Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 6 Review: Over the Edge

Firehouse 51 officially gets its newest firefighter on Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 6, “Over the Edge.” It’s not surprising who lands the open spot left by Joe Cruz, but it’s satisfying nonetheless.

The audience can easily assume one of the probies is going to wind up at Firehouse 51, but a few rushed details show that it’s more complicated than one might expect.

Stella is excited about how well the three probies who were left standing have done, and was ready to offer recommendations — only to learn that there’s exactly one open space available for a candidate to fill in the entire CFD.

And because the open spot at 51 is for Squad, that doesn’t count. 

It’s the sort of thing more time should probably have been spent on, but we still get a feeling of disappointment to learn they won’t all necessarily be heading off for jobs after finishing their training. 

That’s especially true after seeing how well all three of these probies work while riding on Squad 3 and handling a suspenseful, extremely dangerous call.

In what is the highlight of the episode, Squad 3 must rescue two people trapped at the top of an apartment building by hanging from a rope, getting them to grab on, and then ushering them into the window below the fire floor. 

Since it requires most of them to act as an anchor on the roof, it’s a full team effort. And after Severide rescues the first victim, the fire prevents him from being able to rescue the second.

That means someone else has to step in, and it’s Burke who volunteers — without showing much fear, at that. 

He’s skilled at the rescue, both physically and in the way he gains the victim’s trust. It becomes a really powerful moment, and it’s one that makes it clear Burke belongs at Firehouse 51 — even if making that happen is a stretch. 

Burke also ruffled feathers from the beginning, particularly with Vasquez, which doesn’t help matters. Stella winds up recommending Hollis to the open CFD spot, and then finding a creative solution for Jansen.

That leaves Burke without a job until Severide has a few conversations with other members of 51. 

Severide had already seen what Burke could do and was clearly impressed by the way he handled that rescue. Vasquez calls Burke a “high risk, high reward” kind of firefighter, but it’s Herrmann’s opinion that really makes the impact. 

Even though it’s not what would be expected — to have someone so new join Squad — Severide tells Burke he wants him on the team. It’s such a satisfying final moment, maybe more than anything because Burke is otherwise so accepting of the fact that his teammates had gotten jobs and he hadn’t.

Knowing he has such a detailed backstory that we’ve barely explored means there’s a lot to look forward to here. 

He won’t be able to fill Joe Cruz’s shoes, but it will be fun to see Severide training someone new. 

Other thoughts:

• I’m excited to see more focus on Violet, which it seems the show is preparing us for, both with her new romance and the news of her mother’s diagnosis.
• Herrmann finding a way to impart some wisdom after realizing he hasn’t spent enough time with the probies is endearing, though the realization itself kind of feels like it came out of nowhere. 

---

What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 6? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

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

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!