Original subtitles

- I believe knowledge is power.

So I'm gonna try and learn from every call,

from every officer,

and ask any question I can think of.

There's no such thing as too familiar.

- Maybe some people are destined to make rank

and some people aren't.

- You're gonna make a great lieutenant.

- When you said to me that you think that

I got what it takes to lead this house,

that meant the world to me.

- Tomorrow, I take the lieutenant exam

and Herrmann takes the captain exam.

[dramatic music]

- One of you guys put this in my locker?

- A Cook County parole agent reached out to me about Junior,

the only person besides you

who was in that building when Flaco died.

He got early release.

- These are cremated remains.

- You remember me, right, Joe?

I'm the one who saw you close the door on my cousin.

♪

You left him to die.

We need to talk, my friend.

[tense music]

♪

- You said you wanted to talk, so talk.

♪

- My family got Flaco's restos after the fire.

You know, my tia said to keep him with us.

To never forget the way he lived.

And the way he died.

♪

That fire took everything from us.

Arruinaste mi vida, guey.

And I'm here to get it back.

♪

I need to get in somewhere that's got protection.

Bet you could get up in any spot, no questions asked.

Ain't that right?

- I am not gonna risk my job or break the law for you.

♪

I said I'd hear you out.

We are done.

- You left my primo there to burn, Joe.

What happens if the whole world finds out

you did Flaco like that?

You ready for your life to go to hell?

♪

- I did my job that day.

You got nothing on me.

And if you come at me again, I'll go to the cops myself.

♪

- I'm OK with waiting for the test results.

But Cindy, she's a wreck.

Short-tempered, barking at the kids over the smallest things.

- Same here, yeah. I'm staying calm, but Trudy,

a lot of late-night snacking.

I mean, when mint chip is in the freezer,

what else is gonna happen?

- Hear that.

- I need to talk to both of you.

Let's go in there.

For privacy.

[Mouch sighs]

[cheers and applause]

[soft upbeat music]

- I got early word you both passed your exams.

- Of course we all thought it was a mistake at first.

Congrats, boys.

- Can finally stop hearing about it.

- Thank God. [laughter]

- Hey, thank you, thank you.

- Well done. - Thank you.

- Thanks, Lieutenant.

- All right. Enough cheer.

Let's move on to the morning briefing.

♪

Let's go, 51. Take a seat.

♪

With Lieutenant Kidd out

with the Girls on Fire program in Maryland,

we got Chippy here who'll be a floater

on this shift to replace Mouch.

[suspenseful music]

♪

Mouch made rank.

He's gonna be lieutenant on truck for this shift.

- Will you look at that?

[chuckling] Yeah.

- These promotions will be celebrated properly.

So tomorrow night at Molly's?

- Whoo!

- This mean I have to celebrate Herrmann outranking me?

[laughter] - Yeah.

[alarm blares] That's the way it goes.

- Truck 81, Engine 51, Ambulance 61, structure fire.

- Hey!

- Captain Herrmann, take it away.

- All right, let's roll!

I like the way that feels. [laughter]

[dramatic music]

All right, first order of business, Lieutenant,

who are you gonna anoint to drive your rig?

- Practice time is over. You ready to take the wheel?

- Guess we'll find out.

- All right. Let's go.

♪

[sirens wailing]

♪

Let's clear the doors and walkways, please!

This way!

- Let's go behind the ambulance.

Let's go. Sidewalk. This way.

Make a hole, make a hole.

- OK, Ritter, Chippy, backup engine.

Carver, primary search. Stay on my hip.

- On it, Lieutenant. - Copy that.

♪

- Fire department! Call out!

Go, go, go. Easy down the stairs.

- Call out!

Fire department! Call out!

♪

All clear.

- Go, go, go, go.

♪

- Call out!

♪

- Get us in. - On it.

♪

- Fire department! Call out!

♪

All clear!

- Fire is in unit 2-Charlie, Bravo side.

Clear the rest of this floor! - Copy!

