The new season of Chicago Fire is nearly upon us, and with it, the exit of Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). The character will be stepping away from the 51 in season 12, presumably to live happily ever after with her fiance Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer). That’s assuming she said yes to the season 11 marriage proposal.
Brett has been part of Chicago Fire for a decade, which means fans have gotten to know her very well. There are too many great episodes involving the character to mention them all, but in order to pay tribute to her in manageable fashion, we decided to highlight 4 of the best Brett moments and 3 we could admittedly do without.
Love: Brett confesses her feelings to Matt Casey
The romantic tension between Brett and Casey culminated, in dramatic fashion, in the season 9 episode “That Kind of Heat.” The former saved Casey’s life during an emergency call, and later on in the firehouse, she admits that she’s always had feelings for him. “It’s always been you,” she noted. She initially panics, calling Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and saying: “I basically just told Casey I’m in love with him.”
Things get messier from there, as Brett and Casey kiss, and the latter admits that he doesn’t know how he feels, but given where the couple are at in the current day, Brett deciding to share how she feels was a watershed moment for both her and the show. We love it!
Hate: Brett has a pregnancy scare with Antonio Dawson
Brett and Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) were not a great couple. They were definitely attracted to each other, but their constant fighting and breaking up made it clear that they were not destined to be. They went from a legit couple to friends with benefits, but the bad decisions didn’t cease.
The low point of their relationship came in the season 6 episode “The Chance to Forgive”, when Brett had a pregnancy scare and decided to tell Antonio that she wanted something more serious; right as Antonio told her that he was seeing another woman. These two were definitely better off without each other.
Love: Brett is confronted by her worst fear on Halloween
Brett is one of the sillier Chicago Fire characters when she’s not dealing with difficult romantic situations, and the season 11 episode “Haunted House” is a perfect example of her appeal. The episode sees her put in charge of turning the 51 into a haunted house attraction for the local kids, and the hi-jinx that ensues when she teams up with Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso).
The highlight of the episode is definitely towards the end, when Brett is absolutely petrified to find that most of the kids are dressed like clowns. It’s a strong comedic payoff to an episode that’s one of the most rewatchable of the entire season.
Hate: Brett letting her old friend Hope walk all over her
Remember Hope Jacquinot (Eloise Mumford)? She was a childhood friend of Brett’s who came to visit for a few days, and proceeded to lay waste to the 51. She struck up a romance with Severide (Taylor Kinney), misplaced Brett’s paycheck, and forged a signature in an attempt to get Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) kicked out of the firehouse.
A lot of these events occur in the season 6 episodes “An Even Bigger Surprise” and “A Breaking Point”, and in both instances, it’s frustrating to watch Brett blindly trust someone who doesn’t have her best interests at heart. We’re glad Hope eventually went back to her hometown.
Love: Brett launches a paramedicine program in Chicago
Brett was spread pretty thin in season 10, and a lot of her stress came from the fact that she was short-staffed and unable to communicate clearly with other paramedics. She decided to push for a paramedicine program that would improve these various issues, and despite some pushback from Chief Hawkins (Jimmy Nicholas) at first, the program was approved.
The episode “The Right Thing” proved bittersweet, as it also marked the beginning of the end for Casey as a regular, but it was a major triumph for Brett, and prove that she had the tenacity and the good ideas to launch a city wide program.
Hate: Brett getting engaged to Kyle Sheffield despite liking Casey
This subplot is surprisingly controversial. There were many fans who believed that Brett and Kyle Sheffield (Teddy Shields) were a good match, and would have fared well had they actually decided to stay together. The problem is, Brett had already developed feelings for Matt Casey by the time she got engaged to Sheffield in the season 7 episode “I’m Not Leaving You.”
Ironically, given the episode’s title, she left him. It was clear the writers of the show had bigger plans in store for Brett and Casey, which leaves the whole Sheffield subplot feeling like bizarre subplot filler.
Love: Brett decides to become an adoptive mother
Brett always had a complicated relationship with her biological mother, Julie (Kelly Deadmon). The latter gave Brett up for adoption when she was a baby, and though they reconnected as adults, it never felt comfortable for either of them. It was clear that Brett credited her adoptive parents as being the real influences in her life, which came back around in beautiful fashion in the season 11 episode “Red Waterfall.”
After meeting a teenager who wanted to give up her daughter for adoption, Brett decided to adopt the baby herself. It was an unexpected, albeit full circle moment for the character, and one that we were happy to see before she left the show.
