Chicago Fire season 6 by character: Wallace Boden
How was Chicago Fire season 6 for your favorite character? In this retrospective profile, we look at how Chicago Fire treated Wallace Boden this season.
As we continue to look back on Chicago Fire season 6, we’re breaking down the season for each of the show’s characters.
Did your favorite character have a good season or a bad season? What were their strong points and were there any weaknesses? Was the character affected by the show’s writing, or vice versa? Where could they go from here?
Check out our detailed character breakdown, and let us know your thoughts on how this season was for each character in the comments.
In this profile, we’re looking at Chicago Fire‘s awesome boss Chief Wallace Boden, as played by Eamonn Walker.
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MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS:
Boden contemplated moving up in rank when a potential promotion was dangled in front of him, then found himself locked in a battle to be Fire Commissioner with Carl Grissom (recurring guest star Gary Cole), which he lost.
His wife Donna Robbins-Boden (Melissa Ponzio) was put at risk by a fire at her high school, and Boden had an episodic subplot where a fire victim was revealed to be one of his favorite musicians. Sadly, the man passed away.
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ANALYSIS:
Wallace Boden’s story arc was thematically similar to what Mouch (Christian Stolte) wrestled with last season: the idea that maybe his place wasn’t at Firehouse 51 anymore. But, like Mouch, he did stay around—although possibly only because Grissom beat him out for the top job.
It was a natural progression of Boden’s career path, being the most senior officer at the firehouse and seeing Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) move up to Captain. In fact, the best part of Boden’s scenes in Chicago Fire season 6 were the ones that introduced a new dynamic between him and Casey, now that they’re the two ranking officers.
The question is, where does Boden go now? The story worked well for him this season, and gave him some great material, but it also had a sort of finite shelf life. Once you have a character who wants more, you either have to give it to them or come up with a reason not to, and Boden seems a bit stuck as we go into season 7.
PROGNOSIS:
We know Wallace Boden will be key to one major element of Chicago Fire season 7. That reveal about Grissom has to be resolved somehow, presumably early on in the season, and that will be Boden’s axe to carry. The show has established this tension between the two of them, so it’d be odd if anyone but Boden dropped that proverbial bomb.
But then what? Let’s say things go as well as possible, and Grissom gets fired. Does Boden then get his job as the runner-up for the position? If so, that wouldn’t seem like it would keep him on the show. Eamonn Walker did sign a contract for this season, so it would feel implausible that the show would write a plot twist that takes his character out of Firehouse 51.
More likely is that Grissom somehow stays in power like a tyrant, and Boden will have to deal with that. If that’s the case, what do you do with Boden then? He has no chance of moving up in the professional ranks, and he was also talking about getting more out of his personal life.
The show would need to give him some kind of consolation prize, something new to take him forward and make him move past his defeat—it can’t do another season of Boden contemplating his future.
At least he finally got his boat.
Next: Chicago Fire season 6's missing scenes
What did you think of Chicago Fire season 6 as it relates to Wallace Boden? Let us know how you’d evaluate his season in the comments.
Chicago Fire returns to NBC on Sept. 26.