Chicago Fire Season 12's Premiere Was A Letdown In One Major Way

Contains spoilers for "Chicago Fire" Season 12, Episode 1 — "Barely Gone"

"Chicago Fire" has always done well in producing carefully crafted cliffhangers that typically have satisfying conclusions. Whether it's chronicling the aftermath of Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide's (Taylor Kinney) wedding in Season 11 or dealing with the fairly frequent season-by-season outflux of crewmembers or — worst of all — the death of one of their own, things are usually explained well and given a satisfying conclusion. But there's just one fly in the ointment when it comes to Season 12's opener — all of those juicy plotlines that were left dangling when Season 11 concluded get wrapped up in a nice, neat bow offscreen during a time skip, meaning all the drama's basically restarting from zero.

Viewers were wondering how Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) would respond to Matt Casey's (Jesse Spencer) proposal, and they found out in a rather lackluster way. In a move that will undoubtedly enrage Brettsey admirers, fans don't get to hear it, and when the show reconvenes, they are already engaged, and Brett is plotting to find her wedding gown. And Casey? He's nowhere to be seen. What an absolute bummer. To be very fair to the good people in the "Chicago Fire" writing room, we were warned of a six-month time jump in between seasons. Does it lesson the blow? That's a big "heck no."

"Chicago Fire" producers planted the seed for this big — and unsatisfying — time-jump through various interviews leading up to the release of Season 12. "There will be some time jump going into the premiere, and viewers and 51 are in it together. There have been big changes, and the 51 gang is on a rollercoaster ride throughout the episode trying to navigate all of it," executive producer Andrea Newman told TV Insider in January 2024.

The writer and actor strikes really shook things up, so the time jump debacle is understandable. For the shippers of Brettsey, this was a massive letdown. The first acknowledgment we get of the couple's future is when Brett gets her ring stuck on her locker, and she shouts out in frustration. This isn't how viewers wanted to get confirmation of a Brettsey engagement. It was a letdown in so many ways, whether or not we understand the logistical nightmare that writing and filming for Season 12 probably was. Not hearing or seeing Brett say "Yes" was a massive bummer, especially after the long and tumultuous road she at Matt have traveled down over several seasons of will-they-wont-they. Fans can at least be happy she said "yes!"

The watcher is mired in the nothingness of what might occur instead of what will occur, leaving them to shrug and catch up, with the best emotions firmly behind them. It's an unbecoming fate for the show's characters, for the series' fans, for enjoyers of certain pairings, and for everyone else who's deeply devoted to what "Chicago Fire" can do.