Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of Chicago Fire Season 12, called "Call Me McHolland."
Chicago Fire quickly proved that the events of the premiere in the 2024 TV schedule are carrying over into the rest of the twelfth season, with Mouch approaching the job in a new way, Herrmann dealing with hearing loss after the explosion, and Brett planning her wedding to Casey. Admittedly, Brett's upcoming nuptials aren't exactly life-or-death, but her approach is really limiting how sympathetic I can feel for the character. Read on for what showrunner Andrea Newman said about her journey in Season 12, and why I'm not 100% on the paramedic's side.
News broke over the long hiatus that Kara Killmer would be leaving Chicago Fire in Season 12, which caused me to stop worrying about the Brettsey proposal cliffhanger. The Season 11 finale with the proposal of course aired on NBC well before the news about Killmer. I asked showrunner Andrea Newman whether the Fire team knew the actress would be leaving when that proposal was written, and she explained:
Twelve years is a long time and it is like a family, but every family has change and we've always said there's got to be some feeling [that] anybody could leave at any moment. I mean, that is a sort of a Dick Wolf staple. [laughs] But we had plans for Brett for sure. She's grown so much. I was just watching an early season with her, and it's been really fun to watch her but it feels like time for her to go on to a new part of her life. She'll be in this season for a whole chunk of the season. She's not going right away, but she's got a journey. She's got it all planned out when we meet her in the premiere and it will not, of course, go exactly according to plan.
The good news is that Kara Killmer isn't leaving ASAP like how quickly Alberto Rosende departed as Gallo in the Season 12 premiere (which you can stream via Peacock Premium subscription), so fans didn't have to say goodbye to major characters two weeks in a row. The bad news is that Brett having "it all planned out" apparently didn't involve doing any specific wedding planning over the six-month time jump. And dang it, I just can't feel bad for her if she struggles with the deadline approaching!
In the Season 12 premiere, Brett established that the wedding was six weeks away, and she was still shopping for her wedding dress. Then, in "Call Me McHolland" came the reveal that she doesn't even have a venue picked out, and shot down all the suggestions from Violet, Stella, and Tony, of all people. She even asked Violet about what she's planning for the bachelorette party before she asked her paramedic partner to be her maid of honor!
I will say that Brett's not the one who insisted that she couldn't get married at Molly's, and she had valid reasons for shooting down the fanciest and most extravagent venues since that's not what she and Casey want for their nuptials. I do wish that she was on board with the idea of getting married at the Shedd Aquarium, though, just because that would undoubtedly be very cool to watch on a One Chicago Wednesday.
Look, maybe I've just watched too many episodes of Say Yes to the Dress – and maybe it's just less troubling to think about Brett's nuptials than Herrmann possibly losing his hearing – but I'm having trouble suspending my disbelief enough to be on Brett's side about her wedding deadlines approaching. At this point, she may be low on options other than following Mouch and Trudy's example by tying the knot at Molly's or Dawson and Casey with their courthouse wedding.
In all seriousness, I am truly interested to see if Brett will face any consequences for waiting way too long to make her plans when there are many other stories also unfolding in Season 12. The latest episode introduced Rome Flynn, who will step up as Gallo's replacement on Truck 81, and Cruz showed interest in taking the lieutenant's exam after leading Squad in Severide's place for months. Plus, the promo for the next episode suggests that Brett is about to face some much more dire danger than wedding plan delays:
New episodes of Chicago Fire air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. Based on the promo, Brett and Violet may be in a situation better suited to the cops of P.D., and it looks like fans won't want to miss what could be a very intense story for the paramedics.
