Posted On: July 29, 2017
Chicago Fire’ Season 5 is complete, so it’s time to put the season in review: What worked? What didn’t? Here’s what we thought about this season.
This season of Chicago Fire is in the books, meaning it’s time to look back on Season 5 and see how it all turned out. What parts of the season worked and made us fans all over again? What parts didn’t and could use room for improvement in the future?
We answer those questions in our Season 5 Report Card as we examine where this past season of Chicago Fire burned brightest, and where it didn’t always succeed. Looking back at the big picture, we hope you get additional perspective on all of the season that was.
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts about Season 5’s hits and misses in the comments, and continue the discussion.
Here’s how we grade Season 5 of Chicago Fire:
WHAT WORKED
The 100th episode: “One Hundred” wasn’t just a milestone episode for Chicago Fire, but it was one of the best episodes of the series ever. It packed in everything that fans could have wanted, made sure that all of the supporting characters got their screen time too (hi, Capp and Tony!), and featured impeccable direction by Fire‘s most tenured director Joe Chappelle. So many shows try to go big for their milestone episodes and they come off as gimmicky, but this one was perfect.
Casey and Dawson’s wedding: This was part of “One Hundred” but it deserves its own nod, because this was a moment Chicago Fire fans had been waiting for, perhaps even for too long. Seeing Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) tie the knot, whether you are a Dawsey fan or not, was another milestone for the show.
All Boden, all the time: This was a great season for Eamonn Walker. Chief Boden taught a harsh lesson to his ex’s new boyfriend when the man was caught abusing his son, then stood up to Deputy Chief Anderson, then defused a hostage situation, and made it all look easy. Plus, the reveal of Boden as a 9/11 responder led to another classic scene that brought tears to our eyes. So many shows have the boss character who just sits behind a desk and provides exposition or orders, and it’s wonderful that Chicago Fire uses Boden as anything but.
Great guest stars: Season 5 brought in some remarkable people to the fold. Having Jeff Hephner make his return to Fire was well deserved, and Charlotte Sullivan was a welcome addition to the cast even if her character arc left a bit to be desired. Kamal Angelo Bolden has promise, too, if the show keeps Jason Kannell around next season.
WHAT DIDN’T:
Severide’s love life, part one: We know Severide (Taylor Kinney) can make a mess of his personal life, but the way it was handled in Season 5 made it look even worse. The season started with Stellaride, then broke them up two episodes later, yet had Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) hang around him the rest of the season anyway. Was it supposed to be a love triangle? It never quite got there, and Stella’s character development suffered for it.
Severide’s love life, part two: But as if that wasn’t enough, the execution of Severanna was lacking as well. The storyline needed a stronger direction rather than stopping and starting and stopping again. Then to kill off Anna after having Severide—and the audience—so invested felt like a low blow. It may have been good TV, but it wasn’t good for Severide nor was it good for the audience who’d been asked to focus on the storyline for half the season.
Breaking up Brettonio: Here’s another instance where it felt like Chicago Fire was doing something to create drama, rather than doing what was organic to the series itself. Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) have a fight that escalates far too fast and results in their breakup. Like Severanna, this isn’t the actors’ fault and it’s not about whether you like the pairing or not; it’s about the writing doing what’s dramatic instead of what actually fits.
“Purgatory”: This isn’t so much a “what didn’t work” as a “what could have been.” The episode focusing on the reassignment of Firehouse 51’s team to different places could have been so much better as a multi-episode arc. Yes, Chicago Fire would have had to bring them back together or there’s obviously not a show. But there wasn’t as much suspense in the episode as a result—because we knew it had to be resolved in an hour. It would have been cool to see Fire do something like Suits, which actually fired one of its main characters from the firm and then had her stay gone for several weeks. What if one or two of the team from 51 didn’t get to come back right away? What if someone didn’t want to come back? What if Capp got stuck working at the 911 call center? So many possibilities, and they just weren’t able to be explored.
Overall, the fifth season of Chicago Fire had both strengths and weaknesses. The show can go a long way in Season 6 if it works on the personal arcs that it wants to follow, and doesn’t let the desire for good drama get in the way of what’s good for the characters. But Season 5 also showed that there are so many more stories to be told with these characters, and that Fire can still deliver the kinds of poignant moments that audiences don’t forget. Now will we get to episode 200?
How would you grade Season 5 of Chicago Fire? Let us know your thoughts about this season in the comments.
