Chicago Fire looks to be setting up a Chief Boden arc in season 12

Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) is always around, even if he doesn’t have a ton to do. The character is a Chicago Fire mainstay, and given the drama that the rest of the 51 contends with on a regular basis, it’s nice to have someone as stable and consistent as Boden in the mix.

That being said, he’s not always exept from the drama. In the most recent season 12 episode, “Something About Her,” Boden announced that he would be taking a leave of absence so that he could spend more time with his adopted son, James (Juan Lozada). James has been through a lot recently, and the two men have struggled to get on the same page as a result.

Chief Boden is taking a leave of absence

CHICAGO FIRE — “My Lucky Day” Episode 905 — Pictured: Eamonn Walker as Wallace Boden — (Photo by: Adrian S. Burrows Sr./NBC) /

Boden’s intentions are admirable, and very understandable, but there is a part of us that wonders what the intention of removing Boden from the show is, regardless of whether it’s for a week or a couple weeks. Once more, he provides stability, and given the staggering amount of turnover the show has had in terms of cast members, one would think stability would be sought after.

Well, there may be a narrative reason for Boden’s brief leave of absence. The introduction of Chief Robinson (Laura Allen) presented the first real threat to Boden’s power in several seasons.

She has it out for both him and the 51 as a whole, and the fact that Boden was able to see through her facade and hurt her chances to take over as Deputy Commissioner, could very well mean that she is going to try to damage the 51 in Boden’s absence.

Boden has an enemy in Chief Robinson

CHICAGO FIRE — “All the Dark” Episode 12008 — Pictured: (l-r) Laura Allen as Chief Robinson, Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC) /

She did, after all, warn the character that change is coming:

“The old guard is on their way out, Chief Boden. And there are more of us than you know who believe it’s time for some fresh blood.”

We could easily see a world in which Robinson comes back, does damage, and Chief Boden is forced to come back to straighten things out. It would be a novel use of the character, given how little he’s had to contend with in recent seasons, and it would raise the dramatic stakes for the back end of season 12.

Regardless, we hope Boden’s leave of absence isn’t too long.