-guess themselves and wonder if there’s another explanation.
Severide realizes there’s a way to find out for sure who it was, though, and they inspect the gloves everyone was wearing during the call. There’s proof on McCaffrey’s gloves.
When he’s called out by Severide and Kidd, he goes over their heads — he has connections in high places — but that’s not how you solve problems at Firehouse 51.
Even when Severide is visited by the chief and encouraged to give McCaffrey a second chance, he and Kidd decide that’s not the right call. It’s ultimately up to Kidd, but Severide supports it. She decides he has to go because of how he handled the situation, especially since he thought he could pull strings to get out of trouble.
Both Severide and Kidd show great leadership throughout the entire episode, and it’s fun to see them handle things like this together when they’re on the same page. They’re also both very calm but firm, and the decision to let McCaffrey go shows they have a clear moral stance that goes way back to the days of Wallace Boden.
I doubt this is the last they’ll hear from McCaffrey, though. Severide has already been told he’s being watched, and let’s face it, there is always some higher power in the CFD that wants to take down Firehouse 51.
While there’s potential here for what would otherwise be interesting stories, it feels all too familiar. We’ve seen similar types of conflicts many times before.
Meanwhile, Joe is struggling with his injury and feeling defeated. Herrmann learns that Joe hasn’t been going to physical therapy, and does his best to try to encourage him.
In an emotional moment, Joe screams at Herrmann that he knows full well that his family needs him, and that he feels helpless in his current situation. It’s a powerful, visceral performance from Joe Miñoso, and it’s one of the best parts of the entire episode.
Herrmann’s gift for Joe also causes an outburst. After realizing Joe had left him a cane, he goes to the firehouse to give it back, even angrier than he was before. But hey, at least it gets him out of the house and back at 51 for a bit.
While he’s there, Joe is welcomed back by everyone at 51, and he also finds there are plenty of ways he can still be useful around the firehouse.
It seems the entire outing does the trick, because he’s back in physical therapy by the end of the episode. Hopefully, that means we’re working toward something positive with Joe Cruz.
What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 3? 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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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.