This Is the ‘Chicago Fire’ Episode That Cannot Be Forgotten

Over its 13 seasons, Chicago Fire episodes have run the gamut of emotional scale. “A Coffin That Small” is heartbreaking, as is “Sacred Grounds,” with the latter featuring the last moments of fan-favorite character Otis (Yuri Sardarov). The intensity of episodes like “My Lucky Day” and “The Path of Destruction” had viewers glued to their seats, anxious to find out what happened next. On the lighter end — Chicago Fire is easily the most lighthearted in the One Chicago franchise — episodes like “Out With a Bang,” where Cruz (Joe Miñoso) and Capp (Randy Flagler) pour cement mix down the toilets at Molly’s only to learn that the bank isn’t shutting it down, feature legitimately funny moments. There’s literally something for everyone in the series, with fans quick to name some of their favorite episodes. But episodes that stay with you, ones you can’t stop thinking about, aren’t always quite the same. Sometimes, the episodes that live rent-free in your head may not even be particularly good, yet something happens within them that strikes a chord. For me, that episode is Season 13’s “In the Trenches, Part I.”

‘Chicago Fire’ Perfectly Sets Up One Chicago’s “In the Trenches” Crossover Event

Promotional image for Chicago Fire features firefighters, led by Severide (Taylor Kinney), climbing a ladder as fire rages below. — Image via NBC

One Chicago crossover events were, at one time, regular occurrences, bbut the last one, “Infection,” took place during the 2019-2020 season. Needless to say, news that 2025 would finally see another One Chicago crossover happen was greeted enthusiastically. Normally, Chicago Med is the lead-off show on NBC’s Chicago Wednesday, followed by Chicago Fire, with Chicago P.D. ending the evening’s lineup. However, as is typical with the crossovers, Chicago Fire would air first for the “In the Trenches” event. Introducing the event is an unenviable task at the best of times, let alone for the first crossover in five years. As the starter, “In The Trenches Part I” had to establish the situation, make room for the characters from its kin while keeping its primary focus on the firefighters of Firehouse 51, and make it instantly engaging. Despite the challenge, it succeeded, with “In the Trenches” setting season highs for all three of the One Chicago series.

Specifically, it succeeded with me, and that is what’s important. As much as I love Chicago Fire, there is a degree of sameness to most episodes. There’s an emergency, a medical emergency, and then two or three secondary storylines that either further an overarching narrative arc (the relationship between Violet (Hanako Greensmith) and Carver (Jake Lockett), for example) or a one-off bit of firefighter hijinks. But “In the Trenches” sets the bar high right from the start with a catastrophic event in downtown Chicago with multiple victims and a rapidly spreading fire. It actually felt like a can’t-miss event, like how a special episode should feel, but too often falls short of expectations.

Heading into the episode, I freely admit I had biases. I didn’t like Dermot Mulroney‘s Chief Dom Pascal. He was shady, and if the streets of Chicago were to open up and send him to his fiery doom, I might even have been alright with it. At the opposite end, my favorite character, hands down, is Herrmann (David Eigenberg), who I’ve long said is the heart of the show, and it was just a matter of time before he took his throne as Chief Herrmann. “In the Trenches, Part I” changed my mind on the former while inexplicably setting the stage for the latter. Pascal took charge, and it was the first time that season that he not only looked comfortable in the role but actively claimed it as his own. It finally made sense to me why Pascal was there, but it also showed that he wasn’t as antagonistic as he’d been made out to be. Pascal assumed from the start that he was merely a placeholder until Herrmann was given the role, leading to an unease between them. Yet, instead of being a pain about it, he takes Herrmann under his wing, teaching him what it takes to be a chief when all hell breaks loose, revealing a pretty decent man beneath his surly exterior, which I never expected.

David Eigenberg wearing firefighter gear, standing in front of a fire truck in Chicago Fire.

“He Had This Incredible Pressure on Him”: ‘Chicago Fire’ Showrunner Explains Herrmann’s Shocking Season 13 Finale Decision

Big things happened for everyone in the finale.

I Can’t Stop Thinking About ‘Chicago Fire’s “In the Trenches, Part I” Because of The Raw Character Moments

The unexpected character development is what I like about the episode, but that doesn’t explain why I can’t stop thinking about it. That’s where the rawness of the episode comes when all pretenses are dropped, and the firefighters reveal who they really are. There are two distinct things that happen in “In the Trenches, Part I” that best speak to this. The first comes when Herrmann, who has been shadowing Pascal, finally reveals that unless he joins his team on the front line, he will never be able to live with himself. It’s a favorite moment for my favorite character, a definitive statement about where his passion lies. It perfectly accentuates everything that I love about Herrmann, a character-defining moment that has stayed with me. It also foreshadows his surprising actions in the Season 13 finale, setting up another important character moment.

The second example had the power to be the most gut-wrenching One Chicago moment ever: the shooting of Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton). It was a legitimate surprise and the one story within the larger narrative that had me engrossed to the very end. She was literally dead, and they played that out through all three parts before she was brought back to life. And it wasn’t just the fact that she’s such a beloved character that made it so devastating, but Mouch’s (Christian Stolte) reaction to hearing the news added another layer of hurt. When he gets to Med to see Trudy, the look on his face is indescribable, just wrenched with the pain of seeing the love of his life taken away. You don’t forget (or forgive) a moment like that, one so raw and emotional that it hits you as if she were someone you knew personally. We’ve seen that wordless affection between them before, like in Season 5’s “My Miracle,” but not under circumstances like this. For those two show-stopping moments and a host of other heroic scenes throughout the hour, “In the Trenches, Part I” lives rent-free in my head and undoubtedly will for some time.