Chicago Fire season 12 fails Sylvie Brett in its resolution of Matt Casey’s proposal cliffhanger. The Chicago Fire season 11 finale left several lingering plot lines for the new season of One Chicago to address.
While the Chicago Fire season 12 premiere, “Barely Gone,” does exactly that, the aftermath of Brett and Casey’s engagement disrespects everything she has been through on the show, particularly in the last few years following Jesse Spencer’s exit.
Casey’s relocation to Portland, Oregon was part of One Chicago’s plan to write Spencer out of the series. At that point, he and Brett were in a fairly new relationship, and neither wanted to break up just because they were on opposite ends of the country.
Unfortunately, the long-distance arrangement proved to be difficult, so Brett chose to split up. She tried to move on with her life, and while her relationship with Dylan did not work out, she still had a home in Chicago, a fulfilling job, and a community of people who loved her.
Casey had returned to Chicago a few times since leaving Firehouse 51, but on his last visit, he unexpectedly proposed to Brett.
As revealed in the season 12 premiere of Chicago Fire, she accepted it and is now set to marry in a few weeks.
While this is a fantastic development, what comes next is disappointing, particularly for Brett’s future.
They have decided that she will move to Portland with him after the wedding, effectively uprooting her in a place where she has more diverse support and forcing her to leave a job he enjoys.
After everything Brett has been through—trying to stand on her own, adopting baby Julia, and launching her paramedicine project—it is unjust to see her abandon the life she has built in Chicago just to make her relationship with Casey work.
While there is no doubt that they love each other, it appears that she is doing all of the compromising, while he can maintain his status quo while also benefiting from her presence.
Ultimately, it is an unfair situation for Brett because Casey does not have to give up anything.
Understandably, Chicago Fire needs to find a way to write Brett off because Kara Killmer is leaving One Chicago. Giving her and Casey a happy future is a wonderful idea, but it should not be at the expense of her character.
The show needs to establish that Brett is staying within everything in Chicago just to marry Casey. More importantly, it must show that Casey, too, is making sacrifices to ensure that his fiancée isn’t getting the shorter end of the stick with this setup.
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