After a full season of will-they-won't-they, Chicago Fire season 13's finale finally delivered the answer. Just as Jake Lockett's Carver shared that he was heading to Denver, Hanako Greensmith's Violet gave him the letter she had written to him. Well, that led to both of them saying those three important relationship words.
That's great, except we all know that this likely means some heartbreak very soon. After all, Lockett will not return to Chicago Fire season 14 as a series regular. It doesn't rule out him coming back as a guest star, but it's going to be much harder to keep a relationship going. Showrunner Andrea Newman talked to TVLine about this.
During the Chicago Fire season 13 finale, Carver shared that the triggers in Chicago were too much. If he wanted to get a handle on his drinking, it would mean leaving. He had put in for a transfer to the Denver Fire Department, and he looks set to leave during the finale.
The episode led to Violet finally giving Carver her letter, which shared all the feelings she had for him. While the two have finally said "I love you" to each other, it's setting Violet up for heartbreak. Carver still seems set to leave for Denver. After all, this doesn't change the fact that Chicago is packed with triggers for him that lead to him drinking.
This would also put a lot of pressure on Violet. It would seem like Carver is only staying for her, and now she needs to be his person to help when he is fighting the urge to drink. It's a lot to put on one person.
"So he has a big decision to make, and if he makes one to stay, does that put thisonus suddenly on Violet, like he stayed for her, and if he can’t stay well and stay clean when he’s there, is it her fault?"
On top of all of this, the plans haven't changed to have Lockett leave. Due to budgetary needs, Lockett and Daniel Kyri are not returning in Chicago Fire season 14 as series regulars. They could appear now and then, but it all depends on schedules at this point, as they're not contracted for this.
A long-distance relationship is possible, but it is also hard. Brett and Casey managed it, but after a while, Brett left Chicago to be with the man she loved. So, for Violet and Carver to make things work, it would suggest that Violet would eventually leave for Denver, which she's shown no hints of doing as so much of her life is in Chicago.
"There’s always the possibility they’ll try that, but I don’t know if that helps him, if what he’s really trying to do is get away from the space where he fell apart and started to spiral, if getting in a relationship with somebody who was all part of that is in the cards. I’m not sure," Newman teased.
So, it looks like a major breakup is coming, and we're not happy about this. All we want is for Violet to be happy, and Chicago Fire is setting her up for another heartbreak.
Chicago Fire is available to stream on Peacock.