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Chicago Fire said goodbye to Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) in the Season 12 finale, but did another firefighter leave 51 without us noticing? Keep reading to see if Sam Carver is leaving Chicago Fire and whether or not Jake Lockett will be back for Season 13.
Is Sam Carver leaving Chicago Fire?
Between Boden’s bittersweet exit and the shocking revelation about Damon, fans might not have noticed Sam Carver’s absence in the final scenes of the Season 12 finale. Played by Jake Lockett, Carver was first introduced during Season 11 as a transfer from Firehouse 132. The character got a lot more screen time this season when he began a romantic relationship with Paramedic in Charge Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith).
Viewers learned more about Carver’s origins in the Season 11 episode “Something for the Pain.” After Carver and Stella McKidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) nearly died in an explosion, Carver told her how he got the noticeable scars on his arms. When Carver was 9 years old, his abusive older brother pushed him into a bonfire and ignored his cries for help. Later, when Carver told his parents what happened, no one believed him and his brother claimed to be the hero in the scenario.
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Carver’s past was revisited in the first half of the Season 12 finale, when the team was called to the scene of a restaurant fire. Tensions were high at the restaurant, as the owner was showing abusive tendencies toward his youngest son. The son also had burn marks on his arms and couldn’t provide a good excuse for how he got them, leading Carver to believe that the older brother or the dad threw boiling hot water on him. The ordeal was obviously very triggering for Carver, and he eventually lost his temper and got in a physical altercation with the restaurant owner.
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Following the incident, Carver told Stella that we was going to take some time off to get his head right. At the time, his and Violet’s relationship was at a breaking point because Violet kept pushing him away. When she learned the real reason behind Carver’s actions on the call, she tried to get in touch with him, but he rejected her calls.
Later on, Carver was nowhere to be seen at Firehouse 51’s celebration of Boden’s promotion to Deputy Commissioner, which also served as his goodbye party. With the firefighter seemingly MIA, fans are concerned that he might not be back for Season 13. Lockett has not given any indication that he plans on leaving the show, but cast shakeups are very common in the One Chicago universe. In 2024 alone, Chicago Fire has lost Eammon Walker (Boden), Kara Killmer (Sylvie Brett) and Alberto Rosende (Blake Gallo). Meanwhile, Chicago P.D. just said goodbye to Tracy Spiridakos, who starred as Detective Hailey Upton for six seasons.
While speaking to TVLine in January 2024, Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman explained that changes in the cast is how they keep the show fresh. “[In] storytelling and in terms of real life, 12 years is a long time and things need to change, just dynamic-wise. You want new characters and you want new dynamics,” she told the outlet.
Fans have been enjoying the budding romance between Carver and Violet, so we don’t think he’ll be going anywhere just yet. The cast for Season 13 has not yet been confirmed, though, so anything is possible.
Chicago Fire can be streamed on Peacock.
For more on Chicago Fire, check out where former cast members are now in the gallery below.
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