Chicago Fire season 7 midseason report: Otis

How has Chicago Fire season 7 gone for Otis? Before Chicago Fire returns, we’re reviewing the season for Yuri Sardarov’s character.

Before Chicago Fire comes back in the new year, we’re taking a moment to pause and look at the current season for each character. What are the important events that fans need to remember?

What plot developments have been good for them, and which ones need to be improved? And of course, where could they go next when new episodes start on Jan. 9?

Click through the below slideshow as we look at Chicago Fire season 7 as it relates to Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov), starting with:

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What’s happened so far

You may have noticed this character profile is not as large as others, and that’s because there hasn’t been as much happening for Otis as there have for other characters.

There have been two big plot points for him in the first nine episodes. Otis received a huge shock when he found a woman and her young child, burned alive in an elevator, after he had tried to save them during the crossover.

Then Dr. Daniel Charles (Oliver Platt) diagnosed Otis with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the following episode of Chicago Med. But the issue hasn’t been so much as mentioned on the show since.

The other is that Otis reconnected with ex-love interest Katie Nolan (guest star Brittany Curran) when she returned for her father’s funeral; if you’re keeping track, Otis is still dating Lily (guest star Ariane Rinehart), who reappeared in the Chicago Fire midseason finale.

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What it means

After getting that big storyline last season where he was shot and nearly paralyzed, Otis is back to being a supporting character in this season of Chicago Fire. He hasn’t had a feature episode in the first nine and his one subplot was awkward at best.

Yuri Sardarov’s performance was heartbreaking when Otis tried to save that woman and her child, only for her to ignore his instructions and wind up dead. However, when the show called it PTSD, it got awkward.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very serious condition that affects a lot of people. But it’s been used more than once in the One Chicago universe; Dr. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo) was described as having PTSD after Dr. Charles was shot at the end of the second season.

Especially since it was mentioned with Otis and never addressed again, it felt like bringing up the condition for dramatic effect, rather than seriously exploring it. He could have been traumatized by what he saw without it being PTSD, and if it was going to be PTSD, it should have been addressed further.

What’s next

Aside from that moment of trauma, Otis is back to being the fun-loving and hard-working guy that Chicago Fire has always made him out to be. It’s great that his relationship with Lily was carried on in season 7, because Yuri Sardarov and Ariane Rinehart do make a good team (and their positive energy also provides an important counter-balance to all the seriousness on the show).

What role will he have in the remaining 13 episodes? He’ll most likely continue to support plots for other characters, whether it’s palling around with the rest of the squad in comedic subplots or as a helping hand in the dramatic main stories. It’d be nice to see him get a feature episode, too, but it’s hard to predict what that would be. Let’s at least hope he stays in one piece!

For the latest Chicago Fire season 7 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.