Chicago Fire Has A Huge Personal Tragedy On The Way For One Firefighter, And One Change Seems A Lot Worse Now

by

The fourteenth season of Chicago Fire began in fall 2025 with plenty of drama, including news about Stella Kidd’s pregnancy and a new cast member from The X-Files. Sadly, we also said goodbye to Daniel Kyri’s character, Ritter. The next episode, airing October 22nd and available to stream on Peacock the following day, suggests one firefighter is facing a significant personal loss, and a generous choice he made last season might come back to haunt him. It doesn’t look good for Herrmann!

At the end of last season, Herrmann voluntarily took a lower rank so that Mouch could become an officer at their firehouse. Since then, the show has mostly played up the humorous side of Herrmann adjusting to being back on Truck 81, particularly his difficulty letting go of his old office. However, the upcoming episode, “Mercy,” airing October 22nd, suggests things are about to get more serious for his character. Here’s a preview.

While One Chicago promos never give away the full story of an episode, it seems clear enough that Herrmann is on the verge of losing his house to a fire. The shots of the home indicate that the structure is already pretty well ablaze by the time the firefighters arrive, but the bigger concern for David Eigenberg’s character is apparently that his daughter Annabelle was supposed to be at home, and she didn’t seem to be answering his calls. Who would have guessed that the best-case scenario for Herrmann would be just the destruction of his home in a fire?!

The episode description from NBC doesn’t confirm (or rule out) the worst coming for Herrmann in “Mercy,” but does shed some light on what to expect:

After a shocking fire, the firefighters of Firehouse 51 have to rely on each other to cope. Meanwhile, Vasquez keeps digging for the truth, and Violet and Novak hit a snag with the new training program.

Ultimately, while we’re worried about Annabelle and the Herrmann house, it’s hard not to think about how much things have changed. What seemed like a funny problem in the beginning of Season 14 – the family dealing with less money after Herrmann went back to being a firefighter on Truck 81 – now feels really sad. They were already struggling financially even before the fire.

Even with excellent fire insurance, this fire will likely cause significant financial and emotional hardship for the family. Will Herrmann question his decision to decline a promotion – and the accompanying salary increase – if his family faces even greater difficulties after the fire?

If that’s true, let’s hope Annabelle isn’t a long-term problem for the family. I’m hoping the reason she didn’t respond in the preview is simply because she ran out with something still on – like a hot stove, candle, or curling iron – meaning she’s safe. But if she’s still in the burning building, I really hope the Herrmanns all escape with only minor injuries by the end of the next episode.

If you’re a fan of the Chicago shows like I am, you can catch the newest episodes of Chicago Fire every Wednesday night on NBC at 9 p.m. Eastern. It fits right into the lineup – Chicago Med airs before it at 8 p.m., fresh off celebrating its 200th episode, and Chicago P.D. follows at 10, though things are changing up with the cast soon. And the good news is, if you miss it live, all three shows are streaming on Peacock, so you can binge-watch whenever you want!

Read More

2025-10-22 13:08