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If you’ve watched Chicago Fire long enough, you know their secret recipe: gut punches frilled with heroism. But Season 14, Episode 4 (titled "Mercy") lit a match to that formula. Literally, the episode revolved around veteran firefighter Christopher Herrmann's (David Eigenberg) home going up in flames. This forces him and his family to face what they never even thought of.
The episode opened on a happy and homey note: Herrmann, Cindy, and the kids shared a sweet morning routine as everyone headed out. He was measuring the kids’ heights on the wall, which is code for "something awful is about to happen." His daughter Annabelle felt under the weather, Cindy was getting ready for a new job, and for a moment, life at Casa Herrmann seemed normal.
Then the call came in for a fire at his address!
And of course, Firehouse 51 rushed to the scene, though they hadn't been assigned to it. Herrmann was panicked as he bolted into the house and searched for Annabelle, who hadn't been answering her phone. Just then, Cindy arrived and informed that Annabelle had gone to school after all. But this relief is short-lived. The Hermann family loses everything in the fire.
Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 4 recap: What did Herrmann and Severide get up to?
While nobody was physically hurt, it was mentally taxing. Herrmann blamed himself and was convinced that his DIY wiring had caused the fire.
Cindy had been composed for the kids, but her face said everything: how do you comfort children who’ve lost their childhood memories to ash?
Then came Severide (Taylor Kinney), who Herrmann called in to help figure out what went wrong. Soon, the two were deep in burn patterns and kitchen debris. Severide suspected the fire started in the kitchen, but couldn’t pinpoint the cause. That’s when Herrmann confessed to the wiring job.
Meanwhile, Mouch (Christian Stolte) tried to step up as the team’s MVP as he found an apartment for the Herrmanns and reminded his friend that "it’s just stuff." Herrmann snapped back that it was actually everything to them.
We also saw a mentorship between Severide and Isaiah, who was curious about fire investigations. This thread could potentially groom the next firehouse detective in training on Chicago Fire.
Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 4 recap: What caused the fire?
The investigation finally brought relief. Severide and Van Meter discovered the culprit: a short in the stove’s ignition. Herrmann wasn’t to blame after all. Mouch delivered the news and helped Herrmann sift through the wreckage for anything salvageable. They found Cindy’s mother’s ring that got spared.
By the end of Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 4, Herrmann had apologized for his outburst, and Cindy said to him that they still had each other.
The camera lingered on their hug.
Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 4 recap: What was happening at Firehouse 51?
Violet and Novak finally debuted their firefighter-paramedic training program. And that only got boosted as Capp filled in for Herrmann and turned out to be adept.
Also, Vasquez dove into his father’s wrongful conviction as he uncovered that key medical reports had vanished from the case files. The missing report could prove his father’s innocence on Chicago Fire Season 14.
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Watch Chicago Fire Season 14 on NBC.
NEXT UP: Andrea Newman on why the season began with a miscarriage
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