After Chicago Fire Confirmed A Big Problem For Firehouse 51, Showrunner Andrea Newman Talks Season 12 Finale Cliffhangers: 'We're Out To Shock'
Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 12 of Chicago Fire Season 12, called "Under Pressure."
The twelfth season of Chicago Fire has just one episode left before the final credits roll on the spring portion of the 2024 TV schedule, and longtime fans know that this is a show with a knack for cliffhangers. Season 11 ended with no fewer than three last year, and "Under Pressure" set up a Season 12 finale that has the fate of Firehouse 51 as we know it at stake. Showrunner Andrea Newman spoke with CinemaBlend about the upcoming cliffhangers, and there's a lot to think about ahead of the upcoming finale on the heels of the 250th episode milestone.
First things first!
What Happened In "Under Pressure"
Boden was still on furlough in "Under Pressure," with Severide not exactly thrilled to still be handling paperwork as Firehouse 51's ranking officer. The job got even more complicated on the scene of a crisis, when a fire was so bad that more than one ambulance was needed, which meant Lennox – who was briefly partnered with Violet earlier this season – showing up and drugging a man without checking his oxygen level. This led to the man being hospitalized and Severide filing a complaint against Lennox, expecting it to backfire since Lennox was Chief Robinson's right-hand man.
So it came as a surprise when Robinson paid Severide a visit not to lash back at him or protect Lennox, but to say that Lennox had been fired and thank Severide for filing the report. The Squad lieutenant didn't initially know what to make of it, and the kicker came when Lennox of all people dropped by 51 to shed some light on what was up. Lennox told Severide that Boden had given him some good advice that he should have listened to about protecting himself, then went on:
Lennox: "You should know, interim DC Barnes is officially stepping down next week."
Severide: "That's why Robinson let you go so fast. So she couldn't be accused of playing favorites. She's cleaning house."
Lennox: "She wants to be deputy commissioner, and she will do whatever it takes."
Severide: "So if we want to stop her–"
Lennox: "We better move fast."
Consider me intrigued by Lennox's use of "we" in this chat with Severide, because it sounds like either he'll be key to stopping Robinson or he's faking it and still on Robinson's side. (For what it's worth, I'm inclined to believe he's being sincere.) It'll be interesting to see if Wesam Keesh – who originally had a role elsewhere in the nine-show Wolf Entertainment TV universe in recent years courtesy of Law & Order: Organized Crime – appears in the finale.
Severide had already called Boden to give him a heads up that Robinson might be targeting him, which probably wasn't a shocker to him after she lectured him about Firehouse 51 needing "fresh blood," and news that the DC position is opening in the very near future changes everything. We already knew that change is likely on the way in light of Eamonn Walker stepping away as a series regular, but there are more questions than answers about the Season 12 finale.
And according to showrunner Andrea Newman, there are also cliffhangers ahead.
What Showrunner Andrea Newman Told Us About Cliffhangers
Chicago Fire doesn't end on a life-or-death cliffhanger every single year, but after more than 250 episodes, it's best to expect the unexpected. When I spoke with Andrea Newman ahead of the last episode of Season 12, I asked if there were questions we'd still be asking after the final credits rolled, and she responded:
Oh, yeah. There's a couple of big cliffhangers at the end of this one. I think they'll be kind of shocking, is my guess. I hope they'll be shocking [laughs], because we're out to shock. That's our goal. There'll be developments and twists and turns and then a couple little bombs dropped there at the end.
The biggest issue that needs to be resolved is of course what the future holds for Boden and Firehouse 51 in light of Robinson's apparently nefarious plans, but there are other unanswered questions. For one, Stella still needs to find a new Truck to replace the one that Severide blew up while escaping the bad guys last week. Then there's the mystery of Jack Damon, who is at least hiding some secrets and seems pretty sketchy about Severide.
So, are the big cliffhangers for Season 12 connected to questions we're already asking, or what we couldn't have possibly seen coming? I asked the showrunner that very question, and Andrea Newman previewed:
A little bit of both and it really depends on the viewer because I think there's some characters that have been with us for a while and that we know and love and have certain predictable paths that they take, and then all of a sudden things get shaken up and they do a 180. So that's for sure. And then I think one kind of comes out of the blue, but you'll see it when you look back is my guess.
For now, we can really only speculate about what Chicago Fire has in store for the heroes of Firehouse 51 in the finale. The promo is certainly playing up that it will be Eamonn Walker's last episode playing Boden as a series regular. Take a look:
The Season 12 finale of Chicago Fire airs on Wednesday, May 22 at 9 p.m. ET, between the finales of Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. Although no premiere date has been announced yet, One Chicago Wednesdays will be back for one solid evening of Windy City primetime action. For now, you can always revisit "Under Pressure" or earlier episodes of Fire streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
