Chicago Fire fans are used to their favorite characters being in mortal danger but, those close calls don’t usually involve the paramedic duo of Violet and Novak — until now.
Jocelyn Hudon, who plays paramedic Lyla Novak, exclusively told Us Weekly that the Wednesday, April 22, episode of the NBC series is all about the women trusting “their instincts to get out of a dangerous situation and save some lives.”
Unlike most episodes of the show, Novak and her paramedic partner and Ambo 61 leader Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) won’t be backed by their entire firehouse. In fact, the actors told Us they are pretty much on their own for much of the episode.
“We’re working with a smaller operation,” Greensmith, 29, told Us ahead of Wednesday’s episode, noting that fans will see Violet and Novak “band together” with one firefighter to “save not only each other’s lives, but the lives of the other people in the situation.”
Hudon, 31, teased that fans will feel like they are right there “with us in the bunker for the whole episode,” confirming, “It’s definitely different and unique for our show.”
In the upcoming episode, titled “Instinct,” Violet and Novak are “thrust into a dangerous and rapidly escalating situation” while out in the field, according to the official logline.
The situation then forces them to “rely on their instincts to protect both themselves and a vulnerable patient,” per NBC.
While most of the details of the call haven’t been released, a preview for the episode revealed that Violet and Novak get flagged down by a man claiming his girlfriend is in labor.
When they get to the man’s basement, they discover that the pregnant woman is being held captive and chained to a bed, so the paramedics must try to find a way out — and keep their patient safe.
“You have no idea what’s going to happen next,” Greensmith told Us of the premise, noting that like life itself, this episode has many twists and turns. “Of course, [there is the] belief in what our capabilities are. But at the end of the day, we’re working with a live wire.”
The actress revealed that Violet and Novak have “no idea what this man is capable of” after being lured to the basement to tend to the pregnant woman.
Violet has experienced several romantic heartbreaks on Chicago Fire, and while season 14 will start with a breakup it won’t be all doom and gloom for the paramedic. “Violet has had some tortured relationships in the past and is coming off some serious heartbreak,” showrunner Andrea Newman exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, September 25, […]
Greensmith teased that there comes a point where the paramedics “become very well aware that he’s capable of killing someone, and that definitely changes the stakes and the dynamics at that time.”
Hudon noted that once Novak and Violet get “taken to a second location,” it signifies that something isn’t right.
“Then when he takes Novak to the third location, you’re like, ‘Oh, like, separating us [is a bad sign],’” she explained to Us, adding that the man “seems to be devolving and racking up the intensity” with every scene.
Hudon confessed, “It just gets scarier and scarier,” but as an actor, she admitted it was “cool to play [up] the intensity.”
Chicago Fire airs on NBC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
