Teniosn and Reunion: Chicago Fire "Red Rag the Bull"

It’s pretty great when you know who your friends are, and who your enemies are, too. This week’s episode of Chicago Fire turned up the heat with tension, high‑stakes calls, and even a bit of a family reunion. Here’s my recap and review.

Tension rises between the new chief and Casey when Casey confronts him about how they should split divorce alimony. Welch doesn’t help matters either, stuck right in the middle and stirring the pot.

Things really take off when 51 gets called to an apartment fire. When they arrive, they learn there’s a little girl inside. Just as they’re about to go in, someone down the street runs up, begging for help because her grandfather has fallen. The new chief decides Casey and his team should handle the medical call while Severide’s team takes the fire.

That choice turns out to be the wrong one. As Severide and Capp rescue the girl, believing no one else is inside, the tenant of the apartment jumps from the third floor while trying to help search for her.

The new chief gives his version of events to the brass, but when Severide hears parts of it, he decides to give his own version of what actually happened. With two conflicting accounts from two firefighters, the chief pressures Welch into signing off on his story. Welch ultimately refuses—especially after Casey saves his life during a drive‑by shooting on a call.

Welch is eventually dismissed from 51, but the important part is that he and Casey manage to settle their differences and shake hands. That lingering bad blood is finally gone.

Even though I love a good rivalry, I really liked how this played out, with Welch finally recognizing how strong a firefighter Casey truly is.

On another front, apparently, Mouch is a father. Years ago, he donated sperm anonymously, but a computer error exposed his name, and now his son has been trying to contact him.

For most of the episode, Mouch wants nothing to do with it. After a talk with Platt, he makes an effort—but ultimately backs out.

I thought this was a great bit of character development for Mouch. We get to see him wrestle with a huge life decision: whether to meet his son. I was honestly mad he didn’t go through with seeing him in person.

One more thing: I thought one of the funniest subplots was Herrmann visiting Boden just to talk about what’s happening at 51. Boden’s wife comes downstairs, sends him off to take care of their son, and then tells Herrmann he needs to go back to work. After everything with the new chief, Boden returns—and his wife delivers one of the best “pretend” reactions I’ve ever seen.

All in all, I thought this episode was pretty good. I loved the tension between the new chief and Casey and Severide, and I thought the storyline was tight and satisfying, wrapping up a solid two‑episode arc. Whether things really improve from here is anyone’s guess. Next week, Severide is rescuing someone trapped in a van that’s buried under a pile of rocks, can he get them out before they both end up like squash bugs?

You can catch Chicago Fire Tuesday nights at 10/9c on NBC.