Chicago Fire season 8 character review: Blake Gallo

What Chicago Fire season 8 means for Blake Gallo

Give some credit to Derek Haas and the Chicago Fire writing staff. Not only did they finally find a firefighter that they decided to keep around (remember Jason Kannell? Or Scott Rice? You probably don’t), they gave Blake Gallo a pretty smooth introduction.

Of the three new characters who came into One Chicago this season, Gallo’s arrival was the most organic. The show didn’t feature him too much (like what happened on Chicago PD) nor did he get stuck in a storyline where he didn’t need to be (see Chicago Med). He fit into what was already in place, and while we learned enough about him to care about him, it never felt forced.

And what’s even better, we got to see first-hand how that backstory influenced his decisions as a firefighter in the field. It wasn’t just doing a typical “here’s a character’s backstory” episode or bringing up that tragedy and then forgetting it; it served a purpose in the show as he continued to learn.

Alberto Rosende deserves credit, too, for playing Gallo just about perfectly. He brought that wide-eyed naivete without playing the obvious “new guy” stereotype. Gallo was allowed to be nervous, to make mistakes, and to try and fit in, but he also had confidence in himself and did his job well. We didn’t have to spend the first six episodes of the season watching him fumble around.

Plus, underneath Gallo’s charm and his enthusiasm, he could also nail those very serious moments and show that he had depth to his acting, too. Being charming and funny is one thing but on Chicago Fire you also have to carry your weight dramatically. He proved that as Gallo grows, so can he. It’ll be a lot of fun seeing where he goes with a season of experience under his belt.