Chicago Fire has a talent for keeping fans guessing. The writers has truly mastered the ability to set up one plot thread, and then turn it on its head by bringing back a character we forgot about or one we completely wrote off. This trick was pulled off yet again in the episode "Bar Time."
Most of the episode revolved around the main cast, but an emergency call in which the medic team is forced to go to Molly's brings back a character we didn't think we'd be seeing again. As soon as Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) and Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) enter the bar, they are beckoned over by none other than Jack Damon (Michael Bradway).
Jack Damon returned for a Molly's cameo
It turns out, Damon made the 911 call. The former 51 firefighter had stopped by for a drink, but noticed things were rowdier than usual. It turns out Herrmann (David Eigenberg) left the bar in a waitress' hands, and the partying got out of hand. The woman Damon was attending to had taken molly earlier in the evening, and was overdosing.
Damon had some brief banter with Violet, Novak, and a Novak's ex-fiance, Osbourne, who was tailing them that night as aspiring army medic. Damon's familiarity with Novak led to some tension between the exes, but in truth, the character came, helped, and left in a matter of minutes.
The half-brother of Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) making a cameo was not something we had on our season 13 bingo board. Especially given the circumstances in which he left 51. The firefighter was an eager student, and clearly looked up to Severide, but he had difficulty following direct orders.
The character was fired in episode 1303
He went against the orders of Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) during an emergency call, and the fallout put both his job and Severide's in jeopardy in the season 13 episode "All Kinds of Crazy." Damon eventually did the right thing and took the blame, leading to him being let go. Not great. Fortunately, he was able to transfer to another firehouse.
We knew that Damon was still fighting fires in the area thanks to Severide, but it was nice to see him pop up again. It makes the One Chicago universe feel much larger when writers incorporate people we haven't seen in a long time. Especially when it's done in such a causal manner.
We don't know if Jack Damon will enter the fold in a full-time capacity anytime soon, but Fire has proven that it can call upon the character whenever needed. We can't wait to see where he pops up next.