A string of changes in Firehouse 51 appears to be Chicago Fire season 12’s way of making up for its most ridiculous season 11 unexpected tragedy. Given the nature of their jobs, Chief Boden’s people are used to dealing with many kinds of losses. Over the years, they have seen their fair share of deaths — be it with victims or one of their members. Many of those demises come without a warning, especially when dealing with extremely dicey situations. While many of these incidents are done to show the importance of the firefighter’s work, some of them are head-scratchers.
That latter is arguably the case with the death of Chief Evan Hawkins in Chicago Fire season 11. He and Violet Hawkami were one of the most promising romances in the procedural, considering that it involved an intriguing professional dynamic, and for a while, they kept their affair on the down low. Unfortunately, just as things were starting to look up, the couple was struck by a tragedy when Hawkins unexpectedly died during a fire call. Although mishaps like this are possible in their line of work, it is arguably unnecessary, since it didn’t lead to any substantial narrative.
Violet Gets Her Due in Chicago Fire Season 12
Several members of Firehouse 51 have experienced the loss of a loved one during a call. However, Hawkins’ death didn’t seem to have any other storytelling value other than pulling a plot twist. There was so much potential in his and Violet’s romance, and Chicago Fire failed to capitalize on that by cutting it way too short. To make things worse, vindictive Emma Jacobs continued to target Violet knowing that she was in a vulnerable position on the heels of Evans’ death. Now, however, it seems like things are looking up for the trusted Ambo paramedic.
Sylvie Brett’s engagement to Matt Casey means that Violet will lose not only her closest co-worker but also her best friend. However, it also propels her to take on a leadership role within Firehouse 51. As confirmed by Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman, Ambo 61 will get a brand new parademic, which Violet will supervise. Secondly, and perhaps more intriguingly, Violet’s love life is also recovering after the devastating death of Hawkins, as she begins a new romance with Sam Carver.
How Season 12 Changes Violet’s Future Chicago Fire Role
Chicago Fire season 12 is mired with a lot of changes — something that Chief Boden addressed during the much-delayed premiere. Newman reinforces the idea that change will be the theme of the year, to show that it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Amid everything happening around her, Chicago Fire season 12 is poised to be a transformative year for Violet. After years of playing a supporting character to the show’s bigger players, getting both her professional and personal life on track can propel her to be one of the new faces of One Chicago.
