'Chicago Fire' season 8: What lies ahead for Captain Casey and the rest of Firehouse 51 after Otis's death?
Season 8 of 'Chicago Fire' opened with the heartbreaking death of Brian "Otis" Zvonecek, who has been part of the 'Chicago Fire' family since it premiered seven years ago. Otis was close to everyone in Firehouse 51 and his death is sure to impact the team for a long time to come -- after all, this is the second major death since paramedic Shay in the season 3 premiere. The people most affected by his death are Cruz, Otis's best friend, and Casey, who harbors a lot of guilt over the loss of a firefighter from his squad. Chief Boden, inspired by Cruz's words, even gets a memorial constructed in Otis's name and makes sure that the character's presence will be felt even after the actor Yuri Sardarov's departure.
There was an inquiry into Casey's decision to bring the paramedics into the factory during the fire, and even though he is cleared, he feels he will never be clear of Otis's death. In the last season's premiere, Gabby (whom Casey was married to) left and while he had a temporary fling, he later began to develop feelings for Brett, which, unknown to him, were reciprocated. But timing's a b**ch and Brett got back together with Kyle (engaged, in fact) and moves to Indiana. Casey's certainly going to stew on the guilt he feels and he might need someone to help him get out of it. The most obvious choice for this is Brett and from the first episode, it looks like she might tire of Indiana and move back to Chicago. Her ambulance partner Emily Foster is certainly desperate to get her back considering she does not like the replacement paramedic from Florida.
Cruz is coping with Otis's death by raising money for scholarships but it will be interesting to see how his character is developed through the season. The actor who plays Cruz, Joe Minoso, has booked a recurring role on Epix's 'Get Shorty' and we may not see that much of him on this season of 'Chicago Fire'. Casey is also tasked with getting a new firefighter to Truck 81 (which Otis would always drive) and he is still waiting for the right person. This could most definitely be Blake Gallo, played by Alberto Rosende, best known for playing the human-turned-vampire Simon on Freeform's 'Shadowhunters'. Gallo is a young firefighter who will be taken care of by Casey, Severide, and Hermann who are impressed with his relentless energy. Rosende could very well be promoted to series regular by the end of this season.
Viewers can be certain that 'Chicago Fire' will undergo a major shift when it comes to the characters and the general atmosphere in the firehouse.
'Chicago Fire' airs on NBC on Wednesday nights.
