There’s a lot we love about One Chicago shows beyond ships but, let’s face it, we can’t live without ships! And couples are important to the emotional development of the characters in Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med, so we’re going to analyze the progress of our beloved ships each week in a roundtable.
All our feels about these ships will be summarized here and we’re only going to dedicate ourselves to them for, you know, reasons … but you can check our full reviews if you want much more. And now, let’s take a look at the love lives of our favorite firefighters, cops and doctors!
Here we go!
We start with the elephant in the room: Chicago Fire. It was a sad episode for Brettsey. Did you expect this plot? Do you think this is goodbye or just … a way to develop the characters and the couple? Is this moving Brettsey forward or is the show’s way of backing down with them?
Raquel: No, I wasn’t expecting this plot twist, I didn’t see it coming and it’s always great when a show surprises you … although it’s better when it does it with something happier. I don’t think this is goodbye for either the actor or Brettsey. That is a fact for me. They took a long time to cement Brettsey on a solid and secure foundation, for the feelings between them to grow, to make it clear that the only future for Matt is with Brett by his side.
They’re not going to throw that away, it wouldn’t make sense because they wouldn’t have taken the time to do it in the first place. We knew there were going to be problems between them soon, maybe we didn’t expect this but they are still the problems that we already knew they were going to have and honestly, knowing that they were going to have problems, I prefer it to be something like that, that fits so well with Matt’s way of being, who he’s with.
This is not going to separate them, it is going to unite them more. It may be difficult to see now but it is what is going to happen, this is the beginning of their step forward as a couple, of their future and it is clear to me that Matt will not be away from Chicago for long.
Apart from this, I agree with my partners, if they really wanted to throw Brettsey overboard and let the actor go, they would do it differently, bringing back the story of Gaby so that his departure would make sense, in addition to having prepared the story long before.
So no, this is just a bend in the road for Brettsey but what looks like an end is actually a beginning.
Lizzie: No, but I’m asking very honestly …why was it a sad episode for Brettsey? It was a good episode for Brettsey, they had a cute scene at the beginning where Matt clearly established he wanted a future with Brett, then they checked up on each other while Matt was away. How’s that bad for Brettsey?
The rest …the rest is outside stuff. It has nothing to do with them, or their feelings for each other. Sure, outside stuff can and does affect the couple, but it’s not about them. Nothing bad has happened to them. No one has chosen to leave the other. They’re just having some outside issues to figure out, and outside issues that make sense, that go to the heart of who Casey is as a character.
Do I believe the show intends to write Casey out? Hell no. I’d say I’m 100% sure, but I mean, the Veronica Mars finale exists to prove showrunners, sometimes, for whatever reason, write against common sense and their own story — but that’s the exception, not the rule. Chicago Fire hasn’t been that show, doesn’t look like it wants to be that show, and more importantly, this storyline isn’t written as if that’s the case.
Like I said in my review, if this was about writing Matt out, we’d be seeing — or at least hearing — about Gabby. That’d be the only way to write him out at this point that would sort of make sense, and if the show were to write him out in episode 5 of season 10, they’d have ample time to craft the perfect storyline. The perfect storyline isn’t …this …because this isn’t a storyline, it’s just …a complication in the middle of a thousand other storylines. There’s no conclusion. So no, Matt isn’t leaving (or the show is truly not the show I thought it was). And Brettsey… well, they’re gonna be just fine. As I said before, this isn’t about them at all.
Logan: Let me start with this: there is no way Matt Casey is leaving Chicago for more than a few weeks. First of all, Jesse Spencer has said numerous times that he loves the show and has no reason to want to leave, but aside from that let’s look at the set up we’ve gotten for this plot. Break it down with me.
Casey is serious about Brett. They have made sure to show us this in a very pointed way. Especially in this episode. His “that’ll do for now” when presented with two drawers and “I just need to talk to my girlfriend” were extremely telling. Any future he wants has Sylvie in it. In my mind, Brettsey splitting up is not an option no matter what Casey decides. He’s going to do everything he can to keep Sylvie in his life.
