What’s next for Evan Hawkins in Chicago Fire season 11?

Chief Evan Hawkins (Jimmy Nicholas) had lots of highs and lows during Chicago Fire season 10. The character endeared himself to Violet (Hanako Greensmith), and they eventually struck up a romance, but professional setbacks and a desire to keep their relationship a secret resulted in some major issues.

While Hawkins and Violet are still together heading into season 11, things seem uncertain for the couple. There’s some lingering issues the couple will have to deal with, and Hawkins may have to face some professional repercussions.

Here’s what we you should expect.

Is Chief Hawkins still on Chicago Fire?

From a work standpoint, Hawkins seems to be in the clear. He avoided the blackmailing wrath of Emma Jacobs (Caitlin Carver), and was able to fire her for just cause when she abandoned duties in the middle of an emergency call. Conversely, the fact that Jacobs was able to blackmail Hawkins with details of his secret romance means that someone else could come along and do the same.

It’s possible that Hawkins might still have to answer for keeping his romance a secret from his superiors, and the consequences could be a relocation for either him or Violet. Given how Violet has become a crucial part of the Chicago Fire team, we’d assume that he would be the one to transfer.

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Then again, the romance between Hawkins and Violet has been severely damaged by the Jacobs situation. Violet made it clear that she didn’t like the way Hawkins handled (or didn’t handle) the blackmailing, and her opinion of him has changed as a result.

The season 10 finale suggested that Violet might still have romantic feelings for Gallo (Alberto Rosende), which is a direction that Fire showrunner Derek Haas has already teased down the line. In lieu of a transfer, it’s likely that Violet will simply break things off with Hawkins and decide to go it alone.

Of course, nothing is ever as simple on Chicago Fire, and the break up of two characters who work closely could result in them backsliding or deciding to give their romance a second chance. Either way, Hawkins is in a precarious spot, and the Jacobs firing may end up doing more damage in the long run than he ever realized.

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