Photo Credit: NBC
Mon Amour – French phrase for “my love”
Wow. You are going to hear me saying that word many times in describing tonight’s episode of Chicago Fire. We had been promised that the series wouldn’t turn into a fire-of-the-week type show, and that it would be more about the characters, their struggles, and their relationships. I was initially pessimistic about that statement, but with an episode like “Mon Amour”, I certainly believe that now.
Ever since the death of their friend and fellow fire fighter, Andy Darden, Lieutenants Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) have been in many ways like broken men. Casey has alienated his fiancée Hallie (Teri Reeves), and Severide has become dependent on prescription drugs. But, what they didn’t know is just how much Darden’s death had really impacted them, at least not until two separate events in tonight’s episode.
One of the calls involves an accident where two young girls are trapped in a car after a window-washing platform collapses and falls from a high-rise. One of the girls is trapped in the car but still alive, and actually talking. But, the other girl takes most of the impact and is crushed. As a frantic woman runs to the scene screaming that her daughter is in the car, Casey really doesn’t know what to say – at least until he realizes the woman is looking for the girl who made it out alive. This particular event has a lasting effect on Casey and makes him realize that life is really a roll of the dice. Which one of the girls who died depended only on who decided to drive that day. It was nothing more than chance. Deciding not to waste one more day and realizing that Hallie was much more important than his wanting a family, he gives Hallie her ring back, and she gladly accepts. Score one for happy endings!
The other call comes at the beginning of the episode, and of the two, this one is by far the most traumatic. The foundation collapses at a construction site, with one man, Larry (Jeffrey Demunn), having his leg pinned under a huge block of concrete. Severide tries to free him but is unsuccessful, and to make matters worse, Larry is bleeding internally. A decision has to be made. A trauma surgeon will arrive in 15 minutes to amputate the leg, but Larry may die before then. So, Severide has a hard decision to make. From the looks of things, it appears that Severide is going to do the amputation himself, but we are immediately taken to the scene where Severide is walking away, dropping bloody gloves on the ground. So, what happened? We really don’t know.
For the remainder of the episode, we see Severide making these mysterious phone calls, and to be honest, I thought he was hooking up with a drug dealer because Leslie Shay (Laura German) is refusing to provide him any more narcotics. But, it turns out my assumption was completely wrong, and he was calling to set up a meeting with Larry’s wife, Georgie. We learn that Larry chose not to have his leg amputated and didn’t make it. But, before he died, Severide gave Larry the opportunity to record a message to his wife on his phone, and I tell you when you watch this scene, be prepared to have a box of Kleenex handy! Like every project that Jeffrey Demunn has ever worked on, he does an amazing job in this final scene. What Severide gave Larry’s wife was a precious gift – a chance to see her husband’s final moments and hear his final words before he died. And, that is the effect that Darden’s death had on Severide. Darden didn’t get the chance to say good-bye to his wife, and I think by giving Larry this opportunity, it alleviated some of the guilt in his mind.
All in all, I think the writers did a fantastic job with this episode. Up until the final scenes, you really don’t know Severide’s true character, but you have a gut feeling he’s not as honorable as he may appear. But, at the end of the day, we find out that he is probably the noblest fire fighter in the entire group.
“Mon Amour” is the title of the episode, and through the eyes of the victims at two separate trauma scenes, Casey and Severide learn the true meaning of love and just how precious the people in our lives are. As Casey said to his fiancée, Hallie:
“Live everyday like it will be the last” – Casey