Chicago Fire’ Season 5 is complete, so it’s time to put the season in review: What worked? What didn’t? Here’s what we thought about this season.
This season of Chicago Fire is in the books, meaning it’s time to look back on Season 5 and see how it all turned out. What parts of the season worked and made us fans all over again? What parts didn’t and could use room for improvement in the future?
We answer those questions in our Season 5 Report Card as we examine where this past season of Chicago Fire burned brightest, and where it didn’t always succeed. Looking back at the big picture, we hope you get additional perspective on all of the season that was.
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts about Season 5’s hits and misses in the comments, and continue the discussion.
Here’s how we grade Season 5 of Chicago Fire:
WHAT WORKED
The 100th episode: “One Hundred” wasn’t just a milestone episode for Chicago Fire, but it was one of the best episodes of the series ever. It packed in everything that fans could have wanted, made sure that all of the supporting characters got their screen time too (hi, Capp and Tony!), and featured impeccable direction by Fire‘s most tenured director Joe Chappelle. So many shows try to go big for their milestone episodes and they come off as gimmicky, but this one was perfect.
Casey and Dawson’s wedding: This was part of “One Hundred” but it deserves its own nod, because this was a moment Chicago Fire fans had been waiting for, perhaps even for too long. Seeing Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Dawson (Monica Raymund) tie the knot, whether you are a Dawsey fan or not, was another milestone for the show.
All Boden, all the time: This was a great season for Eamonn Walker. Chief Boden taught a harsh lesson to his ex’s new boyfriend when the man was caught abusing his son, then stood up to Deputy Chief Anderson, then defused a hostage situation, and made it all look easy. Plus, the reveal of Boden as a 9/11 responder led to another classic scene that brought tears to our eyes. So many shows have the boss character who just sits behind a desk and provides exposition or orders, and it’s wonderful that Chicago Fire uses Boden as anything but.
Great guest stars: Season 5 brought in some remarkable people to the fold. Having Jeff Hephner make his return to Fire was well deserved, and Charlotte Sullivan was a welcome addition to the cast even if her character arc left a bit to be desired. Kamal Angelo Bolden has promise, too, if the show keeps Jason Kannell around next season.
WHAT DIDN’T:
Severide’s love life, part one: We know Severide (Taylor Kinney) can make a mess of his personal life, but the way it was handled in Season 5 made it look even worse. The season started with Stellaride, then broke them up two episodes later, yet had Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) hang around him the rest of the season anyway. Was it supposed to be a love triangle? It never quite got there, and Stella’s character development suffered for it.
Severide’s love life, part two: But as if that wasn’t enough, the execution of Severanna was lacking as well. The storyline needed a stronger direction rather than stopping and starting and stopping again. Then to kill off Anna after having Severide—and the audience—so invested felt like a low blow. It may have been good TV, but it wasn’t good for Severide nor was it good for the audience who’d been asked to focus on the storyline for half the season.
Breaking up Brettonio: Here’s another instance where it felt like Chicago Fire was doing something to create drama, rather than doing what was organic to the series itself. Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) have a fight that escalates far too fast and results in their breakup. Like Severanna, this isn’t the actors’ fault and it’s not about whether you like the pairing or not; it’s about the writing doing what’s dramatic instead of what actually fits.
“Purgatory”: This isn’t so much a “what didn’t work” as a “what could have been.” The episode focusing on the reassignment of Firehouse 51’s team to different places could have been so much better as a multi-episode arc. Yes, Chicago Fire would have had to bring them back together or there’s obviously not a show. But there wasn’t as much suspense in the episode as a result—because we knew it had to be resolved in an hour. It would have been cool to see Fire do something like Suits, which actually fired one of its main characters from the firm and then had her stay gone for several weeks. What if one or two of the team from 51 didn’t get to come back right away? What if someone didn’t want to come back? What if Capp got stuck working at the 911 call center? So many possibilities, and they just weren’t able to be explored.
Overall, the fifth season of Chicago Fire had both strengths and weaknesses. The show can go a long way in Season 6 if it works on the personal arcs that it wants to follow, and doesn’t let the desire for good drama get in the way of what’s good for the characters. But Season 5 also showed that there are so many more stories to be told with these characters, and that Fire can still deliver the kinds of poignant moments that audiences don’t forget. Now will we get to episode 200?
How would you grade Season 5 of Chicago Fire? Let us know your thoughts about this season in the comments.
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