Kara Killmer's time on Chicago Fire comes to an end in the 2024 TV schedule, and the show that has been her TV home since back in 2014 is giving her a pretty grand sendoff. Brett and Casey (Jesse Spencer) are set to tie the knot in the new episode on February 28, in some quite literally fishy circumstances that will require a classic Firehouse 51 miracle. The Brettsey relationship has an unlikely origin: they met platonically when Casey's love interest (and eventual wife) was Dawson (Monica Raymund), who became Brett's best friend. Killmer spoke with CinemaBlend about being a Dawsey fan herself back in the day and what makes Brettsey so unique.
Back when Brett arrived on Chicago Fire to join Ambulance 61 in Season 3, she was Gabby Dawson's paramedic partner, and the most central relationship of the series was arguably Dawsey. The Brettsey romantic connection started brewing after Dawson's nerve-wracking departure in Season 7. When I spoke with Kara Killmer about her exit from Fire, I noted that Brettsey is a relationship that really shouldn't have worked on paper due to all of its early obstacles, but became a fan-favorite pairing. So, with Brett and Casey now getting married, did the actress ever have any doubts about the relationship herself? Looking back, she shared:
"I'll say when I started this show, if you had told me that Sylvie would end up with Matt Casey, first of all, I would have been angry because I was such a huge Dawsey fan. And second of all, it would have been like, 'Well, pinch me!' I mean, he is the coolest character in the series. He embodies everything that we admire about these first responders, so it's such a privilege that my character gets to end up with him."
Jesse Spencer was top-billed on his ten seasons of Chicago Fire for a reason, and all of Casey's guest appearances since his departure as a series regular have been worth celebrating by fans as well as the friends he left behind in the Windy City. Now, Brett is set to join him and build a new life in Oregon for what could be a genuine Fire happily-ever-after. Killmer continued:
"But I think over the course of ten years, the audience has watched Sylvie in her hopeless romantic notions have a lot of different relationships where she's tried to make it work. She dated Cruz, she dated Antonio Dawson, she almost got married to Chaplain Kyle Sheffield, she had a fling with Grainger and Dylan. And I think what's unique about her relationship with Casey is Casey never wanted her to compromise. She never had to bend over backwards in order to make things work with him. He kind of brought out the best in her. I would say that Sylvie probably matured the most when they were becoming close friends and when they were in relationship with each other."
Chicago Fire actually delivered a subplot about Brett and Cruz in one of Kara Killmer's final episodes, but not because there was trouble in paradise for Cruz and Chloe or Brettsey. The story reaffirmed that they're close friends. The actress praised how Casey helped her character to grow, even when he (and their relationship) was mostly off screen for a couple of seasons.
It's also worth noting that while Fire started fanning sparks between them in Season 7 after Dawson's departure, the bond that strengthened first was one of friendship. The actress elaborated:
"I think he just kind of brought out the best in her and made her the best paramedic she could be, but also just helped her become a more empowered woman. And who doesn't want that in your relationship?"
All things considered, Brett presumably riding off into the figurative sunset with Casey has to be the happiest ending possible for her character after ten years of ups, downs, and development. Fortunately, Jesse Spencer was able to return after the Season 11 finale cliffhanger proposal, and Kara Killmer reflected on building the Brettsey relationship with her co-star:
"Likewise, it was always my goal in all of our scenes together to make Jesse laugh because Casey is such a hardass and he's such a serious character. As the captain, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, you bear all the responsibility. You're in charge of so many people. I always felt like he was never allowed to have a sense of humor, so it was always my goal to make him laugh in all of our scenes. That's kind of what I think she brings to his life, is just a little lightheartedness. A little sunshine. And so it's very satisfying to get to see these two characters end up together finally."
Fans will have to tune into the episode on February 28 (and/or watch streaming via Peacock Premium subscription) to see how exactly Brett and Casey end up together for Kara Killmer's sendoff as a series regular. Learning that her wedding will have to happen in what is basically a fish store was definitely not what Brett had in mind once she started planning it, so be sure to watch and find out how Firehouse 51 pulls off a miracle.
The episode, called "Port in the Storm," airs on Wednesday, February 28 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET for the network's hit One Chicago block.