- Copy. Hose line coming in.

- Move in!

♪

I'll clear this unit. You take that one.

- On it, Lieutenant.

♪

[wood cracks]

♪

- Fire department! Call out!

♪

Fire department! Can you hear me?

♪

Sir, we have got to get out of here.

I've got a victim, male, unconscious,

coming down the Delta stairway.

- Copy, Lieutenant.

[Mouch grunts]

♪

He must have taken in a lot of smoke.

- Ooh.

Oh, this man has been dead for days.

♪

- Any idea how he died?

- Oh, man, it's hard to say.

No sign of external injuries or track marks,

so my best guess is that he died from cardiac arrest.

- The ME will know more after the autopsy.

- How is it that a guy's been dead for days

and nobody thought to check on him?

- George was a newer resident here.

Pretty much kept to himself.

I never saw any visitors come by for him.

- Any of his neighbors know him?

- Doubt it. Guy was nice, but quiet.

Never said more than a quick hello to anyone.

- He go out of the building much?

- Not as far as I know.

I only saw him on Sundays when he'd come back with groceries,

stop by to pay for the next week in cash.

- Could you tell me his last name?

- Thompson.

George Thompson.

I guess that's the one good thing to come out of this fire.

- What is?

- If it hadn't happened, who knows how much longer

it'd have been till someone found him?

[somber music]

♪

- No way that was your first time in command, Mouch.

You nailed it.

- I was working the hinges on my door

when I looked over and, bam, you kicked in that door

like it was made out of cardboard.

- Ah, come on.

- It might be time for a new nickname.

Part Couch might not cover it.

- What about "Louch"?

Get it? Lieutenant Mouch?

- Uh, you realize that's still part couch, right?

- OK, then you come up with a name.

- Hey.

So how'd it feel, you know,

being the guy giving the orders?

- You know...

I thought it'd go a bit differently.

- Hey. Nice job behind the wheel.

You only checked a couple curbs.

Not bad.

- I didn't check any curbs.

- I know. I was-- I was just kidding.

- Oh. [chuckles]

[soft upbeat music]

That's a good one. [chuckles]

♪

- Whoa.

I mean, that was some seriously weird energy.

- Mm-hmm, I feel like weird might be the new normal

between me and Carver.

- Oh, well, maybe it will go away eventually.

Besides, it's not like you can die from extreme cringe.

- Not so sure about that.

[notification chimes]

[notification chimes]

[notification chimes]

[notification chimes]

- Sound like you're busy.

- Hey, Captain.

Stella sent photos

of the new Girls on Fire setup in Baltimore.

She's having a blast.

- Yeah, that's a great program. - It is.

What brings you to 51?

- Well, I have a meeting nearby

and I'm actually running a little late,

but I figured I'd ask you this favor in person.

- OK.

- Lieutenant Goyette's taken a last-minute furlough.

Some kind of family crisis. It could be a while.

Any chance you could cover

his fire investigation class at the academy?

I need someone in there starting tomorrow.

- I'd love to.

- [chuckles] I had a feeling you'd say that.

I even had the gall to bring the class syllabus.

- I'm that predictable, huh?

- And I'm very grateful.

Give me a shout if you have any questions.

- Will do.

- Oh.

And there is one more thing.

[tense music]

♪

- Hey, heads up.

OFI got a call about a fire

from 12 years ago in Humboldt Park.

- OK.

- It was the one that killed Flaco Rodriguez.

He was the head of the gang your brother was in.

Thought you should know.

♪

- Hey, uh, why is someone calling about it now?

- I don't know, guy said he was a family member,

had some new information.

He's gonna call back, make an appointment

to come into OFI and talk.

- Hmm, Seems kind of crazy, right?

That was a long time ago.

- Yeah.

But it happens.

I mean, someone hits on hard times,

starts thinking maybe they can get a payday from the city.

♪

Nothing to worry about yet.

♪

[knock at door]

- Hey. - Hey.

You know that victim at the motel, George Thompson?

