NBC’s “Chicago Fire” is a compelling network drama that explores the personal and professional lives of fictional first responders in one of America’s most dangerous cities. Like any long-running show, fans have developed very specific feelings about the main characters over the years. Some viewers were very unhappy with Casey’s departure, while other fans have conflicting reactions about characters like Gabby Dawson. However, it’s underdogs like Christopher Herrmann who hold a special place in the hearts of people who regularly tune in.
Played by former Marine David Eigenberg, “Hermie-Herm” has been on the show since the beginning and has experienced his share of shenanigans. Fans like u/peet192 love his character because he reminds them of the unabashedly honest Dr. Cox from “Scrubs,” memorably portrayed by John C. McGinley. The poor dude can’t seem to catch a break, though. He often gets passed over for promotions, and he’s gone years without having his own office despite his high rank. Still, his best and most-talked-about storyline reaches back to a series of episodes that started late in Season 5.
Herrmann goes above and beyond to save a life, but someone else gets a medal for it
In the Season 5 finale, “My Miracle,” a warehouse fire has the station scrambling to get the blaze under control. Casey (Jesse Spencer), Mouch (Christian Stolte), and Herrmann are among those who enter the building to save civilians. Mouch suffers a cardiac event, forcing Herrmann to drop everything and administer CPR. Casey finds himself trapped amidst the flames. Outside, the other first responders turn on the hoses to douse the blaze, inadvertently raining down a torrent of boiling water on Mouch and Herrmann, who suffers severe burns. Casey saves himself by covering himself and a civilian with a piece of furniture, and the season ends on a nail-biting cliffhanger.
The Season 6 premiere, “It Wasn’t Enough,” opens with a formal gathering of the first responders and a large portrait of Casey in uniform, tricking the audience into thinking it’s his funeral. Seconds later, the shot cuts to Casey, alive and well, getting a medal pinned on his chest. Herrmann sits in the audience, looking forlorn.
Fans — who admired Herrmann’s heroism and were mad that it wasn’t acknowledged — are still riled up about it to this day. On Reddit, u/rayoncee started a thread about Herrmann’s chronic underappreciation, citing this moment as a specific incident of the character being overlooked. In another Reddit rant, u/Big-Collection5089 started a discussion about events from Season 8, and it wasn’t long before u/pinelogr brought the storyline up again, with support from u/OkCiao5eiko. Before long, their cluster of comments got upvoted all the way to the top of the thread. The fact that audiences still can’t get that arc out of their heads shows how important it was for Herrmann’s overall character development.
