“It’s a Very Heightened Specific Situation”: ’Chicago Fire’s Eamonn Walker Teases Fraught Dynamics When Boden Returns

Boden’s (Eamonn Walker) back, but it’s not a happy occasion. In Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 18, “Post Mortem,” the former Firehouse 51 chief returns to investigate a fire rescue that went south and left a firefighter fighting for his life. As a result, it won’t be the happy and upbeat reunion other characters and viewers would have hoped for. “It’s a very heightened specific situation that they have to deal with now because the fallout from it is, potentially, terrible for the whole Chicago Fire Department,” Wallace told TV Line when previewing his return to the procedural he starred in for twelve seasons. A lot of time will not have passed between the incident and Boden’s review, which makes the occurrence fresh in the characters’ minds. “Boden is on it, almost before the night is out. It’s only just happened. The firefighter has only just entered the hospital, they are operating on them as we speak, and he’s going back to the firehouse, dealing with this now,” Eamonn said, adding:

“So none of those relationships and stuff that you would want because you carry all those episodes inside of you, none of that’s relevant because what you’re dealing with is somebody that’s dying.”

Someone Might Be Getting Fired In ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 13, Episode 18

A mistake like the one Boden is investigating, where a firefighter gets left behind during a rescue, is grave, and someone must be held responsible for it. Not only is the situation sad, Boden will also be on the lookout for who needs firing. He has close relationships with many characters, and “some of the people want and expect that old relationship back, and it plays out in some of the scenes. It’s like the relationship doesn’t change. It will never change even if I fire you. I’m still going to love you,” said Walker. He added:

“But my job is to find who is responsible for this thing that should’ve never happened. So that dynamic playing out on-screen, it’s quite a thing to be able to do with the ones who I know and love in real life. David Eigenberg and myself, and Taylor [Kinney] and Miranda [Rae Mayo], we had these scenes which touched everybody’s hearts.”

Who was left behind, and who is responsible for this mistake? Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, April 16 to watch Boden’s “Post Mortem” and find out. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.