I asked Trudy to put a call in to the ME's office.

- Oh. She find anything out?

- Violet was right. Died of natural causes.

But they still haven't been able to find a next of kin.

There's nobody to notify.

- Huh.

Hey.

Speaking officer to officer, what--

what is it about this guy that's sticking in your craw?

- I mean, he died alone.

- Mm.

Lots of people, they die alone.

Not that it's right, but--

- He was my first victim as a lieutenant.

I guess I just wish I could have done more to help.

- Well, 60-plus years walking on this Earth,

he must'a affected someone somewhere.

- Yeah.

♪

Yeah.

[soft upbeat music]

Thanks, Herrmann.

- For what?

♪

You're welcome!

[tense music]

[phone vibrating]

♪

[phone vibrating]

♪

[phone vibrating]

- [sighs]

♪

[phone vibrating]

♪

[phone vibrating]

♪

Hello?

- You want to make the case go away?

- What the hell do you want?

- Meet me outside the firehouse at 4:00

- I-- [dial tone beeping]

[tense music]

♪

- Mika, right? - Uh-huh.

- Would it be possible for me

to take a look inside George's unit?

- Why?

- Medical examiner's having a tough time finding next of kin.

I'm hoping there's something in there that could help.

- That's all George's stuff right there.

[soft dramatic music]

- You emptied out his apartment already?

That was fast.

- The police already cleared the place

and the owner's always on me about letting units sit empty.

- [sighs]

What if there's a loved one out there

who comes to claim his things?

- We're an extended-stay motel.

Chances are if you're living here,

no one's coming to collect anything.

[Mouch sighs]

You can take whatever you want.

I was just gonna toss it when my shift ends.

♪

- Uh, thank you.

♪

[tense music]

- Hey, Cruz. Get over here. We need a third.

♪

- That's my new couch.

It's a sectional.

- Mm, swanky. - Mm-hmm.

I did some serious damage on the old two-seater

when I was brushing up on my katana skills.

- Katana?

- It's a sword. - Mm-hmm.

- Sliced clean through the cushions.

- That is so you.

- [laughs] - Uh, OK.

I put on all the orders for the decor

and supplies for the party tomorrow night,

but I think I need some help with the pickup and setup.

You in? - Yeah, of course.

[keyboard clicking]

Hey, Carver, uh,

can you and your truck lend a hand tomorrow with party prep?

- Sure.

- Uh, why do you need a pickup truck?

[soft upbeat music]

This is starting to sound like

a Brett-Casey wedding-level party.

And just to be clear, Molly's ended up in the red that night.

- Am I invited to this thing?

- Yeah, absolutely. Come one, come all.

Herrmann, it's not gonna be that big.

- I hope not.

I'm only able to give so much of a discount.

- Herrmann, the party is for you and Mouch.

- E-exactly.

And as proprietors of Molly's,

are we being celebrated or punished?

♪

- It's kind of special how grumpy he is

no matter how well things are going for him.

♪

- Nothing.

It looks like that firm's been closed for years.

- OK, well, that's just the beginning.

Plenty more to explore in here.

- You're building timing devices, Lieutenant?

- Van Meter asked me to teach a class at the academy.

The first one is on homemade timing devices.

- Federal arson investigations, OFI detours, teaching classes?

That's juggling a lot.

- Always do.

I can handle it.

No problem.

- Hope so.

[soft suspenseful music]

♪

- [sighs]

[tense music]

♪

- Hey, Joe.

- You need to back the hell off!

- Easy, guey.

Solo necesito una mano.

- I already told you I am not getting involved.

- But yet, here you are.

Y porque?

Maybe 'cause you know if I tell your fireman friends

what I saw, they'll believe me.

Everyone knew Flaco and your bro had serious beef.

They find out the truth about you...

so does your lady and your kids.

♪

- Just tell me what you want.

- When I got sent up,

there was nobody there to take care of my family.

So I left some skrilla stashed away for them.

But this punk-ass Moreno from the West Side

must have caught word.

