Oh, Sylvie Brett, what are we going to do with you? As fans of Chicago Fire know, paramedic in charge Brett has a rough time when it comes to romantic relationships. Last season, she began falling for Matt Casey, who is her former best friend and ambo partner's ex-husband, while also (mostly) enjoying a fledgling relationship with new chaplain Kyle Sheffield. When Sheffield decides to take a new position in Indiana, though, he decides that he doesn't want to leave without Brett, proposes and...she accepts.
While the promos for Season 8 have shown off a fair share of Brett, it sounds like she might not be around that much for the beginning of the season, but that probably won't last very long. The episode description for Season 2 Episode 2 notes that "Brett realizes life in Fowlerton will take some getting used to," and this probably means two things for the character.
First off, it's pretty clear that Brett did decide to move with Kyle after they got engaged. And, it looks like his job took him to an area of Indiana that is pretty close to Brett's own hometown of Fowlerton, IN, because now she's living there and trying to get used to very small town life once again. So, did Brett get a new job back home or is she commuting? The former is certainly an option, especially since we know that Firehouse 51 will see a new paramedic (along with a new firefighter) come in this season.
But, that new ambo crew member (who's been described as "Anderson Cooper minus a couple dozen IQ points") will only be around in a recurring capacity this season. My guess is that Brett will actually commute back and forth, maybe there will even be some sort of one week on / one week off situation which allows her to try to readjust to Fowlerton and enjoy her time with Kyle, while also letting this new paramedic come in here and there. It's not impossible, either, as Fowlerton and Chicago are less than four hours apart. That's an easy drive, just not every day.
So, here's where the potential problem really comes in. Brett moved to Chicago after she had a bit of a runaway bride situation and left her hometown about six years ago to work on ambo at 51. She's been in the big city for quite a while now, made a lot of friends and had a lot of adventures. Even though Kyle is with her, can she really enjoy life again in a town with less than 500 people?
Let's say that she moved to Indiana with Kyle within a month of them getting engaged (assuming that she came out of that cliffhanger finale basically fine). She's now had roughly four months to deal with being back home, but, by the time the second episode rolls around, she's just realizing that it might take some work? I'm going to chalk this up to Brett's eternal optimism, which we know can sometimes lead to heartbeak for her. She might have actually underestimated the pull that the action and liveliness of Chicago would have for her.
Of course, it's also possible that things aren't going so well with Kyle. While he does seem to genuinely love Brett, she's still holding onto some feelings for Casey, who was developing feelings of his own by the time Season 7 ended, so still seeing each other at work, even if it's not as much as before, might be just enough to keep Brett invested in what's almost there with him.
So, Brett already made a big change in moving to Fowlerton with Kyle, will she then make another and break up with the sweet chaplain to move back to Chicago? We can all see for sure when Chicago Fire returns to NBC, along with Chicago Med and Chicago P.D., on Wednesday, September 25 at 9 p.m. EST. The big One Chicago crossover event happens on October 16, but to see what else will debut in the coming weeks, check out our 2019 TV premiere guide!
