5 questions about Gabriela Dawson leaving Chicago Fire

1. How will Chicago Fire end Dawsey?

The most burning question to come out of Monica Raymund leaving Chicago Fire is how the show is going to break up the biggest couple not only on this series, but in the entire One Chicago world. Dawsey has to end, and how it ends is going to change the series for good.

Chicago Fire made a conscious choice to make the Dawsey ship a cornerstone of the series. Their relationship, from flirtation to marriage, has always been a major aspect of each season. Now with Monica Raymund gone and Jesse Spencer staying, that creates an off-screen change that dictates a huge on-screen development.

It’s hard to say what happens to Dawsey without knowing how the show will write out Gabriela Dawson, but we do know the relationship is almost certainly over. It’s logistically near impossible to keep them married when we’ll only see Casey, and that’s if the show is even interested in trying. We’ve seen a similar trend on Chicago Med, which broke up most of its ships by the end of Chicago Med season 2 in favor of hooking up its main characters with other main characters.

If Dawson stays in Puerto Rico, does she send Casey a “Dear John” letter? If she comes back, are we going to hear about some off-camera breakup where she showed up, told him it was over and left? Both of those things feel like abrupt and frankly, brusque endings to a relationship that fans have invested years into.

The problem is, if Chicago Fire kills off Dawson, it gets even worse for Casey. Remember that this was the show that killed off his previous ex-fiancee Dr. Hallie Thomas (Teri Reeves) to write her out. So both of the two women Casey was seriously involved with have both died? How much is that going to mess him up?

There’s no good way to bust up Dawsey, and however it happens, that will have a huge effect on Casey, which then has a ripple effect on Chicago Fire season 7 because he has his own major part of the show. And if Chicago Fire does with him what Chicago PD did with Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer), hooking him up with someone else by midseason, the fans might riot. And we wouldn’t blame them.

Next: 5 reasons why Chicago Fire will miss Gabriela Dawson

What questions do you have about Chicago Fire without Monica Raymund as Gabriela Dawson? Let us know what’s on your mind about this big cast change in the comments.

Chicago Fire returns to NBC this fall.