One Chicago made fans wait a whopping six years between crossover events. We're happy to say, the wait was worth it. The franchise delivered a thrilling, three-part event that incorporated every veteran character and made them a vital part of the solution to a citywide disaster.
There's a lot to take in and a lot of screen time to divided up among Chicago Fire, Chicago Med and Chicago PD, especially given that characters from all three shows appear in all three episodes. It's an Avengers style crossover if we've ever seen one. Which is why we wanted to provide a recap of the 2025 event without spoilers.
We will provide a spoiler-filled review later on, but until then, here's a recap of what went down:
Kidd and Ruzek are put in danger during the first hour
The episode starts with some classic character bits. Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) are rushing to get to work on time, and discuss the possibility of taking a trip together. Kidd wants to go away, even if its only for a couple of days, but Severide claims he wants to wait until they have a week to fully enjoy themselves. This discussion, about doing what can be done in the moment, comes back around.
Then there's Mouch (Christian Stolte) and Trudy Platt (Amy Morton). Mouch told Herrmann that he kind of botched the celebration that Platt tried to have with him to celebrate his lieutenant promotion. The tension is still strong when the main plot kicks off, and Platt all but gives Mouch the cold shoulder on the scene.
There's an explosion in proximity to a government building. The damage is catastrophic, causing the cast of all three One Chicago shows to enter the picture. The promo already hinted at the pairings we would see throughout the crossover, so we aren't letting anything out of the bag by saying that Stella Kidd and PD's Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) wind up stick in a subway train underground.
Dr. Caitlin Lenox bumps heads with Voight's IU
The rush to get them freed proves to be one of the vocal points of the crossover. So much so, in fact, that Herrmann (David Eigenberg) decides to leave his post at the side of Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) and spring into action in an attempt to help.
Pascal tries to advise Herrmann on how to behave like a chief, but the latter's insistence on leading the charge leads Pascal to let him off the hook. Pascal and Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) hit it off over the course of the crossover, as they appear to be on the same page with regard to the investigation and the suspected cause of the initial explosion.
There's less grace afforded to Chicago Med's Dr. Caitlin Lenox (Sarah Ramos). Voight and Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) lay into the character when she refuses to let them talk to a potential suspect who is recieving medical treatment. Burgess, knowing that Ruzek's life hangs in the balance, threatens to arrest Lenox for obstructing a police investigation. Lenox eventually figures out a way to help them without sacrificing her ethical stance.
Chicago PD uncovers the cause of the explosion
It helped, of course, that Dr. Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) vouched for the PD crew, and told Lenox that she should not do anything she feels uncomfortable with. Goodwin only has a few scenes in the crossover, given that she's recovering from her own injuries, but her presence is appreciated.
Kidd and Severide get a chance to revisit the importance of making time for each other, and Mouch realizes the real reason Platt was upset with him after an admittedly harrowing experience chasing a suspect. He discovers that he had forgotten Platt's birthday, and after a heartfelt conversation with Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt), he comes to realize what's really important. Stellar acting all around, especially from Stolte and Morton.
In the end, the chaos is contained, and the Chicago PD team manage to track down the culprits behind the initial explosion. We won't say who is responsible, but one of the people does have a close connection to one of PD's most beloved characters. We were pretty surprised. All in all, the crossover event was a triumph!