The tenth season of Chicago Fire is fast approaching to finally reveal what happens to Severide, Cruz, and the rest of Squad 3 after the doozy of a Season 9 finale cliffhanger that left all of their lives in jeopardy. Trapped beneath a capsized boat and the vessel starting to go under, their cliffhanger was about as stressful as any that Chicago Fire has ever delivered, on top of the other storylines introduced in the finale, including Brett and Casey finally taking the leap into romance. Fire showrunner Derek Haas opened up about the Season 10 premiere, and fans should officially start worrying if they weren’t already.
Since this show is called Chicago Fire and not Chicago Water Rescue, the Season 9 finale cliffhanger was unlike any that has ended a season before, and it was scary in a different way than usual. After all, unlike a fiery cliffhanger, there’s no chance that Casey or Stella or any of the other firefighters can go after them and save them with full dive gear ready to go off of Truck 81. Derek Haas shared with CinemaBlend why the Fire team decided to go for a water crisis to end Season 9 and start Season 10:
We always look to do something new and different in our finales. We hadn’t done a water rescue in a long time so it seemed like a really harrowing way to end a season. And the opening teaser is… terrifying.
Well, I think it’s safe to rule out Severide, Cruz, Capp, and Tony finding an easy way to safety within the first two minutes of the premiere, based on Derek Haas’ description of the opening teaser as “terrifying” at this point! In fact, there are no guarantees that all of them will make it up to the surface in time to avoid drowning, which is particularly harrowing after Severide just proposed to Stella, Cruz isn’t far off from becoming a father, and Capp mentioned a girlfriend who may or may not actually exist!
Chicago Fire delivering a tragic fate for a beloved firefighter in a premiere isn’t unprecedented. Poor Otis died a gruesome death back in the Season 8 premiere, although at least Fire didn’t do anything that quite rivaled that tragedy for the rest of Season 8 and all of Season 9. So, what about Season 10? Derek Haas had a short and not-so-sweet answer to the question of how worried fans should be:
Very.
That’s not to say that fans should prepare their eulogies for any of the Squad heroes who were going down beneath that boat at the end of Season 9, but it may be time to start crossing fingers when it comes to the fates of favorites. I don’t think any viewers are ready to see another memorial go up at 51 to join the one honoring Otis, so hopefully the worst won't happen.
Of course, the Season 9 finale didn’t just set up a terrifying opening to Season 10 with regard to Severide and Co. in the water. The episode saw Brett and Casey hook up, with the issue of Casey’s feelings for Dawson seemingly no longer an issue for them moving forward. They at least seemed confident that there were no more roadblocks in their way that they couldn’t deal with, but is that going to be the case in Season 10?
I posed the showrunner the question of what the future looks like for Brett and Casey now that the door seems to be closed on Dawson and Casey, and Derek Haas previewed:
Things are looking good for them… until something major happens.
The course of Chicago Fire love never did run smooth, and Brett and Casey evidently aren’t going to have an easy journey despite finally taking that jump together at the end of Season 9. Derek Haas didn’t drop the details about what the “something major” is that gets in the way of how good things are looking for them, so viewers can only speculate for now about what’s coming, for better or for worse. Whatever happens for Brett and Casey at least is probably less life-or-death than what Severide and Co. are facing, but only time will tell.
Luckily, the wait for fans to get answers is almost over. Season 10 of Chicago Fire premieres on Wednesday, September 22 at 9 p.m. ET, right in between the Season 7 premiere of Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and the Season 9 premiere of Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. P.D. also has a life-or-death cliffhanger to resolve for poor Burgess. As for Med, Season 6 left some big questions unanswered regarding departing characters, but the showrunners have already shed some light on what will happen there.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on the One Chicago front, and be sure to check out our fall 2021 premiere schedule for when more of the biggest shows in primetime will premiere before the end of the year.
