Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 6, ‘Birds of Prey.’Chicago Fire season 13 episode 6, ‘Birds Of Prey’, emphasized Firehouse 51’s ability to act quickly, but not without highlighting one of its biggest problems. The episode began with the fire department being alerted to a fire in an empty warehouse. The team sent Truck 81 to erase him, and with that decision, “Birds Of Prey” also showed the growing tension between Carver and the rest of his cast.
The episode also revealed that Severide’s investigation into the warehouse and fire led to the discovery of a box of 3D-printed guns and a deep connection to an ongoing police investigation. The revelation led to an unexpected collaboration between Severide and Chef Dom Pascal. Meanwhile, one of the Chicago FireMouch’s best characters dealt with a particularly sensitive pigeon in the fire department. While Chicago Fire Season 12, Episode 6 was solid in terms of character and expositionalso highlighted Firehouse 51’s biggest problem, revealing what was missing from the episode.
Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 5 Misses Herrmann and Kylie
Engine 51 Squadron is noticeably absent
Chicago FireKylie Estevez and Christopher Herrman were noticeably absent from Season 13 Episode 6. Although Herrmann has been an important character since Season 1, Kylie only recently joined the teamafter appearing sporadically in Chicago Fire since season 8. Herrmann and Kylie are part of Engine 51, led by Lieutenant Herrmann. Kylie had previously been part of another fire department, but Kidd recruited her to join Fire Station 51 as a replacement for Damon, who left at the beginning of season 13.
As a member of the same fire department, calls to 51 typically include all of its crews – Engine 51, Truck 81, and Squad 3. So it is curious why Engine 51 was not part of the response to the fire. Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 5 unfortunately gave no explanation for this. That said, Engine 51 may not have been the focus of the call because it was dealing with a different emergency off-screen.
Herrmann and Kylie’s absence highlights how Engine 51 is underutilized on Chicago Fire
As the main firefighting vehicle, engine 51 is used less than expected
As Fire Station 51’s primary firefighting vehicle, it is surprising how underutilized Engine 51 is in Chicago Fire. Its members are overlooked in comparison to other teams, including Squad 3 with Severide’s team and Truck 81 with Kidd’s team. Over the show’s 12 seasons Engine 51 has the least exposition and character development. It’s true that Hermann’s personal storyline was focused on, especially in the later years with Cindy and her health scares, but those stories still fell short compared to the arcs of other characters in the series. Hopefully this changes in the future.