Fans will feel like they’ve seen Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 14, “Bar Time” before. That’s because, while they haven’t seen this specific story, they’ve certainly seen parts of it. Familiar characters return while familiar ideas are touched upon. That doesn’t make it a bad episode, but it is one that seems more like it’s playing toward the future than trying to be good on its own.
“Bar Time” largely revolves around Ambulance 61, as Violet Mikami and Lizzie Novak are assigned to take someone on a ride-along, only to find out that someone is Novak’s former fiance, whom she walked out on without so much as a note. However, what One Chicago fans will remember is what happens to Sam Carver — which is likely to divide audiences. Not a ton happens in this episode in terms of action, but that doesn’t mean there’s any less drama.
Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 14 Probes Into Novak’s Past
The Subplot Feels Repetitive, but It’s Still Kind of Charming
The main storyline in “Bar Time” involves the reappearance of Novak’s ex-fiancee, Scott “Oz” Osbourne, who is doing a ride-along with Ambulance 61. This also marks the return of a One Chicago trope: all three shows — but particularly Chicago Fire — love to have someone from a character’s past show up to make waves. Audiences have seen people’s old friends, family members and exes arrive at Firehouse 51. The repetition is particularly obvious because this is right after Season 13, Episode 13, “Born of Fire,” which had Violet’s ex-nemesis Jared Lennox return out of nowhere. That means there are two episodes in a row revolving around someone from the past.
That being said, Oz’s arrival does give viewers more insight into Novak and cast her in a bit of a different light than she’s normally seen. The fans get to watch her being vulnerable and admitting to her mistakes as they learn about the circumstances around her broken engagement. Oz is an interesting enough character, having joined the Army and proposed to someone else. He’s also actually helpful in parts of the episode, when he could have just existed to make everyone’s life difficult. He doesn’t quite have enough screen presence to make viewers want to see him again, but it’s nice that he and Novak are able to get closure between them by the end of the episode.
What’s more interesting is the return of Jack Damon, who happens to be present when a young woman collapses at Molly’s. He’s only in “Bar Time” for one scene, but it’s very unlikely that the Chicago Fire producers asked actor Michael Bradway to come in and do one scene just for fun. Instead, this suggests that there will be more story for Damon in the future — especially since Oz then asks Novak if there’s anything going on romantically between her and Severide’s half-brother. Damon’s original appearances made him out to be not such a great guy, but he has changed considerably since then, so this is a plot point to keep an eye on.
What Happened to Sam Carver on Chicago Fire?
Season 13, Episode 14 May Not Bode Well for Carver
Sam Carver’s story is not the main plot of “Bar Time,” but it might as well be with how much it overshadows everything else in the episode. It’s revealed that instead of keeping up with his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Carver has been constantly working — taking on shifts at other firehouses. The reasoning for this is revealed when he confesses to Lieutenant Stella Kidd: when he’s working is the only time he doesn’t feel like taking a drink. Having realized that’s not healthy, Carver tells Stella that he needs some time away from Firehouse 51. This naturally will prompt viewers to ask if Sam Carver is leaving Chicago Fire, and it could go either way.
Sam Carver (to Stella): I thought I could handle it, you know? One day at a time. But after everything went down at Violet’s, I had a drink. Then another.
It seems unlikely that Carver will go anywhere permanently, because the show is still teasing his “will they, won’t they” romance with Violet. She may be dating Flynn Calhoun, but that relationship has always felt like a speed bump to keep Carver and Violet apart. It’s obvious that Carver still has feelings for Violet, so why would Chicago Fire write him out without actually paying off that storyline? This could simply be a way to give Jake Lockett a break for a few episodes, similar to how Adam Ruzek was missing from a few episodes of Chicago PD Season 4 on an undercover detail when actor Patrick John Flueger was working on another project.
On the other hand, this wouldn’t be the first time that a character has developed an addiction and been written out of the show. That’s what happened to Jessica “Chili” Chilton, who was fired in Chicago Fire Season 4 for her own drinking problem. And more recently, that’s what happened with Rome Flynn’s character Derrick Gibson, who exited after a brief stint in Season 12 to get help for his issues with drugs. There hasn’t been any official announcement about Carver’s future on the show — but hopefully he’ll make a comeback, because he deserves one. To have his last season on the show be taken up by the Tori plotline and then this struggle with alcoholism would be a sad way for him to go out. In fact, one of the disappointments of the episode is that Stella breaking the news of Carver’s exit — both to Violet and to the rest of the team — isn’t seen on screen. That’s such a big emotional moment that’s largely skipped over, even if Violet finding the note from Carver in her locker is a bittersweet way to acknowledge his impact.
Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 14 Misses Taylor Kinney
Kelly Severide Is Completely Off-Screen in This Episode
One other notable fact about “Bar Time” is that it’s Taylor Kinney’s turn to take a break from Chicago Fire. All of the One Chicago shows have had main cast members skip an episode or two, such as when Daniel Kyri’s character Darren Ritter was said to be at a mountain retreat during “Born of Fire.” This is a way for the series to save some money in the budget, since not all of the stars are appearing in every episode. In this case, Severide and the members of Squad 3 are said to be helping elsewhere with some protests that turn out to be short-lived, and so they clock off early — with the exception of Joe Cruz, who provides the episode’s comic relief.
Chief Dom Pascal is also absent from the hour, but his not being there isn’t that big of a deal, since it opens the door for a subplot about Christopher Herrmann struggling with the administrative responsibilities he’d have to handle if he becomes Battalion Chief someday. But when Severide is gone, it’s impossible not to notice because of how much screen presence Kinney has and how beloved he is by One Chicago fans. Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 14, “Bar Time” takes a noticeable dip in energy solely because he’s not there. But for what it is — an episode laying the groundwork for other stories — it’s still a good watch. It’s just not an episode viewers will feel like they need to see again.
