Chicago Fire season 7 midseason report: Matthew Casey

What it means

Casey’s life in Chicago Fire season 7 is an example of how a character’s canon can be impacted by writing. The way his breakup with Dawson was handled was awkward at best, but it was also the best that was possible given how last season ended (which Derek Haas has since admitted was a mistake).

Considering how Dawson was supposed to be this great love of Casey’s life, it was frustrating to have her just decide to make a permanent life change without him. Yes, she did ask him to go with her, but that didn’t make sense either; would any reasonable person expect him to uproot his own entire life immediately?

And it didn’t get any better later, with Casey first telling Naomi that he wasn’t sure he and Dawson were divorced or separated, and then mentioning their divorce to Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) an episode after. The whole thing was heavy-handed, and that’s before the show’s decision to push him almost right into another relationship.

Haas has also said that the writers weren’t looking for another serious romance when they set up Naomi with Casey, but the optics of it aren’t great. Fans don’t necessarily want to see Casey in a new relationship right now, especially with a woman he’s just met and hasn’t had time to build chemistry with. Her fawning over him and asking him for help is not chemistry.

So how can Casey make sense of all these changes in his life, and get some stability back? That’s the million-dollar question, right after how the heck does he get out of this fire?