#Chicago Fire Season 9 Episode 13 Review: Don’t Hang Up

It may not have been a ‘trapped in a life-or-death situation,’ but Kidd still got her own rescue episode of sorts.

She was pretty darn impressive as she helped rescue a terrified girl being held in the basement by the gang with very little information to go on throughout Chicago Fire Season 9 Episode 13.

If that doesn’t convince the top brass at CFD headquarters that Kidd deserves a shot at a promotion, then I’m not sure what will.

Kidd was everything you could ever want in a first responder in this sort of situation: kind, compassionate, resourceful, intelligent, determined.

Never once did she consider giving up, even when it seemed unlikely that she would be able to find Aaliyah.

The cards were stacked against her — Aaliyah refused to give Kidd her name and call the police, and Kidd had no information about the situation or where Aaliyah was being kept — but somehow, Kidd found her way through it.

With an assist from Severide, Boden, and Kylie, Kidd saved not but two lives.

Had it not been for them, Aaliyah and her brother Douglas may have been killed instead of safely returning to their mother’s arms.

From Kidd’s point of view, Aaliyah saved herself, which is partly true, but had the teenager called any old first responder, they might not have tried as hard to find Aaliyah’s location and get her out of the basement safely.

Aaliyah: I should have stayed in your class.

Kidd: No.

Aaliyah: I didn’t think I was good enough.

Kidd: There isn’t a girl in that class who isn’t good enough, all right. That’s what I was trying to tell you when you first came.

Aaliyah: I should have listened. No one ever told me that before. Maybe, I couldn’t hear it from you.

Kidd: Well, that’s on me, OK. Not on you because I had never done that before, taught a bunch of girls. I didn’t have anyone in my life like that, not at that age. No one to tell me what my worth was, so, um, I didn’t know how to do it.

Aaliyah: No, no, you were strong. I think about how strong you were all the time.

Or, they may have just passed the call off to the police, and by the time CPD got to investigating, it may have been too late.

Kidd can try to spin this any way she wants, but she is a hero.

Because only a true hero would have recognized the strength it took for Aaliyah to call and ask for help in the first place and admit that maybe she failed — though I don’t think Kidd did — when she couldn’t get through to Aaliyah during the first Girls on Fire meeting.

Yes, Kidd should be proud of herself, and that’s not a bad feeling to have when you go to take a test that could determine the rest of your future at the CFD.

If Kidd needed any more convincing that she’s earned a shot at being lieutenant based on her own merit, then she should look no further than this shift.

Her heroics helped save a sister and brother, along with giving a guy impaled on a tree branch after being thrown from his car a chance to live.

Stella Kidd, you got this. She’s going to rock that lieutenant’s exam and pass. However, what happens when she passes is another story.

It took Herrmann years to be promoted to lieutenant after passing the exam, so it could take that long, if not longer, until a possible promotion.

Then there’s also the question of if she can stay at 51 or would she have to transfer to another firehouse?

Aaliyah: You saved my life.

Kidd: You saved your own life is what you did. Yours and your brother’s. Do you have any idea how strong that makes you?

Aaliyah: Do you think I can come back to Girls on Fire.

Kidd: You come back anytime, anytime.

Is it even possible for Kidd to be promoted to lieutenant and still serve under Casey, or can there only be one officer per truck company?

If the former were possible, couldn’t Herrmann have been promoted to lieutenant under Casey without switching to engine?

Inquiring minds — also known as me — would like to know, though television may have its own rules about firehouse hierarchy.

And even though this episode was Kidd-centric, there was plenty of other drama within the firehouse, most notably the “reveal” that Brett loves Casey.

We all knew that’s how our lead paramedic felt, but she’s been able to convince Casey that she doesn’t feel that way about him anymore.

However, the news that Brett reciprocates Casey’s feelings will change their dynamic.

Casey had agreed to give Brett space, but part of that space was due to the incorrect assumption that she didn’t love him.

Now that Casey knows the truth, it becomes of question of what he’ll do with this information.

He’ll most likely confront Brett before Chicago Fire Season 9 ends about her feelings and admit he feels the same, but what’s less clear is what Casey expects to happen.

Casey: I just wanted to talk to you, man to man. Brett and I were never really an item. She asked for space, and I backed off. Plain and simple. I know you’re a great guy, and I see the way you’re into her. And I want you to know, I’m not going to try to get in the way of that. I want her to be happy. That’s all I want.

Grainger: You don’t get it, do you? I’m not thinking about what you’re going to do or not do. Honestly, I don’t care. What I think about is Sylvie. From everything I’ve witnessed over the last few months, she’s in love you.

He wants to be in a relationship with Brett, but if she pushes back again or tries to deny how she feels, he may be tempted to respect her wishes and drop the subject.

However, at the very least, Casey should fight for what he and Brett could have, not in the relentless stalking and badgering her sort of way, but in the ‘grand declaration holding a boombox over his head’ way.

He also needs to figure out what he’ll say before confronting Brett because if things go badly, he may not get another chance. So fingers crossed, things work out for those crazy kids.

Lastly, Cruz tried — and failed — to unseat the self-proclaimed swaddler king, who we all know would have been no match for Herrmann.

In such a heavy episode, these hijinks were fun to watch and added some much-needed levity to the installment.

Violet may not have the same bond with Cruz as Mackey did, but their scenes were still entertaining to witness.

Violet is an unexpected and weird cheerleader, but her enthusiasm over her and Cruz learning to swaddle properly was adorable.

Of course, neither of them could top Herrmann, the actual swaddler king. Five children will do that for you.

Herrmann managed to show up both Cruz and Violet, but not in his usual annoying way.

Cruz: What are we doing in here?

Violet: Brett told me where to find them.

Cruz: Find what?

Violet: Not what. Who. Oh, what name did you pick out for your son?

Cruz: Why?

Violet: So we can… you know.

Cruz: No.

Violet: Fine, you pick out baby no name, and I’ll take what’s left.

As I’ve mentioned before, as of late, Herrmann has been charming and delightful, and this time was no different.

He was superior over Cruz and Violet but didn’t feel the need to rub it in unnecessarily and was proud of how much better Cruz had gotten. 

Please, powers that be, keep this version of Herrmann.

Some stray thoughts:

• Ever since their reconciliation, Severide has been the picture-perfect boyfriend. He helps Kidd study, offers plenty of encouragement, and followed her lead with everything that happened with Aaliyah. This is the Severide we know and love. Thank you for coming back.

• Gallo and Ritter were so sweet to help Donna out, and you could tell they had a lot of fun themselves. They’re still kids at heart and got a kick out of fooling around. I do love those guys.

• Did anyone else catch the callback to the standing desk when Kylie offered it to Donna? Great continuity.

So what did you think, Chicago Fire Fanatics?

How impressive was Kidd?

Will Casey confront Brett about her feelings?

Is Cruz ready for fatherhood?

Don’t forget to hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. If you missed the latest episode, remember you can watch Chicago Fire online at TV Fanatic.

Jessica Lerner is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.