Herrmann struggles under the weight of paperwork in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 14. Meanwhile, Novak gets a blast from the past, and Cruz just can’t get home.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Chicago Fire season 13, episode 14.
The latest episode, titled “Bar Time,” sees Violet and Novak getting ready for a long night. It’s Friday pay day, and that means everyone will be in the bars until closing. Of course, drunk people lead to dangerous and bloody situations.
On top of that, they have a ride-along for the night. The ride-along is military, and he thinks that the experience in the field will be good to take on deployments with him. It turns out that the ride-along is Oz, Novak’s ex-fiance.
Novak works through her past in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 14
Novak is still a bit of a mystery in Chicago Fire. We know that she was a bit of a wild one, and she didn’t really want to settle down. She was happy with floating between firehouses, until Violet saw something in her and encouraged her to become a permanent fixture of Firehouse 51.
Now we get to learn a little more. Remember the ex-fiance she has? Well, Oz turns up as the ride-along at the firehouse, and we learn that they didn’t break up on the best of terms. Novak left her engagement ring behind and then ghosted him. She says that he didn’t want to get married either and he didn’t exactly blow up her phone, but eventually, throughout the night, she accepts that what she did was the wrong thing.
I do have to wonder if Oz is going to come up again. The two were still on friendly-ish terms by the end of the night. They worked together well, and there was a hint of regret on both their parts. However, Oz has a fiancée now, and I don’t want to see Novak become the other woman. I want her to have more morals and self-worth than that. Being the other woman is skanky, and Oz being a man who cheats would just annoy me to no end. I’d never support their relationship that way.
The whole episode with Violet, Novak, and Oz dealing with situations in various bars is a great look at how small things can get out of control. Alcohol and fights do not mix. We also get to see how much the paramedics have to deal with when it comes to payday.
Violet catches Carver in a lie in Chicago Fire
Meanwhile, there’s a lot of drama between Violet and Carver. Now that the firehouse knows that Carver is a recovering alcoholic, there are conversations that can be had outside. Carver tells Violet about the great meetings that he’s been to recently, but it’s soon clear that he’s lied. He didn’t go to a meeting the night before. He’s running back-to-back shifts with other firehouses.
Violet is understandably angry that Carver lied. There was no reason to lie. Why not just say “I actually did a shift at another firehouse last night” instead of making something up? People who lie when there’s no need to make no sense. I know that it’s in Carver’s nature to hide things, but it’s not like he was at a bar drinking all night!
Carver realizes that what he did was the wrong thing. He’s also struggling with the need to drink. It turns out that he broke his sobriety after the attack at Violet’s house. He’s able to open up to Kidd about it, admitting that he needs some time off. Of course, Kidd is there to support him. His place is still at Firehouse 51. There’s a small smile on Carver’s face when Kidd says that she’s proud of him. We’re all proud of Carver for accepting his struggles. This isn’t failure. Failure would be completely giving up, but Carver isn’t doing that. Showing how much he’s struggling is a strong storyline for Chicago Fire. Sobriety is hard, and we need to see it in one of the main characters. I just hope that the series doesn’t forget it once Carver has found something that works for him.
Herrmann puts far too much pressure on himself
Pascal wasn’t around in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 14. This gave Herrmann a chance to see what all the paperwork is like in this position, and he struggles under the weight of it. He fears that he’ll disappoint Pascal.
I do think he puts way too much pressure on himself in this. Sure, it can all be done, but Pascal has been doing the Chief job for a while. It’s not like he would have been able to handle all the paperwork perfectly at first. Herrmann is a perfectionist, though, and it’s not surprising that he worries about letting someone down.
Seeing Mouch and Kidd look for a way to help Herrmann shows just how close this firehouse is. Even Cruz, who has spent the whole night trying to get home, sticks around. They all gather together to help do the reports and paperwork.
Kidd points out to Herrmann that he didn’t fail. Having a team that wants to help him is a show of strong leadership. People didn’t feel forced to help. They wanted to step in, and while Cruz resented the fact that he couldn’t get home, he didn’t bail or complain while doing it. Herrmann has always stepped in to help others in their time of need. He’s earned the respect and friendship that he’s gained over the years.
But again, this was the first night Herrmann had stepped into this role. He just needs to find something that works for him once he is Chief.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Catch up the following day with Peacock.
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