Chicago Fire “Keep You Safe” Review: Doing the Right Thing

Chicago Fire “Keep You Safe” Spoilers Ahead

Chicago Fire is back with the type of episode that reminds us why this show’s heart is at the crux of its storytelling. “Keep You Safe” allows almost each of the characters to shine in a way that sees them at their best selves, doing what they can do to help those in need.

This show is about firefighters, and none of these heartwarming arcs should be surprising, but when it gets personal—when the women especially are allowed to bring their hearts forward, it’s something else entirely. And that’s especially the case with Stella and Chloe and Violet to a degree. This show has always been great about exploring innermost thoughts, and Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe” is appropriately titled as it explores those various angles.

Keep You Safe

Stella Kidd is the epitome of a woman whose past makes her a better first responder. And she is proof that you can not only rise from the ashes, but amid your healing, you could also help those in need of it. Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe” revisits a dark part of Stella’s past when she notices the type of bruise on a victim’s neck that she’s too familiar with. And when she gets the clarification that she is indeed correct in her assessment, Stella does all that she can to ensure that the perpetrator is locked up for life.

As much as her past is something she carries, Stella has found ways to move on without it entrapping her presence. But still, no wound stops aching even after time passes. And Miranda Mayo was exceptional this week as she continuously showed us that Stella is pushing back despite the details that are undoubtedly bringing back old cuts. Mayo especially shows us those details in the final scene when she’s in Severide’s embrace and her mind wanders elsewhere.

She knows she is safer today than she’s ever been in the past, but the scars stay, and the trepidations linger regardless. Stella knows that she did all that she could, bringing the best of her to Adriana’s case, but she also knows what it’s like to carry those memories and the lasting effects that they could have. But the heart of this episode reminds us why these women deserve the praise they get.

Stella Kidd doesn’t give up on people, and she doesn’t give up on herself despite the horrors of her past. She pushes through, ensuring that everyone around her is safe even while she knows she’s walking a fine line—she has to try. She’ll always try.

One Family

Cruz and Chloe are also at their best in Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe,” allowing us to see that their partnership is one of the constants throughout the show that’ll always work. Before the hiatus, Cruz bringing Javi to live with them was presumably a temporary thing, but to see both their impacts, Chloe’s, especially with fractions, was a lovely showcase that this new family shouldn’t be apart.

And in the end, thankfully, they won’t be. Javi doesn’t have any family members who could take him in now, which means that it’s up to Cruz and Chloe to step up and keep him safe, a decision the two make so effortlessly that it works almost too well for them. But this is Chicago Fire, and when the show wants to remind you that these people genuinely care about those they rescue, it reminds you hard—tears and all.

Missing Pieces

Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe” also serves as a reminder that Violet and Chief Hawkins are walking on a thin line as the reports of the two of them spending too much time together force Evan to put distance between them. Violet rightfully questions if Gallo is the one who put in the complaint, only learning that despite his jealousy and frustrations, he’d never do such a thing. This is a conversation that I’m glad we get because, despite Gallo’s inconsistencies and outbursts, we know him enough to know that he does sincerely care about Violet as one of his closest friends.

But their time apart doesn’t last too long because missing one another outweighs all their other concerns. Why do I miss you so much when I’m not with you? Hawkins asks—because she’s exceptional, lovely, bright, and the best person you’ll ever meet? We could answer this quicker than they could, but the detail that they aren’t supposed to be apart also works. Whether they last or not, something about the two of them continues to be a light in this show. It’s the push and pull and the longing even while they’re right in front of each other. If Hawkins keeps looking at her like she put the sun in the sky, there’s no going back now. At least not for a long, long time.

Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe” is about the people who take on the burdens of others to ensure that their loads are lighter. It’s about the selfless and brilliant women capable of so much more than meets the eye. And it’s about having someone in your corner who’ll hold you after a difficult day. It shows us why these people fight for the people they do, and after ten years, it shouldn’t be shocking why this show is still going strong.

Now streaming on NBC and Hulu: What are your thoughts on Chicago Fire’s “Keep You Safe?” Let us know in the comments below.