Instructor Linda Peterson
Composition 2 Eng-106FN0213SP
April 13, 2013
To the right audience, Chicago Fire can be said to be the “best show they have ever watched.” It is full of suspense, drama, and just enough romance to keep the women interested. The show is based on a firehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Each person that is part of the team is a main character. Each episode focuses on a few of the characters and lets you in on there life. Chicago Fire isn’t like any other show I have ever watched, they show the friendly yet stressful side of a fire department. Some of the characters include, Matthew Casey, Kelly Severide, Gabriela Dawson, Leslie Shay, Peter Mills, Chief Wallace Boden, Joe Cruz, and some other faces that don’t have to big of roles (Chicago). The suspense portions of the show include how they end each show, along with how they lead up to commercials. For example, there is a “gang” of men who had been stalking the firehouse because Cruz had a younger brother who was part of the gang, but through a long series of events Cruz was part of killing the lead gang member. He kept it a secret because the lead member was in a fire and Cruz just pretended he didn’t see him so he burned to death. The suspense that comes from this situation is down the road when Casey tries to approach the members and he could be killed and right as he came into contact with them they cut to commercial. Whether or not you watch the show every week or not, the moment specifically would keep you waiting until the commercials are over just to see what happens. Another instance is when Shay, who is an EMT with Dawson, is helping a homeless person who is sick and tries putting in an IV and the man freaks out and it pricks Shay in the arm. They then cut to her in the hospital possibly having to worry about contracting and STD or AIDS. When watching it you can tell the creator loves leaving the audience with that suspense because it happens nearly every episode. Although the suspense keeps me coming back for the next episode, it’s not the only thing. The romance is my favorite part. There are two romance situations that always keep you guessing. The first one is Shay and Severide, Shay is a claimed lesbian and Severide is a man who has been in two serious relationships throughout the show. Shay and Severide aren’t dating, but they are roommates and great friends. What makes me see a connection with the two is that Shay wants to have a baby and it