Broke into my crib and stole it all.

100 Gs, guey,

And I'ma get back what's mine.

[tense music]

- What would I have to do?

- Moreno runs a custom paint shop.

But it's just a front.

This cat I ran with inside

told me exactly where they keep all the cash.

So I need to get back there without throwing up any flares.

♪

So we go in as firemen.

♪

[Cruz sighs]

- All right, I do this for you...

we're good?

♪

- Yeah.

We're good.

[dramatic musical crescendo]

♪

- Hey, Novak.

What do you think of this?

- A champagne tower?

- Yeah.

As a centerpiece on the bar, maybe?

- Do they even sell champagne at Molly's?

- Fair point.

- Oh, by the way,

my delivery for my sectional is tomorrow afternoon,

so I might be a little late for setup.

- OK.

[sighs] I need a new centerpiece.

You're right.

- Oh.

So Trudy's cleaning out the garage again?

- This here...

is all that remains of a man's life,

reduced to the contents of a box

rescued from the brink of disposal.

Maybe the stuff in here'll

point us in the right direction.

- Ooh.

Wow.

Hey, they still giving out the retirement watches?

- Mm, for old-timers like us and George, they do.

It turns out he was a bean counter.

Worked for the same accounting firm for 35 years.

- Anyone there know him?

- I looked up the company.

A small firm, closed a while ago.

It's all I could find out.

- 150th anniversary of the Great Fire,

building of Millennium Park, Cubbies win the World Series.

- Yeah.

- George was a real Chicago history buff.

- Well, what about these? Anything useful?

- All I could find was some short stories he wrote.

I'll keep flipping through, though.

- Ooh, hey.

George's wife?

- Your guess is as good as mine.

There's nothing to identify her.

- You know...

there might be something I can try.

- I was going to focus on an older case

just 'cause it's got some cool details.

Polymer grains, a mineral spirit,

kerosene, and glycol ether.

- I know what case you're talking about.

The one in Toledo.

- This was in Belgium.

- Well, still, I say use it.

- Yeah, the class will go nuts for it.

- You guys just want to get out of here.

All right, I'm calling it. Get out. Go.

Cruz, hang back a sec?

[soft suspenseful music]

- Something wrong, Lieutenant?

- You tell me. You barely said a word in here.

You've been distracted all shift.

- Oh, my bad. I-I'm sorry.

I just, um, got a lot of stuff going on at home.

That's all.

- Are you good to be here?

- For sure.

- You'll let me know if that changes?

- Of course.

♪

[indistinct chatter]

[knock at door]

- Chief Pascal.

- Nice to see you, Van Meter.

- Hey, if I remember right, the last time we were together

was at the Hyde Park Muster.

- Two lieutenants debating whether it was below us

to pull pranks on 67's ducklings.

- [chuckling] Yeah.

That was a good time. - Yes, it was.

- Here. How's 51 treating you?

- Not too bad.

Strong group of firefighters.

I heard you were there earlier today.

Signed Severide up to teach a class?

- That's right.

- Why didn't you come by my office?

Touch base with me on that first?

[soft suspenseful music]

- I should have.

I was running late.

I had a shorthand with Boden.

♪

But you're right.

Next time, I'll go through you.

- Good.

We both know how interested Severide is in OFI.

He'll take anything you throw his way,

but as long as he's at 51, I'm involved, too.

- Makes sense.

- Appreciate it.

Look forward to talking to you, Captain.

- Same.

♪

- Hey, Mouch, wait up.

- You know, as a fellow author, I have to admit

George's stories aren't half-bad.

Action, adventure.

Could use a touch more romance,

but overall, it's a damn fine yarn.

- I think I found the woman in the photo.

- How?

- I just did a reverse image search.

I was able to find a match on her, I clicked on that,

and it led to a name and phone number.

- Magic.

- That's her number.

Her name is Evelyn Winbury. She lives in New York.

[Mouch chuckles]

- Thank you, Ritter.

