Christian Stolte picked a classic episode for an unexpected reason.
Mouch (Christian Stolte) is a Chicago Fire mainstay. He’s been part of the show since the very beginning, and he’s always brought up when fans get to talking about their favorite characters. He brings a lovable presence to the table, and has been bolstered by some pretty memorable storylines.
Stolte sat down to discuss the show, and his role within it, during a 2022 interview with Screen Magazine. The actor shed light on Mouch’s journey since season 1, but the most interesting part came when he was asked to name his favorite episode of all time.
Stolte chose a 2018 One Chicago crossover
Surely, Stolte would opt for an episode that puts Mouch at the forefront, right? Well, not quite. The actor did single out the episode that he felt contained his best ever rescue scene (the aptly titled “Natural Born Firefighter” from season 9), but he reserved his highest praise for an episode that doesn’t feature much Mouch:
““Going to War” by Andrea Newman and Michael Gilvary, directed by Reza Tabrizi.”
“Going to War” was the second episode of season 7, and while Mouch is present, the crux of the episode focuses on the crossover between all three One Chicago shows. There’s lots of chaotic things happening, including a raging fire in a highrise building and a desperate search for a missing family member (the father of Chicago Med‘s Will Halstead and PD‘s Jay Halstead).
‘Going to War’ marked Darren Ritter’s debut
While these elements are obviously part of the episode’s appeal, “Going to War” topped Stolte’s list for a completely different reason. He’s fond of “Going to War” because it was the first time he got to act alongside Daniel Kyri, who made his debut as Darren Ritter in the episode:
“That’s the episode where we first meet Daniel Kyri’s character, Ritter. I loved shooting and watching [it].”
Mouch and Ritter have gone to have one of the most underrated friendships in the entire show, so it makes sense that Stolte would look upon the latter’s introduction fondly. He admitted that with so many episodes under his belt, it can be tough to differentiate them.
He referred to this struggle as the “10 year blur” factor, but if anything, it affirms how much fun he had during the making of “Going to War.” Makes us want to rewatch it, actually.
