Why Brett’s marriage on Chicago Fire was such a satisfying ending?

The character’s backstory laid the groundwork for a great sendoff.

We’re still getting used to Chicago Fire without Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). The character could very well make a cameo appearance down the line, but for all intents and purposes, her arc is finished. And we have to say, the writers did an excellent job. From the reincorporation of Brett’s half-sister to the aquarium connection, everything fell into place.

One thing that went under-discussed however, was the perfect symmetry of Brett’s arc. She joined Chicago Fire in season 3, and something we learn about her early on is that she was left at the altar by her high school sweetheart in Fowlerton, Indiana.

Sylvie Brett had a rocky history with marriage

That’s the sort of traumatizing event that sticks with a person their entire life, and it made sense why Brett wanted to relocate to Chicago to get a fresh start. The character had a number of different relationships over the years, and even got engaged to Kyle Sheffield (Teddy Sears), but the fear of being rejected, or worse, abandoned, underpinned a lot of her actions.

The actress who plays Brett, Kara Killmer, made note of this during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. She voiced her joy at being able to bring the character through the turbulence of season 11, which saw her break up with Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer), and ultimately leave the Windy City with everything she could have wanted:

“She was left at the altar by her high school sweetheart, and I love that she ends up across the aisle from the man of her dreams, and with everything that she wanted.”

Brett was able to make peace with her past

Brett arrived in Chicago to get away from a botched marriage attempt, and left Chicago because she found the man of her dreams. Killmer also made note of the fact that Brett adopted a daughter, which also went a long way in healing the psychological hangups that the character had with regards to her own adoption history:

“[She has] this sort of like patchwork family. I couldn’t be happier for my own character.”

In a One Chicago franchise that has seen some truly harrowing deaths and the the dissolution of some beloved relationships (looking at you, Chicago PD), it’s nice to see Brett get everything she wanted and then some!