From the moment we met Chief Hopkins, it was clear he was going to spell trouble for Severide.
Right out of the gate, he began doing everything possible to put Severide in his place and assert his authority over him. He made it clear that Pascal had no authority to leave the office to him, as it was meant for a higher-ranking officer; he then called out Severide’s readiness to be a captain in the CFD, and also dragged out the issue of him working at the same firehouse as his wife and often on the same shifts.
His behavior inspired Severide to do some digging, and he’s come to learn that Hopkins worked with his father, Benny Severide, who had filed a complaint against Hopkins. Upon confronting Hopkins about his past with Benny, Hopkins made it clear that he didn’t have power back then, but he does now, and he intends to use it to single out firefighters who he feels were given everything because of connections they had coming up in the CFD.
After making his intentions clear, we knew that Hopkins would be looking to find a way to target Severide. What we did not expect was that he would take immediate action in coming for Severide in the form of reporting him to internal affairs for dereliction of duty.
Hopkins is not playing around and is intent on doing everything he can to push Severide out of the CFD due to this grudge he's holding against Benny. Severide has a hard fight ahead of him, but he shouldn't have to fight this fight alone, and there is one particular character from the show's past that needs to be brought back into the fold to support him in this journey.
Chicago Fire needs to bring Boden back to support Severide
While it's clear that Severide is going to get support from Van Meter and his colleagues at 51, there is one key character from the show's past that could hold the key to helping Severide: Deputy Fire Commissioner Wallace Boden.
Boden spent over a decade working alongside Severide at 51 and played a major role in helping to shape Severide into the firefighter and leader he's become at 51, with his leadership style and values influencing how Severide leads Squad and oversees 51 as POC.
Severide and Boden might not have always seen eye-to-eye, and Boden was never afraid to call Severide out on reckless behavior and questionable choices, pushing him to grow and take on more responsibilities. When Severide did mess up, Boden was there to help guide him and give him the chance to learn from his mistakes.
He was also very supportive of the OFI work Severide did, giving him the leeway to assist with arson investigations alongside Van Meter. Boden saw the value in the work that Severide was doing working with OFI to bring arsonists to justice, and he gave Severide the room to hone his skills, which has helped to make him a skilled arson investigator.
With Hopkins singling Severide out now for the work he's done working arson investigations, likely looking to leverage that by working so many cases, Severide wasn't fulfilling his duties as a lieutenant within the CFD. Van Meter can certainly speak to the value Severide brings, but as a member of OFI, Hopkins will likely find a way to use that against him, perhaps suggesting that Van Meter is part of the problem in allowing Severide to work so many cases.
This is where Boden could come in.
While Boden would not be able to simply toss out the internal affairs report from Hopkins, he could use his influence as a higher-ranking officer in the CFD to assist Severide through the process. Boden could speak to Severide's work with OFI and how it's never hindered his abilities as a lieutenant within the CFD, but rather it's made him a better firefighter.
Not only could Boden help clear Severide's name and save his job within the CFD, but he also is in a position of authority higher than Hopkins. This would give him the ability to reprimand Hopkins for using his position to seek retribution for his personal vendetta and also leverage that to toss the case against Severide out.
If a vendetta is proven, Boden doesn’t just have wiggle room; he has legitimate cause to dismantle the complaint and discipline the chief, be it by launching his own internal affairs investigation. We already know that 51 is outside of Hopkins' district, and he seemed to personally request it, so there is a paper trail in place. With that evidence, Boden could not only help Severide clear his name but also take him out of the picture by reassigning 51 to another battalion chief's leadership.
Regardless of how it might play out, the show needs to bring Boden back into the picture, as it would make no sense for him to not somehow catch wind of the internal affairs investigation given his status as a commisioner in the CFD.
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