Spoilers ahead for the Season 8 fall finale of Chicago Fire on NBC, called "Best Friend Magic."
The fall finale of Chicago Fire's eighth season will bring back Monica Raymund as Gabby Dawson, which once seemed like a very unlikely TV event. Her exit in the beginning of Season 7 threw Casey for a loop, and he was reeling from the end of their marriage for many episodes. Her return in "Best Friend Magic" isn't connected to wanting to rekindle things with her ex-husband, but the trailer for the episode proves that there's probably some Dawsey drama on the way. Take a look!
Hello, Dawson, Dawson's new haircut, and the return of Dawsey drama! Gabby Dawson has been off-screen on a relief mission in Puerto Rico since her departure in Season 7, and she was even joined by her brother Antonio after he was written off of Chicago P.D. She's returning to Chicago to raise money for her organization, and Fire showrunner Derek Haas revealed that her reason for visiting her old stomping grounds at Firehouse 51 is to see Otis' memorial.
Dawson may not have been around to witness Otis' gruesome death and she may not have seen any of her old friends since she said goodbye to Casey in Season 7, but it makes sense that she'd want to honor Otis upon her return to Chicago. That said, the trailer makes it clear that she'll do a lot more at 51 than just honor her fallen friend.
In the footage, Dawson says that she'd "love to see" Casey at a fundraiser, and her return delivers some "mixed emotions" for Casey and Brett, although Brett apparently encourages him to go to the fundraiser.
While 15 seconds of footage is certainly not enough to predict everything that happens in the fall finale (which will also see Severide trying to exonerate a wrongly convicted arsonist, Kidd paying the price for trying to do too much, and Cruz on a quest to fix one of Otis' old toys), Dawson and Casey do share a smile.
That doesn't necessarily mean that romantic feelings will return, especially since there is no indication that Monica Raymund has signed on for more episodes beyond the fall finale. The former spouses seem unlikely to rekindle their relationship if they're soon to be separated yet again, right? And as lukewarm (at best) as I personally am about Brett/Casey, Fire seems unlikely to abandon that dynamic any time soon.
Why Chicago Fire's Brett And Casey Developed Feelings For Each Other So Soon After Dawson Left
If Fire can simply give Dawson and Casey more closure than their quick goodbye at the beginning of Season 7, then isn't that a good thing? They did part on just about as good of terms as possible, after all, and maybe they can care about each other as friends without any awkwardness or bitterness. And hey, maybe Dawson can drop an update on her brother for Chicago P.D. fans!
Find out when "Best Friend Magic" airs as Chicago Fire's fall finale on Wednesday, November 20 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between the fall finale of Chicago Med (with some big twists for Natalie) at 8 p.m. ET and the fall finale of Chicago P.D. (with Halstead as a bloody mess) at 10 p.m. ET.