I'm gonna call her right now.

- Uh, it's after midnight in New York, Mouch.

- Oh.

Well, then, first thing in the morning.

I need to see how

Hawk Spade breaks out of the CIA stronghold anyway.

[Ritter chuckles]

[soft suspenseful music]

♪

- [exhales] Yeah, hi.

I'm Lieutenant McHolland from the Chicago Fire Department.

I'm looking for Evelyn Winbury?

[soft upbeat music]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Uh, I was trying to find a friend.

Does the name George Thompson ring a bell?

Uh-huh.

I see.

Well, uh, I thank you for your time.

Mm-hmm.

[soft dramatic music]

Evelyn passed away about a year ago.

- Did she know George at all?

- Her son wasn't sure,

but she was a piano instructor with lots of adult students.

He thinks George might have been one of them.

- I'm sorry, Mouch.

But you got to know that you went above and beyond

to do right by George and he'd be grateful.

- [sighs] I'll take it home.

[clears throat] Go through it again.

Gotta be something I missed.

♪

- [sighs]

[suspenseful music]

♪

[engine turns over]

♪

[tires squeal]

[engine revving]

♪

- You're not Lieutenant Goyette.

[soft dramatic music]

It's his name on the syllabus.

- Van Meter asked me to step in for a while.

I guess I should have taken a look at the class list.

- You seem really prepared.

- You didn't tell me you were taking fire investigation.

- Yeah. I can give you my daily calendar now if you want.

- Wise-ass.

- [chuckling] I started taking every class I can.

Figure it'd make me a better firefighter.

Don't worry.

I'm not just following in the Severide family footsteps.

- Not worried.

- Yeah, right.

- Good to see you. Grab a seat.

Get ready to bust your hump.

You didn't learn any of this at the academy.

- [chuckles] Copy that.

[soft upbeat music]

- [sighs] Novak's couch should be delivered, assembled,

and lounged on by now.

I've got, like, 50 of these to do.

- I'll help you when I'm done with this.

- What was that?

- Oh, I'm just getting a different perspective.

- You were fixing what I did.

- No, I was--

well, yeah, yeah, because it was a whole inch off.

- A whole inch? - Yes.

It would have driven me crazy the entire night

having to look at a crooked banner.

- I believe it.

You just saved the party.

- Yeah, you're welcome.

- These glasses are a pain in the ass to put together.

But the tower is gonna look great.

- I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Tori.

- Yeah, me too.

[soft dramatic music]

But I think she'll be happier back home.

- That's a good thing, I guess.

- It is.

♪

[tense music]

♪

- Where's the gear?

- Changed my mind. I'm not doing it.

- I make one phone call--

- Do what you got to do.

You want to yell about a fire from 12 years ago?

Go ahead. We'll see who they believe.

♪

- You're doing this, Joe.

♪

- Come on, Junior.

You don't want to go back to jail.

But just leave me out of it.

All right? We end this here, I won't say a thing to anybody.

- You're not hearing me.

If I don't go in there and get my money back,

then I can't take care of my people.

We're going in.

♪

[tense music]

♪

[knocking on door]

♪

- We're closed.

- We're with the fire department.

Uh, construction crew down the block,

they broke a main gas line.

We need to get inside and make sure there's not

a gas leak in your building.

♪

- I don't see a fire truck.

- It's parked down the street.

- Where are the other firefighters?

- [sighs] Going door-to-door

like we are with the rest of the stores on the block.

Look, sir, this is for your safety.

We either come in and check for the gas leak now,

or we come back later with CPD.

♪

[door slams]

♪

- Sure there's a gas leak?

I don't smell anything.

- Yeah, well, uh, natural gas doesn't have an odor

until it mixes with mercaptan.

But one spark, place like this,

all the paints and, uh, chemicals

could light up a whole city block.

♪

What's back there?

- Service bays, office, bathroom, that's it.

♪

- All right, let's go clear the back.

♪

- OK, let's find the money and get the hell out of here.

