It’s been a recurring joke on Chicago Fire that Randall “Mouch” McHolland is lazy, but season 12 seems to want to flip that narrative. But for many long-time fans, we know that Mouch is anything but lazy when he’s on the job. That bell rings, and Mouch is all business. He’s been a hero on many occasions, other than the fact that the firefighter is a hero anytime he hops on the rig.
He saved a six-year-old girl from a party store and received the Firefighter’s Award of Valor for his heroism. It’s a scene that brings me to tears. It was a dangerous fire because the owner used cheap gas for the balloons, which made them flammable. He tells Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) that they all have to evacuate, but as he’s heading out himself, he hears the young girl and turns around. He sweeps her up, and when the fire blocks his path, he creates a new one by kicking down the shelves. Mouch (Christian Stolte) finally made it to the outside, and the building exploded. He fell to his knees, covering the girl with his body. This is the Mouch, which fans have gotten to know and fallen in love with.
It’s kind of a similar story with Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg). Both have been at this job for a long time, and both were pretty content where they were and just enjoying their work until retirement. It wasn’t until season seven that Hermann finally got inspired to become a lieutenant. The firefighter showed real leadership for Firehouse 51 when he stood up against Jerry Gorsch (Steven Boyer). Of course, it wasn’t all about being content where he was for Hermann; he also failed his lieutenant test multiple times, but this last time was different. He was ready for the responsibility.
That time may have come for Mouch. Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) returned to Firehouse 51 in “Port in the Storm” to marry Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer), and he told Mouch, “It’s not too late to retire with some brass on your collar.” Casey isn’t wrong. Within minutes of Casey returning, Mouch saved a young boy from the neighborhood. Once Brett discovered he had a battery in his nose, Mouch told his mom to blow into her son’s mouth and ensure it was completely covered while he held the other nostril shut. After she did this twice, the battery popped out. Mouch is always stepping up when he knows what to do or falling in line when the best thing to do is what his lieutenant tells him.
While Casey saying this makes this an obvious next step for Mouch, this season has been planting the seeds for this. When Mouch got shot in the season 11 finale, we were left wondering if he would survive after he started heavily bleeding in one of the final moments of the episode. Some fans worried Mouch would not be returning for season 12 based on a social media post he made saying how grateful he was to be on this show:
“Our 11th Season Finale airs tonight. No spoilers, I just want to say it’s been an extraordinary 11 years, and I am so very grateful for the experience. Truck on, Chi-Hards.”
We can all see how this could be construed as a goodbye post, but it was just a gratitude post.
We were all relieved to find out that Mouch was fine in the season 12 premiere. He had a long recovery that the show mostly skipped over, which was good. Firehouse 51 would not be the same without Mouch. But he lost some weight, felt like a new man, and didn’t want to carry around his “Mouch” nickname, which meant Man Couch. He wanted to go by his last name, McHolland. It’s undoubtedly a distinguished name, but Mouch is more than just his spot on the couch. But it was respectable that he wanted to be healthier. He felt like he was revitalizing himself and that his name held him back because of its meaning.
Boden, as Boden does, reminds Mouch who he is at heart, the hero he is. And that’s what Mouch stands for. I will also note that Mouch is a softy. He may like to seem like a tough guy, but he has such a big heart. I love Mouch because he’s always been so good to the new recruits and continues to be a role model for younger firefighters.
An example of his mentorship was with Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri). Mouch met Ritter in the stairway during the apartment building fire in season seven. It was Ritter’s first fire, and he froze. He couldn’t move. But Mouch snapped him out of it, and Ritter even made his first save that day. He was kicked off of Engine 37 because he froze and quit the CFD, but Mouch convinced him to come back and convinced Hermann to invite him onto Engine 51. Hermann and Mouch have molded Ritter into a fine firefighter.
Chicago Fire season 12 showed how Mouch was striving for more after his recovery. He just wasn’t thinking big enough until Matt Casey suggested it. The series is not the same without Casey, and it feels different with Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) coming in and out. However, it’s nice that Casey can come into an episode and still have such a profound impact (and it seems like he’s open to keep popping by.)
Mouch on the lieutenant track sounds like a great direction for the character. There are no openings at Firehouse 51, so could this be how he exists the show? I definitely don’t want it to be another Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) situation where he goes after it and then steps back like Cruz did after Severide and him made up. But Mouch has always been made for more. He’s been a leader this whole time. And I would love to see him become an officer. It’s also a great way to challenge him and see his character grow after all these years.
Make sure to catch up on Chicago Fire on Peacock before it returns on March 20, 2024.
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