When news broke last May that Eamonn Walker was leaving Chicago Fire after 12 seasons as a series regular, fans were understandably heartbroken.
Through all the comings and goings the show had gone through over the years with firefighters and paramedics, Boden was the constant at 51. He was always looking out for the men and women of the firehouse and had their backs no matter what was thrown their way, but also wasn’t afraid to dole out some tough love in order to help them become the best firefighters and paramedics they could be.
At the time of the news breaking, the one thing that helped fans come to terms with Boden no longer being a part of the show’s main cast was the promise that Walker was expected to return in a recurring capacity. This made perfect sense as Walker’s exit came as Boden accepted the Deputy Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department job which meant he’d no longer be working out of 51 as its Chief.
The expectation was that Boden would pop up from time to time in season 13, however, season 13 has passed the halfway point of the season and we’ve yet to get a single appearance from Boden – despite multiple opportunities to bring the character back.
We’re starting to doubt Boden will return for Chicago Fire season 13
Chicago Fire season 13 is now entering the second part of its season and there has been no indication that Boden is returning, and the fact that he’s yet to appear in a single episode thus far this season seems to indicate that a deal to bring Eamonn Walker back in a recurring role after opting not to bring him back as a series regular might not have worked out.
We’ve been told not to rule out a return from Walker; however, there have been so many natural opportunities for Boden to make an appearance and yet we’ve only heard his name come up in conversation. Not even the massive One Chicago crossover event was reason enough to bring Boden into the fold when one would have thought the Deputy Fire Commissioner would have been actively involved in the rescue efforts.
What makes us even more hesitant to believe Boden will be back this season is the fact that Walker has yet to give an interview following his exit to address his departure or a possible return to the show. This doesn’t mean that he left the show on bad terms, but when you pair the fact that Boden has yet to appear in season 13 with the lack of comments from Walker about his exit it definitely does not look good.
Typically recurring characters appear in a handful of episodes across the season, so the fact that we’ve yet to see Boden once this season is concerning.
This doesn’t mean we’ve given up hope that Walker will make his return sometime in season 13. It’s just that with every passing episode, we’re getting more and more concerned Boden won’t be returning in any capacity in the current season of Chicago Fire.