Over the course of Chicago Fire’s fourteen seasons, there has been a lot of heartbreak and tragedy.
We’ve watched as characters have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting and serving their community, and watched other characters suffer life-altering injuries. We’ve also witnessed the emotional hardships that these incidents have had on their fellow first responders and loved ones.
Despite all of their efforts, there are times when not everyone makes it out safely, be it the first responders who risk their lives or the individuals whose lives they fight to save. As hard as these stories are to witness as viewers, they’re an important aspect of the show in showing the real dangers first responders face on a daily basis.
That said, we’re never prepared when these moments come up and the promo for the upcoming episode has us terrified tragedy is about to strike once again.
Chicago Fire season 14 promo hints tragedy is about to strike for Herrmann
In the promo for Chicago Fire season 14, episode 4, we see the firehouse get a call to a house fire and the address turns out to be Herrmann’s. That’s not the worst of it, though. We learn that not only is Herrmann’s house on fire, but his daughter Annabelle had stayed home from school, leaving a fear that she’s trapped inside the fire.
The promo sees Herrmann racing into the house upon arriving at the scene and frantically calling out for his daughter. There is no answer, though, leaving us to fear for the absolute worst. The promo has us terrified that the show might be about to deliver what would be its most heartbreaking and devastating death yet, but we also have to believe that the writers aren’t that cruel.
Killing off Herrmann’s daughter in a house fire wouldn’t really fit the tone of the show. Sure, we’ve seen heartbreaking deaths on the show, but to kill off the child of one of the show’s central characters is something we truly can’t imagine the show doing.
What is more likely to happen is that Herrmann loses his home in the fire, but Annabelle is safe having either gotten out of the house before the fire started or having been rescued on the call. This will still bring tragedy to Herrmann’s doorstep with Herrmann having to rebuild his life after the loss of his home, but would not take things too far by having Herrmann lose his child in a fire. That is a moment we can’t see the show coming back from.
Although I’m terrified that it’s a moment that could happen, I’m choosing to believe that the writers won’t take things that far.
Chicago Fire season 14 episode 3 writes Mouch out unexpectedly (but there’s some good news)
Fans tuning into Chicago Fire season 14, episode 3 were met with some disappointing news minutes into the episode.
After making his way to 51, Chief Pascal gathers everyone in the meeting room to inform them that he’s been notified by the Deputy District Chief that Engine 51 has been pulled from service. This results in Mouch and his team being removed from the rotation and left without work for a week, something that does not sit well with Chief Pascal at all.
Chief Pascal goes to bat for Mouch and the team, but his hands are ultimately tied resulting in Engine 51 being left out of commission for the week. This results in Mouch being MIA from the entire episode, which was an unexpected move so early into the season – especially with how central he has been to the show’s early storylines thus far this season.
Christian Stolte misses Chicago Fire season 14 episode 3, but he’ll be back
In the show, Mouch’s absence is explained away as being the result of the ongoing budget cuts in the CFD with Engine 51 pulled from the rotation. This resulted in Christian Stolte missing the episode, which is due to the fact that the show is unable to feature every member of the series regular cast in every episode.
This has been an ongoing occurrence in the One Chicago franchise for several seasons now, with the writers having to work around not having every member of the cast in each episode. Rather than simply having a character disappear, the writers have started to find ways to explain their absences. Sometimes this comes via a quick one-off comment, other timers they weave them into a plot line of the episode, as was the case in episode 3 with Mouch’s absence.
Rather than simply saying Mouch was off at some conference or on vacation, the writers chose to have his absence tie into the CFD cuts. This helped to further the storyline set up in the final episodes of season 13 which hinted that the CFD was going to face some major obstacles with budgets being cut.
The good news is that Mouch will be back and this is not part of an extended leave. In fact, photos from episode 4 confirm that Stolte will return for the episode and is back in action alongside his 51 team members. Of course, this doesn’t mean we might see Mouch miss another episode in the weeks ahead, as that’s a very real possibility; however, fans can at least rest at ease knowing Mouch will be back soon!
