Chicago Fire season 14 is nearly in the books, but could a familiar face be making their way back to 51 for the season finale? It’s certainly starting to feel like a major return might be coming in the season finale, and we can’t help but wonder whether episode 19 just foreshadowed the identity of an original character set to return.
In Chicago Fire season 14, episode 19, the focus was kept largely on the ongoing drama between Severide and Hopkins after Severide learned that Hopkins had officially reported him to Internal Affairs. With his future in the CFD now on the line, the episode saw Severide and Kidd working together to try to get information on Hopkins’ feud with Benny as a new career opportunity presented itself to Severide in the form of a formal offer to become the new head of OFI.
Amid the Severide storyline, we learned that Mouch was penning a memoir about his time in the CFD and it didn’t take long for the news to spread in the firehouse. Early in the episode, Mouch gives his colleagues a brief reading from the book, which is when he name-dropped the character inspired by an original member of the Chicago Fire family: Chief Boden.
“As we pull up to the house, smoke billows from the basement. A strange, haunted chill hangs in the air. Tommy from Squad knows why. ‘This isn’t just any house,’ he says. ‘It’s one of the only spots still standing from the Great Chicago Fire.’ A shiver runs down my spine. I realize we’re pilgrims in an unholy land. And as we mask up, Chief Bodet gives a war cry. ‘If the great fire couldn’t take this house down, I’ll be damned if it falls on my watch.’”
The moment might seem small and could just be a fun Easter egg for the fans, but we have to wonder if that moment was actually the show’s way of casually foreshadowing Boden’s return. After all, the segment almost seems like a metaphor for the situation unfolding at Firehouse 51 at the moment. I know this might seem like a leap, but walk with me now.
Episode 19 made multiple references to how special Firehouse 51 is and how the house is as special as it is because of the people who make up its team. The line “This isn’t just any house” sounds an awful lot like the sentiments Kidd and others shared in the episode when talking about 51, which has withstood many attacks over the years from outsiders looking to tear it down. This is where the Boden return comes in.
Boden helped ensured 51 remained intact and was always looking out for the members of the firehouse, so what if the segment from the book about Chief Bodet not allowing the house to fall on his watch is a way of the show foreshadowing Boden’s return to help Severide out now that he’s under fire and Hopkins is coming for him?
We know that Eamonn Walker was spotted on the set in the final weeks of filming. We also know that Boden remains within the CFD and it would make sense for him to step in to help Severide. All the stars seem to be aligning for him to make a return in the finale to help Severide out. This is further supported by the tease that the finale will bring a surprise visitor to help Severide and Kidd. Could that be Boden?
We’re going to have to wait to see if this theory proves to be true, but we can’t shake the feeling that the scene could have been the show’s way of subtly foreshadowing Boden’s impending return. With the Chicago Fire season 14 finale coming May 13, we’ll know soon enough whether Boden will indeed return to help Severide.