Chicago Fire has explored many relationships over the years, ranging from the romantic to the bromantic to the totally platonic. Season 7 delivered a shocker to many fans when all signs began to point toward Brett and Casey developing feelings for each other. They'd been friends for years, and Casey's wife also happened to be Brett's BFF. Dawson's departure threw both characters for a loop, but when they began to move forward, they found... each other.
Of course, Season 7 never moved them beyond the stage of kinda sorta having mutual crushes, as Casey's attempt to recruit Brett as his plus-one to an event fell apart, and Brett more or less happily accepted Chaplain Kyle's proposal before the big fire that may or may not have killed one of the Firehouse 51 family. So, why the surprising decision to explore Brett/Casey?
Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas recently spoke with CinemaBlend about all things Fire, and he said this when I asked about the decision to explore a Brett and Casey relationship on the show:
We liked the way they play off of each other within scenes, and then even behind the scenes. They kind of have fun interactions all the time. They're both musical. They're both funny, and so then we were just like, 'Hmm, this could be two ships, almost. Maybe they could be a thing, but maybe not.' To us, that's interesting as writers.
Apparently, part of why Brett and Casey seemed worth exploring on Fire is simply that Kara Killmer and Jesse Spencer, who respectively play Brett and Casey, work well together in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Even though Chicago Fire probably won't have a musical episode any time soon, they have an affinity for music in common!
Their dynamic in Season 7 was certainly something new and fresh, which is arguably something the characters really needed in the aftermath of losing Dawson and both Brett and Casey's love lives taking a turn for the worse. In Casey's case, attempting to move on from Dawson with somebody new quite literally went up in flames!
That said, Derek Haas' comments don't suggest that Chicago Fire fans need to buckle up for the next Dawsey, which seemed written in the stars from nearly the very beginning up until Monica Raymund made her final surprise appearance to say goodbye in the Season 7 premiere. Maybe Casey and Brett will get together! Or maybe they won't.
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Either way, both probably have larger things to worry about than firehouse flirtations and plus-ones to events for the foreseeable future. The explosive cliffhanger that ended Chicago Fire Season 7 looks like it could have further-reaching repercussions than the closing credits of the Season 8 premiere.
There's the question of how Brett can continue to be engaged to Kyle after his transfer while she continues her job in Chicago, and then there's the fact that the new firefighter coming to 51 will be "a junior Severide and a junior Casey rolled into one." There's no way a character like that won't be at least a little bit of a handful for his commanding officers!
That said, Fire has found ways for characters to carry on romantic relationships in improbable circumstances in the past, so we shouldn't rule anything out. Gabby Dawson likely isn't returning, and even though a new paramedic has been cast for Season 8, I'm guessing Brett will still be part of the show.
Kara Killmer was pictured with much of the rest of the Chicago cast to kick off production of the new Fire, Med, and PD seasons. Notably, a certain firefighter actor who recently landed a job on another show was not. Should we worry about Joe Cruz in the final days ahead of Fire's Season 8 premiere?
Chicago Fire returns for the Season 8 premiere on Wednesday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Chicago Med will return the same night at 8 p.m. ET, with Chicago P.D. closing out the night at 10 p.m. ET.
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