Chicago Fire Season 12 Finale Reveals Sylvie Brett’s Big Change (Breaking the Firehouse 51 Trend)
Chicago Fire’s season 12 finale featured a big update on Sylvie Brett, revealing that she broke the Firehouse 51 trend with just one change. Chicago’s short year ended with major events for all three shows. For Chicago Fire, it was a busy day for Chief Boden, as he officially left his position to climb the Chicago Fire Department ladder. Considering how important Eammon Walker was to the first responder process, his departure was the focus of “Never Say Goodbye,” but the Chicago Fire season 12 finale had a lot more to reveal.
Before Boden left, the last person to leave Chicago Fire was Derrick Gibson, who was only at Firehouse 51 for a handful of episodes. Two long-time cast members also left the Windy City, with the year opening with Blake Gallo leaving, followed by Sylvie’s departure shortly after her marriage to Matt Casey. The couple’s wedding was a final farewell for both characters, whose love stories had been developing for years. However, a few episodes after their departures, Chicago Fire’s season 12 finale featured a surprise update, confirming a major change for Sylvie.
One of the biggest scenes in Chicago Fire’s season 12 finale saw Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd talking about starting a family. The discussion was prompted by a text message from Sylvie, who now lives in Oregon, with a photo of Baby Julia. Notably, her initials on the phone were “SC” and underneath, she was shown going by the name Sylvie Casey. Taking her husband’s last name isn’t surprising, as it’s the norm. However, this is a departure from the Firehouse 51 tradition where a woman keeps her last name after marrying another main character from One Chicago.
Even when Matt married Gabby Dawson in the early years of Chicago Fire, Monica Raymund’s character kept her last name.
This was the case when Stella Kidd married Kelly Severide two years ago in the season 10 finale of Chicago Fire. Likewise, Randy McHolland aka Mouch married Chicago Police Department’s Trudy Platt. Even when Matt married Gabby Dawson in the early years of Chicago Fire, Monica Raymund’s character kept her last name. It is unclear whether this trend was done intentionally or not. No official reason was given for this. With that said, there are no set rules regarding this either. However, it is an interesting creative decision, considering Sylvie’s predecessors in One Chicago.
Sylvie changing her last name to Casey isn’t a sign that her relationship is better than other Chicago Fire marriages. However, she’s in a unique position that makes this transition a lot easier. Moving to another state means she’ll be starting a new life, including meeting new people. It’s easier to introduce yourself by your birth name, Sylvie Casey, than it is for someone like Trudy, who’s always called Platt, especially to people she works directly with in the Chicago Police Department. The same goes for Stella and Gabby (when she marries Matt in Chicago Fire season 5).
On a practical level, it would be confusing if everyone shared a last name on Firehouse 51, since they use their last names when referring to someone.
Perhaps the other Chicago Fire brides have legally changed their names. The conversation about keeping their original names, which has become the norm in recent years, has never come up. With that said, it’s more likely that they’ll all go the traditional route when it comes to the subject. However, despite the legality of it, they’ll always be referred to by their maiden names, as it allows them to maintain their established identities.
On a practical level, it would be confusing if everyone shared a last name on Firehouse 51, as they often use their last names when referring to the people they work with. Currently, only Kelly and Stella are married in the famous firehouse, and it looks like that will still happen in season 13 of Chicago Fire. Even then, it would be weird if they used the same last name, especially since they’re also the respective leaders of their respective sub-teams.
Not everyone gets to part ways on Chicago Fire. Some of the characters who have left in the past have had less than ideal, sometimes even heartbreaking, farewells. So it’s great that Kara Killmer’s character was able to end her time at Firehouse 51 by marrying the love of her life. For context, Jesse Spencer left One Chicago a few years ago before getting married. Casey, though, kept coming back to Chicago Fire because of his unfinished romance with Sylvie. Now that both of their stories have ended, there’s no reason to
