Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Yuri Sardarov) was one of the original characters of Chicago Fire, quickly capturing hearts with his lovable personality and kind heart. His friendship with Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) showed exactly what a male friendship could look like, bringing emotional comfort and support at times of need. There were highs and lows throughout the seven seasons Otis was around, but nobody really thought that he would end up going anywhere.
Then in Chicago Fire season 7’s finale, lives were left on the line. It was clear from the promotional materials for season 8 of the Dick Wolf franchise series that someone wouldn’t make it, but Otis was part of the key art for the season. While he was initially ruled out, leading to the shocking turn of events in the Chicago Fire season 8 premiere. Otis was killed off, and there are still many questions about why that was and whether he could return as others in the One Chicago universe have done.
Otis’ Death In Chicago Fire Season 8 Explained
Otis Died In The Line Of Duty
During the Chicago Fire season 7 finale, Firehouse 51 was called to a mattress factory fire. The entire situation was reminiscent of Chicago Fire’s season 2 finale, when everyone went inside and our hearts were in our throats. This high-stakes situation made it clear that someone important wouldn’t make it. The finale left on a cliffhanger, with almost all of Firehouse 51 managing to get into a room. Otis didn’t make it in time, and the water from the fire trucks sprayed into the building. Those temperatures would be enough to turn the water into scalding temperatures.
They managed to race Otis to the hospital, and it looked like he could potentially make it.
In Chicago Fire’s season 8 premiere, the fire was under control and the members of Firehouse 51 could look after themselves. They managed to race Otis to the hospital, and it looked like he could potentially make it. Sadly, he died in the hospital with Cruz beside him, leaving many members of Firehouse 51 heartbroken and marking Otis’ lasting impression in Chicago Fire.
Otis Was Killed Off & Yuri Sardarov’s Exit Was To Highlight The Stakes In Chicago Fire
Yuri Sardarov Didn’t Choose To Leave Chicago Fire
Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and despite all the training and safety gear, there are fears that people won’t make it through their next shift. Chicago Fire had shown some of the dangers throughout the first seven seasons, but with only Lauren German’s exit at the start of Chicago Fire season 3, there were barely any concerns that a main character from the series would be killed off.
Showrunner Derek Haas told TVLine at the time that Otis’ death was purposely to raise the stakes and remind viewers that firefighting was dangerous. There was a discussion of it being Ritter at one point, but that didn’t seem to be a high risk, as Ritter had only just joined the series. Otis raised the stakes due to the amount of people he was connected to throughout Chicago Fire. He lived with Cruz and Brett (Kara Kilmer), and he owned Molly’s with Herrmann (David Eigenberg). Ritter’s character was really only connected to Herrmann at the time, so the death wouldn’t hurt the firehouse as much.
“When we decided it was going to be Otis, there was some talk about, ‘Do we make it Ritter?'” Haas said. “But it felt like that was almost not as serious. It almost wouldn’t be the same situation or effect, because he was such a new character that the audience would think, ‘Oh, we were just doing that intentionally from the beginning,’ because it wouldn’t have had the stakes that it would have if it were a core cast member.”
If Sardarov had a choice, he wouldn’t have left the series, but he understood the reasoning behind the decision. Haas shared that they had a meaningful conversation and that it helped that Sardarov is also a writer, so he understood the need to shock the audience.
Can Otis Still Return In Chicago Fire Despite His Death? (How?)
Chicago PD Set The Tone For Bringing Back Deceased Characters
The loss of Otis hasn’t been easy, and many have called for him to return in some way. While Otis has been mentioned and there is a statue dedicated to him outside of Firehouse 51, it’s not the same as seeing him return to the screen. When a show kills off a character, it’s much harder to do, but it is not impossible.
Chicago PD season 11 brought a deceased character back from the dead. As Voight was close to death due to the attack by the serial killer, he started hallucinating Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas), surprising many viewers at the time. This is a way that Chicago Fire could bring Otis back for a scene or two, with Cruz being the likely person to be close to death as he was closest to Otis in life. With Cruz’s life on the line, he could need the hallucinations and memories of those he loves to help push him to make a choice to fight for his life.
Characters returning in a dream world are used a lot by TV shows, and it’s an easy and realistic way for Chicago Fire to bring back Otis.
Another option is to work with the way Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage recently did with the return of Lance Barber’s George Sr. Despite George Sr.’s death in Young Sheldon, he returned via a dream when Georgie was sick with the flu, offering Georgie the boost he needed to know that he needed to look after his health to be there for his daughter Cece. Characters returning in a dream world are used a lot by TV shows, and it’s an easy and realistic way for Chicago Fire to bring back Otis.
