Chicago Fire: NBC debuts first look at Gallo's replacement (and he has our attention)
By Cody Schultz
The Chicago Fire was full of shocking moments, but none more surprising to fans than the sudden departure of Gallo from 51.
As the season opened, we learned that Gallo had moved to Michigan to be with family, unable to pass up the opportunity to finally get the opportunity he's been longing for ever since he lost his parents and sister in a house fire as a kid. Gallo transferred to a firehouse in the area and bid 51 farewell after dropping in to bid a tear-filled goodbye to his 51 family.
The sudden departure of Gallo in the premiere was to accommodate the exit of Alberto Rosende, whose departure was announced ahead of the season premiere.
With Truck down a man, 51 is about to welcome a new firefighter to the family in the form of How To Get Away With Murder alum Rome Flynn, who will be making his debut in the second episode of the season. While we might not have seen Flynn in the promo for the second episode, we've finally received our first official image of 51's newest addition who is sure to turn heads. Check out the first look at Flynn below:
Flynn will make his former debut in the Jan. 24 episode, "Call Me McHolland," playing newcomer Jake Gibson. Gibson is described as a quietly confident, fearless, and physically fit former amateur boxer with a troubled past who secures a place at 51 after a heroic act that remains to be seen, joining Truck as Gallo's official replacement.
Our curiosity has definitely been piqued by both the character description and our first look at Gibson. We can absolutely picture Flynn as an amateur boxer and he more than checks off the box as being physically fit -- we've seen his Instagram posts, and you should too! And we know he can capture quiet confidence as we saw during his run as Gabriel Maddox on HTGAWM.
What's we're really interested to see is what skeletons he might have in his closet and the baggage he'll be carrying when he arrives at 51. Gibson won't be the first new addition to arrive at 51 trying to escape the demons of his past and, if history repeats, itself we have a feeling 51 might prove to be just what he needs to start fresh.