Bottle episodes can certainly be hit-or-miss. We just have to look at how NCIS did one recently; it didn’t quite work.
Chicago Fire opted for its own bottle episode, focusing on just four characters, with plenty of time for Novak and Violet.
This one was done just right, creating enough tension to leave us wondering how the characters would get out of their sticky predicament, while also getting some potential foreshadowing for another character.
Violet and Novak Steal the Show — For All the Right Reasons
Most of the episode was focused on Violet and Novak.
It all starts with them working with the firefighters on the new program’s training, where the topic of trust comes up.
I thought that Novak was going to feel a little guilty for hitting on Vasquez at the end of Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 17, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, she was thinking about how she felt when Violet hooked up with Vasquez and then kept it from her.
There isn’t much time to focus on that, and I’m not even sure Novak wants to get into it with her partner. She just wanted her feelings out there and to be validated, so that they could continue working together.
After all, the stressful situation they ended up in could have completely eroded their trust. They could have ended up arguing over what to do, but instead, they worked as a team.
Sure enough, they stole the show.
I know a lot of people don’t like that Chicago Fire has opted for episodes where so few cast members are involved, but there are times, like this specific hour, when it helps push character development.
We get to spend a whole hour watching Violet and Novak deal with their situation.
They’re in danger, but they need to put their patient first.
They need to help a pregnant woman who is suffering from her own health issues, and that means quietening the voice that is telling them to panic.
Violet certainly handles the situation a little better.
She’s able to remain calm and focused on their patient, while Novak goes a little silent, but that’s the nature of their personalities, and the writers got it perfect.
Violet is slightly older and more experienced, and while she hasn’t been through something exactly like this, we’ve seen her in similar hair-raising situations.
She can think on her feet and be the one others turn to for support.
Novak knows that, and despite the erosion of trust because of the whole Vasquez situation, at the end of the day, Novak knows that Violet has her back.
She knows that Violet is thinking of escape and getting help, as well as treating the patient.
She also knows that there may be things she can do. The problem is that she’s not as experienced at thinking on her feet, so she does stall a little too long when looking at the scissors.
Novak doesn’t panic, though. She uses her self-defense skills when she can, and she prioritizes the patient — well, patients by the end of it — when needed.
Violet and Novak’s instincts are to trust each other, and that’s exactly what they do, showing just how important their friendship and their partnership are.
Chicago Fire can’t lose this with all the mess of this love triangle it’s created, and it’s time to cut the third point in the triangle loose.
Vasquez Proves He’s a Detective
We know that Vasquez’s first love isn’t firefighting. He wanted to be a cop, and during the last few episodes that he’s been in, he’s constantly proven that being a cop is his calling.
During Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 18, he knows deep down that something is wrong. Novak and Violet should have been back hours ago, and they should be answering their phones.
So, he doesn’t let up once he finds the ambulance’s location.
He makes sure that others don’t let up, and while his persistent personality can be annoying at times, it’s what this installment needed.
We not only get to see Vasquez’s real passion, but also how well he’s gotten to know Novak and Violet.
They wouldn’t just leave their ambulance behind, and if they did, it meant that there was someone to help. Now they need his help.
Vasquez pays attention to small details. It was because of the caffeine gum that told him Novak and Violet were in the building.
Seeing the bandaged cut on the kidnapper’s arm told him that this man was involved in some way.
Sure, some of it is gut instinct, but don’t the best detectives run on their gut? It all comes back to the episode’s title, “Instinct.”
While Novak and Violet’s instincts were to look out for their patients and to trust each other, Vasquez’s instinct is to solve the puzzle.
I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of Chicago Fire Season 14, Vasquez realizes that firefighting isn’t for him after all.
Maybe a door opens for him to get back to the Police Academy, and maybe he could end up moving over to Chicago PD to join Intelligence — he’d be an asset to Voight.
If he does stick with firefighting, what about OFI? While there’s a big focus on Severide being a part of that, Vasquez’s detective skills are exactly what OFI needs.
There’s room for Severide to become his mentor if the show wants to keep Vasquez around.
Lucy Isn’t Quite Happy with the New Chief
At the end of Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 17, Lucy was given something to hand over to Internal Affairs. Chief Hopkins wants Severide investigated.
Lucy wasn’t too sure about it at the end of that episode, but we also know that Hopkins knows Lucy’s past. She doesn’t want that out.
However, that doesn’t mean she’s just going to do his bidding.
It’s been hard to really figure out if we can trust Lucy or not, but this hour shows that maybe we can.
Again, it’s back to instinct. Lucy knows that Severide isn’t a bad firefighter. There has to be a reason Pascal gave Severide his office.
There also has to be a reason Hopkins is so against Severide.
There’s only so long that Lucy can hold onto the paperwork that she has, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she decides to turn to someone at Firehouse 51 for help.
Could she lean on Kidd to help protect Severide? Could Vasquez be the one to help after seeing the risk he takes for his own people?
We haven’t had a chance to see much of Lucy, and this episode only scratches the surface of how she feels about the IA report.
I am intrigued to see where this storyline goes, especially with just three episodes to go.
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So, we’d love to hear about your thoughts on this episode of Chicago Fire. Did the bottle episode work, and what do you think of Lucy and Vasquez at this point?
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