We see the stark reality of prescription narcotic addiction with Lt. Severide. Lt. Casey and his fiancé are on again off again because they aren't in agreement about when (or even if) to have kids. And Casey and his sister don't talk much because he believes his mother should be on parole after killing their father and serving 15 years while his sister believes she needs to stay in jail. (Whoa! Major drama!) Cruz is faced with the repercussion of letting the gang member die who held 10k over his head to "pay out" having Cruz's brother in the gang. Dawson fights with unrequited love. Mills desperately wants to follow in his deceased firefighter father's footsteps, but its causing relationship difficulty between him and his mother, who wants him safe and working at their family diner.
And then there's the chief. Seriously....this man is amazing in his role. He watches his men with this stealth, misses-nothing eye. He's fair, honest, full of integrity and expects the same out of his men. He's got trouble at home though, emotional scars to go with his battle worn physical scars. He commands respect, in a quiet way until rubbed the wrong way and then it's no joke.
Each character is achingly real, dealing with messy life stuff. They have yin and yang. It's a show similar to ER, in that its an ensemble cast, in a high-stress job with fast paced action and drama. If it hasn't already, it is sure to win awards.
Why?
Becaus I understand why Severide would take the pills! In his situation, facing permanent disability, I might do the same. I understand wanting to have my mother out of jail, even though she did something terrible like kill my father. I think we all relate to wanting someone we can't have romantically, or disappointing someone we love with our live choices. I just finished watching the episode where Cruz les that gang leader die, deliberately. Wow. What a terrible thing....but dang if I didn't almost applaud his actions, as he only did it to save his brother, who would eventually end up on a cold slab.
My article next month for Christian Fiction Online deals with this issue. Don't put your characters on a pedestal...because then you don't get to write the incredible scenes where they fall off. (Click to tweet!)
Let's Analyze
Have you seen Chicago Fire? Which is your favorite story line? I'm a huge Casey/ Dawson/Mills love triangle fan....
