'Chicago Fire' season 8 episode 1 review: Firehouse 51 grapples with tragedy as the show returns for the new season
Spoiler Alert for Season 8 of 'Chicago Fire'
The 'Chicago' franchise is back with a bang, literally when it comes to 'Chicago Fire'. But before we get into that, here's a recap on what happened towards the end of last season. Casey and Brett separately realized they might have feelings for each other, but talk about bad timing! Before either of them get to act on it, Brett's ex-boyfriend Kyle proposes, she accepts and decides to move back to Indiana with him. On the plus side, Severide and Stella get back together (again) but hopefully, this time for good. More importantly, when the last season closed off, most of Firehouse 51 was dealing with a major factory fire, with a boiler primed to explode and Hermann and Ritter right next to it.
All summer fans of the 'Chicago' franchise have been hounding Derek Haas, co-creator of the franchise, for spoilers and all summer he has been teasing a heartbreaking start to 'Chicago Fire's' new season. We find out in the first few minutes itself who it is. While Hermann and Ritter are hosing the boiler to cool it down amidst the fire, Casey and Otis go to them to get them away before it does explode. And while Casey, Hermann, and Ritter make it out, it is dear Otis who does not make it in time, getting trapped in the boiler room after the boiler explodes. Brett is injured as well, fracturing her arm as concrete fell on her during the explosion. It is Cruz who finds Otis and calls for help. Cruz rides in the ambulance to the hospital with Otis, and later we find out Otis will not make it. When Cruz talks to Otis in his final moments, he breaks down, but before Otis passes away, he tells Cruz something in Russian.
The episode then flashes forward to three months later: Brett is in Indiana with Kyle and the firehouse is coping with Otis's death. While Cruz is grieving the most and raising money for scholarships, Emily is joined by a new paramedic from Florida. However, Casey is weighed down with guilt and is facing an inquiry for his decision to bring the paramedics into the factory during the fire last season. Casey is also looking for a new firefighter for Truck 81. While Brett wants to join as a paramedic in Indiana's fire department, she realizes soon that it comes nowhere close to working for the Chicago Fire Department (CFD). Cruz tells Chief Boden about Otis's last words in Russian, which he hasn't gotten translated yet because he is scared of it being something about how much pain Otis was in during his last moments. He is also worried about people forgetting who Otis was when the current group moves away and the firehouse is filled with new people. Meanwhile, Emily does not like the new paramedic whom she finds "barely competent and completely lazy" and Mouch finds that the new paramedic used to be an underwear model. Chief Boden stands up for Casey during the hearing and with Brett's and Emily's testimonies, Casey is given the clear, but because of Otis's death, Casey says he "will never be clear".
The episode ends with Chief Boden unveiling a memorial for Otis at the front of the firehouse. He gives a moving speech about Otis and calls the memorial "Sacred Ground", telling the firehouse that if they see anyone looking at the memorial - firefighter or citizen - then they come down and talk about Otis to them, and "that way, you will bring this memorial to life". Boden also got Otis's last words to Cruz translated, and they mean "Brother, I will be with you always".
'Chicago Fire' has opened this season strong, and while the episode was slow, it was fine because the focus of the episode was on Otis and his absence, even in the scenes he wasn't mentioned in - after all, Otis was one of the first people of the 'Chicago' franchise that fans are familiar with, and his passing is sure to break many hearts everywhere. The premiere episode feels more like an "episode 0", and the season feels like it will properly start only in the second episode next week. Otis's death is sure to permeate through the season and affect the storylines of the people in the firehouse, especially Casey who feels responsible for it.
