Chicago Fire 10×05 “Two Hundred,” says the softest goodbye ever to one of the original members of Firehouse 51. That’s right, Captain Matthew Casey, our Matt, is leaving Chicago Fire. And this is an emotional moment, for sure. If you need a moment – or five, you should take it. But when you’re ready, I’ll be here to hold your hand and provide some fandom therapy. Because this …this feels like anything but a real goodbye. If anything, it’s a see you soon.
There’s a lot that goes into writing out a character. The first, and most important reason a show makes a decision like that, is actor availability. That’s the case with Chicago Fire. Jesse Spencer wanted some time off — and considering he’s been on our TV in one way or another for almost two decades, it’s hard to begrudge him that — and the show granted him that time off. But the writers, and Jesse, clearly decided this wasn’t truly the end of Matthew Casey’s storyline.
How do I know that, you ask? Well, I watched the show. I read the post-mortem interviews. Now, I don’t have a magic eight ball, and I have no idea what the future has in store for us – at least not anything other than the immediate future, and on that, I foresee a lot of fanfic, but I do know one thing when I see it: good intentions.
This show… this actor …they all have good intentions. They all want to give us more of Matt Casey’s storyline. And hopefully, things will work out so they do. In the meantime, everyone on 51 got to say a temporary goodbye to Matt the way we all should, with a smile in our faces and joy in our hearts because we had the character of Matthew Casey for so long, and that, all in all, feels like a gift.
So let’s talk about Matt Casey’s future, what comes next for Firehouse 51 and yes, Sylvie Brett’s decision as we discuss Chicago Fire 10×05 “Two Hundred.”
STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD
“Each change is a little shift in the foundation,” Boden told Stella, and us, in the season 10 premiere. “We just have to trust that what we built up here is strong enough to hold.” And that’s basically what this episode is about, that faith. Do we believe that what this show has built is strong enough to hold?
I can’t make that decision for you, but personally, I do. I believe that this Chicago Fire family will hold, and I believe Matt Casey will be back where he belongs when the time is right. For Jesse, and for Matt. And, in the meantime — well, I believe we’ll probably get an appearance or two, and that there’ll be plenty of excuses for the characters that are sticking around Chicago to go visit.
Family doesn’t end that easily.
And as for Brettsey, this show has put an end to couples before. This doesn’t feel like the end. It doesn’t even feel like a pause. It feels like a new situation they have to adjust to and conquer …together. Even if we don’t get to see that together as much as we would want. Will they be strong enough to hold? That’s for the future – and them, to decide. Relationships are only as strong as the work you’re willing to put in, after all.
Since this is a fictional couple, let’s add a caveat, relationships are only as strong as the setup, and the writing, a show is willing to put in to keep them together. And if this episode shows something it’s that …Chicago Fire is betting on Brettsey. Not just for now, but for the future. The ideal? Of course not, a departure wasn’t what any fan wanted. But for a departure, well, this feels about as good a way to write it as there could possibly be.
KELLY SEVERIDE, LEADER?
This leads us to what Firehouse 51 looks like without Matt Casey, and where that leaves Kelly Severide, the man who has grown into a leader, someone his friends, and the woman he loves, can depend on, but also a man who’s never had to be the leader of the entire firehouse just by himself. Except now, with Casey gone, it falls on him.
Could anyone have imagined we’d be here? That Kelly Severide would be here? I think the answer is no, and I’m sure we’re going to see Severide having his moments of doubt, because the truth is, he’s always had Casey for support. And he’ll still have Casey for support, if not physically next to him. But it’s also time for Kelly Severide to spread his wings and figure out what kind of leader he can be when it’s up to him, and him alone.
Sure, there’s Boden, and he’ll be back at 51 full-time. But in the little, day-to-day things, this can be a wonderful storyline for Severide, if handled correctly. And, with the potential implications of an open Lieutenant spot open, this can also be a wonderful storyline for Stella Kidd, too, if the show plays its cards right.
We’ll all miss Casey, that’s for sure. But there’s a lot of life left on Chicago Fire, a lot of love, and a lot of good characters holding down the fort till he returns.
SYLVIE BRETT PUTS HER DREAMS FIRST
I was so immensely proud of Sylvie Brett in this episode. Because Sylvie Brett is such a soft, kind soul, and she’s so used to giving and losing. And when you do that as much as she’s done it, well, that leaves a mark. And sometimes, it pushes you into impulsive decisions. The impulsive decision for Sylvie would have been to leave with Matt, to put everything she wanted to do, everything she’d built, the family she had at work, on pause for a relationship.
That she didn’t doesn’t mean that she doesn’t trust the relationship, no — if anything, it means she trusts it enough to know it will survive this pause — it means that she understands what Matt has to do, respects that, and in turn, is confident enough to turn around and ask for the same thing in return.
And that’s exactly what Matt gives her. Reassurance. Love. “You and me are gonna keep being you and me.”
Sylvie Brett is used to being the girl who’s left behind, by friends, by people she loves. And worse than that, she’s used to being the one left behind without a word, without an explanation. This time, however, no one left her behind. And there were plenty of times, tons of explanations. More importantly, though, this time Sylvie Brett made a choice about what she wanted, what she needed.
Here’s to making your own choices, and feeling confident enough in the people that love you to make them without fearing they mean you’ll have to give them up.
Things I think I think:
- From the beginning, this episode was written as anything BUT a permanent goodbye.
- Also, kudos to the most Matt Casey decision to ever Matt Casey. There’s nothing OOC about this, not one bit.
- I will never be over how far the relationship between Matt Casey and Kelly Severide has come, what they’ve come to mean to each other.
- Don’t you DARE give us a Stellaride wedding without Casey to be best man, okay, Chicago Fire?
- I MISS STELLA KIDD. Give her back.
- Wait, I take that back, give her back but allow Miranda the time she needs, okay?
- My love for Violet keeps growing.
- Even if she’s all jealous and refuses to admit it.
- Better than Gallo being oblivious, I guess.
- Casey sure got ready to move quickly.
- Making me worry about Herrmann is not cool.
- BODEN IS BACK! Kylie, you’re our personal hero.
- The way they literally had a whole procession for Cruz to go see his baby being born, I love it.
- AND THE NAME.
- Gah.
- “This is my family out here.”
- Trudy, oh, Trudy. One Chicago doesn’t use you nearly enough.
- “I want to stay together” is pretty unambiguous.
- Honestly, I held it together till Severide was all like “I love you, man.”
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire 10×05 “Two Hundred”? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
Lissete, thank you for this article. I agree with you 100%. I am sure that Matt will be back. His and Sylvie’s relationship is solid unlike Gabby’s and Matt’s (my opinion). I did like this episode 200. I wish that we saw Donna, Cindy, and Trudy with the firehouse 51 family at Med when Chole gave birth and for them to say goodbye to Matt. Thank you for writing this article.