Griffin came running to Chicago when he needed help. He didn’t go to one of these supposed “friends and neighbors” in Oregon when he felt overwhelmed. No, he ran all the way to Chicago and Matt and said to Matt that he didn’t want to leave. This is important. The boys are old enough now to have a say in what happens to them. They are clearly not happy in Oregon or else why run to Matt at all?
51 is a family. We have heard this over and over again in these first four episodes. Also, the line about one firefighter’s kid being every firefighters’ kid? Also important! The show is telling us that everyone at 51 is ready and willing to support the Darden Boys and Matt at a moment’s notice. They’re not just “friends and neighbors” to Griffin and Ben. They’re family.
So, did I expect this plot? Not until we heard the rumor that Griffin was coming back. But since then? Yes, I have to admit I did. This plot is about honoring the way the show began. It’s about the house living out the CFD slogan, “we’re there when you need us”. This plot is bigger than Matt and there is no way he will be dealing with it all on his own.
Let’s keep in mind what happened in Oregon. Matt suggested a perfectly reasonable solution to the boys’ problem. One that solved everything. Moving them to Chicago wouldn’t just give them Matt. It would give them a true community — one they came from in the first place. Matt has good instincts and he knows those boys even after so many years apart. So, why did he suddenly back off of that plan? Because the outside opinions of people who do not know Griffin and Ben the way he does made him doubt himself.
Do you think the show is going to leave it there and let that doubt win? Would that be a satisfying way to send Matt Casey off into the sunset? No, it would not. What we’re going to see next, whether it’s in 10×05 or a couple of episodes later, is Matt realizing his first instinct was the right solution.
Is it the easy solution? Hell no. It means petitioning the court, fighting the idiot social worker, convincing Heather to let him take the boys out of state, and finding a permanent home in Chicago where they can all live together. It’s a curvy and treacherous path. But in the long run, both Matt and the boys will be better and stronger as a part of a family that will surround them and support them. And, as we learned through Ritter and Eric, the right answer is not always the easy answer.
No, the easy answer is to give in and move to Oregon. The easy answer is for Matt to allow the boys to continue to be stifled in a life they never chose. In the short term it may keep them together, but in the long term it won’t make any of them truly happy.
So, do I think this is the show’s way of backing off on Brettsey? No damn way. This latest struggle is going to be hard and possibly even long but they will come out of it even closer than they were before. Sylvie will support Matt in every way she possibly can and Matt will need that support every step of the way.
There’s a slim chance I’m fooling myself, but from where I’m standing all signs still point to Brettsey endgame. Every problem keeping Matt from having Sylvie and the boys in his life is a fixable temporary problem. None of what the incompetent social woker and shortsighed guidance counselor said are fixed and immovable. They just require Matt to be willing to find the solution, and by that I mean a true permanent solution that will be best for everyone involved.
If anyone can handle that, it’s Matt Casey, and especially Matt Casey with Sylvie Brett on his team. Their story is far from over. I have no doubts about that.
CHICAGO PD
Chicago PD was a hit after hit. Where do you think Upstead goes from here? Do you think there is a future or is trust too damaged for that? Will this make them grow as a couple?
Raquel: Of course, this episode was a punch right in our guts. Trust is damaged, that’s a fact, but when you love someone as much as Upstead love each other, trust can be regained. Yes, it costs a lot to do it but in those cases trust is not usually damaged enough that there is no solution, because you have the will to forgive.
The episode has made it clear that Jay is aware of Voight’s guilt in all this, he blames him but inevitably this leads to problems with Hailey because he is going to feel that he cannot be sure that Hailey is telling the truth when she tells him that she wants to marry him because he will not be sure if she really wants to or if it is just a reaction to what is happening.
Jay isn’t really going to be sure of anything about her for a while. And that will bring problems, not only because of the lack of confidence but also because of the fact that Jay, whether he trusts her or not, still loves her and the last thing he wants is to pressure her to do something that she really doesn’t want to do. Jay always respected Hailey’s times and her feelings.
He, despite not knowing everything about her past, knows enough not to have ever pressured her, to be sure that everything that happened between them was her choice. And the marriage or their relationship is not going to be any different. So with Upstead now it’s about Hailey showing Jay that everything that’s going on between them, the future they’re planning together, is still her choice and that it always was and Jay has to just realize that and be there for Hailey every step of the way.
