Chicago Fire season 7 midseason report: Emily Foster

What it means

Emily Foster’s season is difficult to judge because it’s the character’s first season. And it’s not like, say, the introduction of Hailey Upton on Chicago PD; the audience didn’t have those few episodes to feel her out before she joined the regular cast.

Chemistry-wise, Foster has fit right into the Firehouse 51 ensemble. There are some qualities that are reminiscent of her predecessor, namely how Foster is willing to do whatever she has to if she’s convinced she’s right. Dawson was willing to risk her neck for what she believed was right and we have already seen Foster do the same, whether it’s impromptu surgery or that gymnastics plot (a scene from which you can re-watch below).

Plot-wise, you have to take her with a grain of salt. It’s in Chicago Fire‘s best interest to write her as positively as possible; the show is trying to get fans to embrace her as someone they want to see every week. So it’s no surprise that even when Foster has made a mistake, it’s generally been okay (like being kicked out of med school, but now we know she had these tough circumstances with her family that would have put a world of pressure on her shoulders).

The most interesting about her has actually been her backstory, because of how it was doled out piecemeal and how many people seemed to be surprised by her as a paramedic. The story seems mostly told at this point, but the idea that Foster could have more secrets in her closet (they don’t necessarily have to be bad) makes her a little bit mysterious, and more complicated than the rest of Chicago Fire‘s heroes, who generally are exactly as they appear to be.

So far, things have been so good for her but as with any new character there’s still a lot more to discover and a lot more aspects that need to be fleshed out.