Joy Turns to Jeopardy: Chicago Fire Season 13 Finale’s Happy Ending Hints at Season 14 Disaster

When looking at the most important episodes in Chicago Fire’s timeline, it feels almost immediately apparent that the relationship between Sam Carver and Violet Mikami has been one of the most prominent storylines in season 13 next to the death of Monica Pascal. Violet and Carver struggled to get on less awkward footing after Tori moved back to Texas, and it seemed clear that the tension between them hinted at a much steamier endgame than mere friendship. Their storyline finally paid off in the Chicago Fire season 13 finale with a kiss and a mutual confession of love.

It was long overdue, and it would have happened much earlier if not for Carver’s drinking problem. That one issue caused so many problems between them — from Violet being attacked by Carver’s possessive recovery buddy to him spending several episodes in treatment. It now finally feels as if Sam and Violet are able to find each other on nearly equal footing. Unfortunately, it couldn’t have happened at a worse possible time.

Jake Lockett’s Impending Exit Only Delays Carver’s Inevitable Departure From Firehouse 51

It’s No Longer Clear If His Exit Will Happen Onscreen

For the most part, all One Chicago leads are returning for the 2025-2026 season. However, Jake Lockett’s Sam Carver joins Daniel Kyri’s Darren Ritter as one of two characters leaving in Chicago Fire season 14. What’s unclear is what his departure will look like now that he’s embraced his love for Violet. Neither Carver nor Ritter formally departs the story by the end of the season 13 finale, leaving it uncertain as to how the series will address either one of their exits.

Sam Carver’s Chicago Fire exit, however, is strongly suggested throughout the finale. Firehouse 51 hasn’t exactly been a haven for Carver recently, and Sam decides in the finale that he needs to make a fresh start for himself by transferring to Denver. It’s only late in the episode, after Carver reads the letter Violet wrote him while he was in treatment, that he seems to decide he’d rather stay in the Windy City with Mikami. This would usually be a welcome development had Jake Lockett’s exit as a series regular not been confirmed weeks before the finale aired.

It would be a horrible blow to Violet’s storyline if she were to finally get with Carver, only to watch him ultimately choose Denver over her anyway. It would mean that she’d spent the better part of a day pouring her heart into a letter that ultimately failed to sway his emotions in a truly meaningful way. But hopeful fans shouldn’t expect that Carver’s departure announcement was a mere tactic to keep his love confession a surprise. There are plenty of reasons to suspect that this is truly the end of the road for Sam and Violet’s love story.

There’s No Future For Carver & Violet As A Couple In Chicago Fire

Chicago Fire Can’t Keep Their Romance Interesting Anymore

It would be great to see Mikami and Carver embrace their relationship for the long haul, but it’s difficult to do that, given the circumstance. There’s a common storytelling problem referred to as “shipping death” that asks how to keep relationships interesting, particularly when there’s no remaining dramatic tension derived from wondering when they’ll finally get together. Sadly, Sam and Violet are prime targets for this sort of issue.