Yes, this is going to make them grow as a couple a lot and, frankly, the future looks bright.
Lizzie: I feel like I already wrote a treatise about this in my review, but I’m just going to go over the bullet points again, particularly as it relates to Upstead.
- Too damaged my ass. I think the episode was very clear that Jay is, mostly, rightly upset at Voight for emotionally manipulating Hailey. Jay knows Voight is responsible, and more importantly, he knows Voight is not to be trusted.
- Jay’s mention re: the engagement makes me think that what we’re going to get, angst wise, is Jay doubting that Hailey truly wants to marry him. This is important, because the last thing Jay Halstead wants, especially right now, is to be another man taking advantage of Hailey’s emotional state. If he feels she didn’t think about marrying him, that she didn’t necessarily want it, but that it was just a reaction, he might pull back because …he wants her to be sure. But also, because, deep down, Jay needs someone to truly choose him. Not impulsively, but with a clear head, choose him. After what happened with Erin, that’s what he needs. And Hailey has already done that before, chosen him. I have no doubt she will do it again.
- I think this will absolutely make them grow as a couple, because I don’t think they’re breaking up, and I think it’ll give them a chance to work together, hopefully to figure out the Voight situation, but at the very least to figure out how to truly be what the other person needs. Because they trust each other with their lives, and with their hearts, and now they need to truly trust each other with the bad parts, and that is the kind of trust that only comes from, well, more trust. When you truly believe another person will love you no matter what, it makes it easier to show that person the sides of you you might not think are fit to be shown in public.
Anyway, in conclusion, Hailey and Jay are going to be fine, they’ve built a relationship with a truly solid foundation, and that means that even if things look shaky right now, they’re not gonna fall. They’ll hold long enough to patch whatever crack appears.
Logan: THAT ENDING. How could they leave it there? Jay’s response to Voight gave me hope about his response to Hailey, but he looked very upset while standing in their bedroom doorway so I’m being cautiously optimistic.
He was certainly on Hailey’s side with Voight and he knew exactly where the blame should lie. So, I do think he understands but I think they’ll first have to deal with his hurt at being lied to. It’s understandable that he would feel as if she left him out when she shouldn’t but Jay also knows the weird power Voight holds. He knows how it can affect someone.
I feel like they’ll be facing a bit of an uncomfortable conversation, but I would like to see them get through it and come out on the other side a stronger and more united couple.
At Chicago Med we discovered a secret from Stevie’s past: she was married. Do you think the show will involve Will in this story? Do you think that the problems that both are going through are going to unite them? We’re still worried about Vanessa and Marcel, where do you think they are going with this? Did you change your mind from last week?
Raquel: I don’t think Will be involved in this, or at least I hope so. I think it’s time to develop the characters individually before introducing a story that can lead to the beginning of a ship. So I wish this was just about Stevie, just her story.
I didn’t change my opinion about Marcel and Vanessa one iota. I don’t want them together, at least for now. Maybe if the show does things right and it gives this relationship some time, I can change my mind and this couple will conquer me, never say never but, for the moment, I want them well away from each other and developing individually.
Lizzie: I hope Stevie’s plot involves Vanessa! I think she only brought it up because Vanessa needed some comfort, and if someone needs to hear more about this, well, it’s still Vanessa. I want the show to develop that relationship more. Or can Stevie become close with Maggie? I find that I’m really enjoying the dynamics between the women on this show, and I didn’t expect that, so I want more.
As for Vanessa and Marcel, it’s still a no. It’s not what either of them needs, in any way, shape or form.
Logan: I don’t think Stevie’s plot will involve Will. At least not very deeply. I do hope they’ll have time to develop an actual friendship, though. We’ll see. It’s still early in the season.
As for Vanessa and Marcel, I feel like they are not meant to be right now. Vanessa is still young and has some growing and maturing to do, but I’m not ruling it out. I feel like Marcel has a new love interest coming up soon based on the promo for next week. If Vanessa and Crockett are going to be anything, it’ll be a long slow burn. We’ll have to see what happens with their potential relationship from here.
Agree? Desagree? Don’t hesitate to share it with us in the comments below!
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