Always is the season 3 premiere of Chicago Fire. It is the first episode of the third season and the 47th overall episode of Chicago Fire.
Summary[]
Boden forces members of Firehouse 51 to pull themselves back together in the aftermath of a harrowing fire explosion. While Severide goes missing for one week too many, Casey works to track down his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Newhouse brings some unexpected news regarding one of Mills' relatives while Herrmann and Otis make some new goals regarding Molly's. A new paramedic joins the team by the name of Sylvie Brett.
Plot[]
Source: NBC.com
Picking up right where the Season 2 finale left off, Boden calls for any sign of life in the collapsed building and fears the worst when no one responds. Finally, inside, Severide answers and stirs the squad back into action. They soon find Mills buried under rubble, his leg broken. Otherwise, each firefighter is accounted for - except Dawson and Shay. Severide frantically searches the building and discovers Dawson administering CPR to a bloody and pale Shay. He joins Dawson in the attempt to revive their friend and teammate, but it's too late. She's not breathing.
Source: NBC.com
Source: NBC.com
Six weeks later, Firehouse 51 remains somber as the squad continues to mourn the loss of Shay. Mills, his leg healed, returns to duty and learns that Severide has yet to report back, the lieutenant's whereabouts unknown. But other news piques Mills' interest - Newhouse informs him that he landed a lead on his paternal grandfather and provides Mills with a family tree. His relatives live in Joliet, a Chicago suburb not too far away.
Source: NBC.com
Dawson, too, keeps her emotional distance at the firehouse, almost offended when the new paramedic, Sylvie Brett (aka Shay's replacement), arrives at the station. After a rocky start, Brett proves her worth when it counts, improvising to save a woman in the heat of an intense rescue. This impresses Dawson and suggests the paramedic team will be in good hands when she leaves 51 for Firehouse 105.
Source: NBC.com
Speaking of, Welch and the 105 squad join Casey and Truck 81 at a fire truck fill station. A call comes through before the rival houses get too testy and they race each other to the fire. Truck 81 arrives first and Casey heads inside for a daring rescue. Afterwards, Welch taunts Casey and the two nearly come to blows before Boden breaks up the ruckus. The chief challenges Casey to be a better leader.
This spurs Casey to seek out Severide and he finds him chopping wood at a remote cabin, with no interest in returning to the "cursed" firehouse. Casey allows his friend to say his piece, then counters with a list of lives they saved over the years and reminds Severide to focus on who they rescue and not who dies.
After six weeks of bottling her emotions, Dawson finally cracks during a counseling session and admits that she and Shay traded places at the last second - that beam should've killed her, not Shay. The guilt of surviving kept her silent, but now she cries on the counselor's shoulder, the sadness overwhelming.
Annoyance overwhelms Boden in the meantime as he and Donna accompany Mouch and his new lady, Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt from the Chicago P.D., for a double date. Donna understands her husband's frustration with the often awkward situation, but insists that the outings are good for his work/life balance. He takes her advice and agrees to join Mouch and Platt on another double date at a Led Zeppelin cover band concert.
Source: NBC.com
Later, a clean-shaven Severide lingers outside his apartment until Casey encourages him to head inside. They go through some of Shay's belongings and Severide announces he can't live in the house without her. Casey offers up his and Dawson's apartment; Severide agrees. Before they leave, he rediscovers a DVD he and Shay made when they first became roommates. He watches the short video alone, tears in his eyes, as he sees Shay speak the mantra of their friendship, their most important rule - to be there for each other. Always.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Jesse Spencer as Lieutenant Matthew Casey
- Taylor Kinney as Lieutenant Kelly Severide
- Monica Raymund as Paramedic/Firefighter Gabriela Dawson
- Kara Killmer as Paramedic Sylvie Brett
- Charlie Barnett as Firefighter Peter Mills
- David Eigenberg as Firefighter Christopher Herrmann
- Joe Minoso as Firefighter Joe Cruz
- Yuri Sardarov as Firefighter Brian "Otis" Zvonecek
- Christian Stolte as Firefighter Randy "Mouch" McHolland
- Edwin Hodge as Firefighter Rick Newhouse
- Eamonn Walker as Battalion Chief Wallace Boden
Recurring Cast[]
- Lauren German as Paramedic Leslie Shay (flashbacks)
- Mo Gallini as Firefighter Jose Vargas (flashbacks)
- Corey Sorenson as Firefighter Andy Darden (flashbacks)
- Randy Flagler as Firefighter Harold Capp
- Anthony Ferraris as Firefighter Tony Ferraris
- William Smillie as Firefighter Kevin Hadley
- Glenn Stanton as Firefighter Jason Molina
- Kenny Johnson as Lieutenant Tommy Welch
- Gordon Clapp as Chaplain William "Bill" Orlovsky
- Melissa Ponzio as Donna Boden
- Amy Morton as Trudy Platt
Guest Cast[]
- Josh Bywater as Rodger
- Jim Saltouros as Olson
- Merrick Robison as Bruno
- Cory Goodrich as Geneva
- Tiffany Renee Johnson as Waitress
- Shaun Graves as SUV Driver
Notes and Trivia[]
- Shay has died from her wounds from the fire.
- Shay's killer would be introduced in a crossover between an episode of Chicago Fire and an episode of Chicago P.D.
- This marks the first appearance of Sylvie Brett.
- Mouch is currently dating Trudy Platt.
- Later on, the pair get married.