February flashback: Chicago Fire season 1, episode 16

Five years ago, Chicago Fire nearly lost a firefighter in Chicago Fire season 1, episode 16. Look back on the episode in our February Flashback.

With Chicago Fire taking most of February off for the Winter Olympics, we’re rolling back the clock and revisiting the Chicago Fire episodes that previously aired this month.

It was five years ago on this date that we got “Viral,” the Chicago Fire season 1 episode in which we nearly lost Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) to his own demons.

Meanwhile, Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) continued to try and help the women in his life, but it didn’t all have a happy ending.

“Viral” showed us Cruz completely on tilt from his decision to leave a gang member to die earlier in the first season. He went into a burning building to save a dog, and the team had to go in and save him instead.

More from One Chicago Center

Mouch (Christian Stolte) and Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) both told Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) to deal with Cruz or they would. Casey then took a step that seems drastic when we look back at it: he urged Cruz to consider quitting.

But Cruz beat them to the punch, attempting to resign his position with Firehouse 51 in this episode before a guilty Mouch got Cruz to tell him what was really going on. Once the truth came to light, Casey and the rest of 51 agreed to stand by Cruz.

Watch One Chicago on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

“Viral” was also an important Chicago Fire season 1 installment for Severide. After he found out what had become of his ex-fiancee last week, in this episode he discovered her suicide attempt had put Renee Whaley in a psych ward. Refusing to give up on her, Kelly went there not once but twice and eventually convinced her to talk to him.

It’s a complete contrast from the playboy Kelly Severide that we’ve seen on the show in recent years, where he can’t seem to hold onto a relationship for more than a few episodes.

As if that wasn’t enough, Severide also learned in “Viral” that BFF Leslie Shay (Lauren German) wanted to move out, though at least she wasn’t infected with anything after being stabbed with a homeless man’s needle.

But Chicago Fire broke Shay’s heart when her pregnant girlfriend Clarice (Shiri Appleby, who’d go on to co-star with Monica Barbaro in UnREAL) decided to move to New York as part of a custody deal with her now ex-husband. So Severide would be there for Shay as she dealt with her broken heart, while also being a shoulder to lean on for his own ex-fiancee.

Watching Chicago Fire season 1, episode 16 just makes us wish we could see Severide having a stable relationship again, because once he’s in it (and we don’t mean an impulsive one where he tries to move to a whole other city in weeks) he’s a really good guy. But his character has come a long way since this episode!

Next: What Chicago Fire fans can watch this week

You can re-watch Chicago Fire season 1, episode 16 on DVD or iTunes. Check back all month long as we revisit the episodes that were throughout February!

Home/Chicago Fire