Chicago Justice season 1, episode 5 rewatch: Friendly Fire
Look back at where Chicago Justice began this summer. Read our retrospective as we rewatch Chicago Justice season 1, episode 5.
Over the One Chicago summer break, we’re looking back at where it all began by rewatching the first seasons of our shows—and today we’re revisiting Chicago Justice season 1, episode 5.
If you want to rewatch this episode along with us, you can find Chicago Justice season 1 on iTunes and DVD.
We’ve talked about “Friendly Fire” a couple of times before, because it’s our assertion that it’s the best Chicago Justice episode out of the bunch.
It’s no surprise that NBC apparently moved this one up in the running order, because it feels like a late-season episode. That’s how much is going on in it.
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“Friendly Fire” mixes murder and the U.S. military, when a former Navy SEAL is found dead. It comes out quickly that he was planning on writing a tell-all book about a particular SEAL mission, which turns this episode from murder investigation into a bit of a conspiracy thriller.
That could easily take the episode down some path where the story gets convoluted and over the top, but the script does a great job of keeping the plot grounded.
That’s because, even though there’s an element of secrets and lies, what really comes to the forefront is a political discussion—both at a national level and of the office politics within the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Which are not pretty.
One of the biggest strengths of Chicago Justice was its depiction of how many factors went into all of their prosecutions; it showed how complex the process is, and that it’s not so easy as “bust the bad guy.”
A factor that came into play more than once was the political and social considerations, usually represented by State’s Attorney Mark Jefferies (Carl Weathers). And the arguments that took place between Jefferies and Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) made the disagreements between the DA’s on Law & Order look like team-building exercises.
“Friendly Fire” will be remembered as the episode in which Jefferies threatened to fire Stone, and Stone didn’t give a damn. And we legitimately believed both of them.
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That’s not something that happens every day. Savvy TV watchers know to not truly believe those kinds of ultimatums, because if a main character is fired or dies or something like that, then they wouldn’t be on the show anymore. And if they weren’t going to be on the show anymore, almost every time, that’s already been spoiled by a website (unless you’re, say, Sophia Bush).
But the writing on Chicago Justice was so strong that it not only allowed these characters to lock horns, but it really pushed both of them outside of their comfort zones. “Friendly Fire” had a real debate about what the greater good actually was, and in the end, they were both kind of right.
It showed just how sharp this series could be, how talented the actors were, and how there’s so much more that viewers should be thinking about when we consider the legal process. This is an episode that deserves another watch, so check it out again on iTunes and DVD.
Next: Where are the Chicago Justice stars now?
Join us every Sunday this summer for our Chicago Justice season 1 review. For more Chicago Justice related news, follow the Chicago Justice category at One Chicago Center.