- Where is it?

- What? You sure it's here?

- Cyril said it was here.

I mean, they must have moved it.

We got to look around.

♪

[boxes clattering]

♪

[door shuts]

[person speaking Spanish]

- That's Moreno. He wasn't supposed to be here.

He'll recognize me. He can't see me.

- Uh, yeah.

Uh, uh, we'll-- we'll go out the other door.

♪

Here, here.

[knob rattles]

Damn. It's locked from the inside.

We need a key.

♪

- Then we go out the front.

The same way we came out.

Move fast.

No. [indistinct]

♪

- Hey.

I checked the block.

There are no other firefighters.

♪

- Must have not checked far enough.

Hey, you know, uh,

it's a fire violation for you to lock a door from inside.

I'll let it slide this time, but you should get that fixed.

- Hey, hey, hey, it's Junior! It's Junior!

- No, no, no!

[gunfire]

[Moreno shouts] - Moreno!

[gunfire]

[tense music]

♪

[gunfire]

♪

Moreno. Está bien? Vamos. Vamos!

♪

- Uh, you guys didn't use up all my sparkling wine

for this thing, did you?

- No, it's a beer tower.

- Ooh.

It is?

- Milinac Brewery. Mouch said it's your favorite.

- Oh, so good.

[Novak chuckles]

- The beer thing really was clever.

- Mm.

- Wow, this whole place looks great.

I'm sorry about my couch delivery taking so long.

- Oh, no problem.

Maybe I can come by after the party and check it out.

We can finish our reality trash marathon.

- Oh, um,

my TV isn't working right now,

so maybe we can do it at your place?

- I knew it.

- What?

- Your couch wasn't delivered today.

You left me and Carver alone intentionally.

[Novak scoffs]

- OK, but I just--

I just thought it would help you guys

be less painful together, you know?

- Hmm.

- Are you mad at me?

- No. It was fine.

[upbeat music playing]

It was fun, even.

- Oh, thank God. [Violet chuckles]

♪

Oh, look. Look who showed up.

- Hmm.

Wow, first time ever at Molly's.

Bold.

- He's a front-liner.

♪

- OK. Sure.

♪

- Hello, gentlemen.

- Hey, Chief.

- I've been told you're working a permanent spot at 20

and you're doing a solid job.

- Yeah. Worked out.

♪

I'll grab a few more beers for the table.

♪

- Heard you went to Van Meter.

I hope you don't have any problems

with me working OFI or teaching at the academy.

- No, I don't, as long as procedure is followed.

It's just a question of communication.

♪

You should know, Severide,

you're an important part of the leadership at 51

and I'm relying on you.

So I need to know you're by my side.

- I am.

[indistinct chatter]

- Hey. - Oh!

- You are late for your own party.

- Mm-hmm. - Is, uh, Trudy coming over?

- Don't think so. Stuck at work.

- Oh, hey, did you find out anything else

about George Thompson?

- [sighs]

There comes a time in a man's life

when he has to admit defeat.

♪

- I take that as a no.

- But you seem at peace with it.

- I am.

After going through that box again,

I realized George lived a pretty rich life.

I wrote down an obituary to submit to the papers.

Maybe someone who knew George will see it

or maybe not.

- What did you say about him?

- [sighs]

[peaceful music]

♪

"George Thompson was a quiet man

"who balanced numbers for over 35 years.

"But in his life and in his writing,

"he had a vivid imagination and the heart of an adventurer.

"He was bold enough to take piano lessons late in life

"and loved reading about the history of this fair city.

He was a true Chicagoan till the end."

♪

It's short, I know. [sighs]

- You did it, Mouch.

- What did I do?

- You became the person that you were looking for.

You're the someone who knows George Thompson.

- And now other people that read that will too.

♪

- Hey.

To George. - To George.

♪

[tense music]

- [breathing shakily]

[somber music]

♪

[phone vibrating]

♪

[phone vibrating]

[suspenseful music]

[phone vibrating]

[groaning]

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]