Chicago Fire Bringing Back Carver Was What Fans Deserved, But The Episode Proves Why He Shouldn’t Come Back Full-Time

Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 11 of Chicago Fire Season 14, called “Frostbite Blue” and available streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Chicago Fire is running out of episodes before a mini break for the Olympics on NBC in the 2026 TV schedule, but the hit drama still had time left to give me at least Severide (and me) one more scare about Van Meter’s health. On the upside, “Frostbite Blue” also featured the long-awaited return of a former Firehouse 51 hero: Sam Carver, played by a bearded Jake Lockett in his first appearance since being written out in the Season 13 finale. I didn’t realize how much I missed him, but now I’m realizing that he shouldn’t come back full-time... at least for now.

That’s not to say that there was any indication that he might be returning, but it’s not unprecedented for a Chicago Fire character to come back after a break, and Lockett didn’t get much of a sendoff the first time around except for a heated moment with Violet. It was just nice to get a little bit more of him back in the 51 atmosphere with more members of the cast, and for Carver to meet Vasquez.

The meeting with Vasquez actually went better than I expected after the promo leaned into the love triangle right after an emotional Stellaride reaffirmation last week. The two men certainly have some things in common: joining a firehouse filled with heroes who have been around for a really long time and love combining the professional with the personal, for one. And also crushing on Violet.

There was some tension between the two men at Molly’s after an awkward moment of Vasquez trying to get Carver to have a drink. He recovered well, though, when Carver shared that he doesn’t drink, and had no way of knowing the massive can of worms he nearly opened from last season. The tension was enough to settle my mind on the belief that Firehouse 51 might be a more enjoyable place with only Vasquez (or only Carver).

I maintain that Hanako Greensmith is capable of generating chemistry with anybody, so Violet’s romances tend to be pretty interesting on their own without needing any love triangle drama. I’d been nervous that Fire was going in that direction with Violet, Vasquez, and Novak before Novak made her love connection with Chicago Med’s Dr. Frost.

Plus, I’ve been enjoying Vasquez settling into a friendship rhythm with the two paramedics, even with the sparks flying (and now catching flame) between him and Violet. I’m always on the lookout for a trio that could recapture the magic of Casey, Dawson, and Severide from back in the day, and fans kind of got that with Violet, Ritter, and Novak. Vasquez has made some strides in making another trio, and I’d hate to lose that again after more than half a season.

Basically, I don’t need Chicago Fire to add a testosterone-fueled feud between Carver and Vasquez over Violet. Love triangles can drag enough that all three of the people involved are hard to root for by the end; I’m happy to have had Carver back for at least one episode after his unceremonious exit, and glad that all the baggage that came with him did the opposite of derailing Violet and Vasquez. I like Vasquez and I like Carver, and I don’t want to get tired of either of them.

Would I like to see Carver drop back in from time to time, or even in a more regular capacity? Sure, especially if he and Violet got their tension out of their systems in “Frostbite Blue” and nobody felt the need to try and assert dominance again. Now just isn’t the time for full-time Carver.

Plus, with the next mega three-parter crossover on the way, Chicago Fire fans have something huge to look forward to even if the One Chicago drama isn’t going to bring Carver back from Denver.The wait is even still on for a renewal for Season 15, so perhaps I just shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself.

Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. ET for the final episode before the 2026 Winter Olympics take over NBC’s primetime lineup for several weeks. Chicago Fire returns in early March for the crossover with Chicago Med and Chicago P.D., so the shows will hopefully make up for the mini winter hiatus by delivering something pretty thrilling.