Overall, Season 12 takes Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) to a fresh paradise on the West Coast. It puts a few lumps and bumps into the smooth marriage between Cruz (Joe Minoso) and Chloe (Kristen Gutoskie). For Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), it means balancing his AFT-related ambitions with his marriage to Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo). And it puts everyone in some form of danger as they dodge explosions, falling concrete, and gas leaks citywide. Let’s delve into the Season 12 finale and find out how the show managed to wrap things up in preparation for Season 13’s debut on September 25.
“Never Say Goodbye” focuses a lot of attention on Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) who decides to leave the squad and block Jude Robinson (Laura Allen) from taking over as deputy commissioner. If Boden’s series-long journey has been all about responsibility and maturity, then his final episode as a regular allows him to finally do something selfish for himself. Yet when he sacrifices his comfortable job, Boden puts himself in a position to make the city greater. He’s spurred on by a fire he tends to early in the episode, where a construction foreman is severely injured after insisting the squad rescue the rest of his team first. The foreman is unable to hold on, despite Boden’s attempt at helping him.
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Realizing the bravery of the foreman’s self-sacrifice, Boden knows that the right thing to do is campaign for the seat, even if he feels a strong connection with his team. When Boden is interviewed by Deputy Commissioner Gloria Hill (J. Nicole Brooks), he learns Stella has already put in a good word for him. Encouraged by all of the positive reactions to Boden’s leadership skills, Hill gives Boden the position. It’s a triumph of good over evil — and of Boden over his intense commitment to Engine 51.
Of course, that means he must say goodbye to his crew — a tear-laden prospect that leaves everyone happy for him and sad for Engine 51 at large. In this case, “goodbye” isn’t forever; audiences can expect to see Walker on a recurring basis next season. But Boden’s departure leaves his position as chief wide open — and the Season 12 finale gives a few hints as to what might happen next when the series returns.
Family drama is a major staple of “Chicago Fire,” whether it involves characters finding long-lost mothers or siblings or they’re adopting children of their own. Kelly Severide already has a long-gone half-sister in Brittany Curran’s Katie Nolan. But by the end of “Never Say Goodbye,” he’s gained one more sibling.
This time, newbie Jack Damon (Michael Bradway) turns out to be his relative. In “Never Say Goodbye.” Damon’s violent reaction to the sight of domestic abuse at the scene of a fire threatens to get him kicked off of Stella Kidd’s truck. He and Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) get into a fistfight with a restaurant owner and his older son after discovering they’re both physically abusing the youngest member of their family. It takes a little bit of coaxing to get the truth out of him but he admits to Severide that he experienced similar violence at the hands of his pop, Benny Severide (Treat Williams), in his childhood. Yep, that means Damon and Kelly are half-brothers. And Damon admits that he intentionally joined Engine 51 in the hope of getting closer to and learning more about his brother.
This continues the series-long theme “Chicago Fire” in which a secret sibling has a strong connection to Engine 51. It certainly opens up plot possibilities for Season 13, as fans might see whether or not Kelly accepts his younger half-sibling’s existence. Furthermore, this twist adds a little extra tension to Severide’s already spring-loaded family life.
