Chicago Fire: Dawson And Casey Still Get On Fans' Nerves

Monica Raymund portrays paramedic Gabby Dawson in more than 150 episodes of "Chicago Fire" between its first and sixth seasons, as well as in single-episode Season 7 and Season 8 appearances prior to her full-time departure. Dawson was divisive among "Chicago Fire" fans from the start, with viewers online oftentimes either emphatically praising or passionately judging her character. That said, Dawson's worst "Chicago Fire" storyline is arguably her romance with Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer), which continues to garner criticism online to this day.

One user, three seasons into watching the series for the first time in 2023, started on a thread on the "Chicago Fire" subreddit about just how annoying they find Dawson and Casey's relationship. In response, the majority of commenters either shared or elaborated upon the original post's point of view. For example, user Cheeseboii83 wrote that they ended up unhappy with this pairing primarily out of a distaste for Dawson's character. User pedalsteeltameimpala suggested that, at least in the "Chicago Fire" Reddit fan community, an aversion to Dawson and Casey is common, before strong criticizing viewers who think they should get back together.

Even user tinasnow-poty, who supports their relationship, admitted that these two characters aren't always great for each other. "Dawson is really selfish and Casey can't seem to speak up for whatever reason. But I love them anyway," they wrote, suggesting that Dawson and Casey can even irritate admitted fans of their pairing.

Reddit user Sonjalukas started another, similar thread likewise casting Gabby Dawson and Matt Casey's relationship in a negative light years after Monica Raymund's final "Chicago Fire" appearance. In the thread's title, they described the characters' dynamic as altogether inauthentic, and perhaps a victim of poor acting.

"I liked them first few seasons. After season four I wanted them to break up," replied user Awkward-Macaroon-819 in one of the thread's top comments.

Meanwhile, user Ta-veren- proposed that Dawson never cares about Casey so much as she wants to experience the things she experiences with him, and uses him as a vessel to do so. One user whose account has since been deleted agreed with the original post's core thesis, but argued that poor writing, rather than bad acting, was principally responsible for why so many viewers find them unpleasant to watch.

Though a number of users also professed their unqualified support for Dawson and Casey, the sheer quantity of comments continuing to criticize their relationship, even after it's stopped factoring into new episodes of "Chicago Fire," suggests that it's still actively a point of contention among plenty of fans even in the present day.