Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) had a legendary run on Chicago Fire. He held down the position of Firehouse 51 chief for nearly two decades (if we count pre-show), and served as the perfect mentor for every firefighter and medic who served under him. This what made his exit in the season 12 finale such a big deal. It’s truly the end of an era.
It’s telling that the promo for the season 12 finale focused on Boden’s exit. There are plenty of narrative shakeups that take place in “Never Say Goodbye,” but fans are going to remember this episode as the one where Boden gives up his title as 51 chief and embarks on the next chapter of his career.
But what happened? Did he retire or did he get promoted? Who took his place? SPOILERS for the season 12 finale ahead:
Wallace Boden was promoted to Deputy Commissioner
Wallace Boden will continue to fight the good fight as Deputy Commissioner. He’s been promoted to one of the most prestigious firefighting positions in the city, and this makes sense given the little bit we knew about his exit going on.
It’s been confirmed that the character will be sticking around in a limited capacity, and will appear in more of a cameo capacity moving forward. Having him serve as Commissioner is a perfect way to ensure that he gets involved in the show’s major cases, while being absent during lesser ones.
Boden
This, of course, means that Firehouse 51 needs a new battalion chief, and who better to step into the role than Herrmann (David Eigenberg). It was looking like Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was going to take over, but it’s hard to argue with Herrmann’s experience, and we’re excited to see how he fares in a full-time capacity.
Nothing could have prepared us for the final scene of the episode, though. 51 veterans gather around and make sure Boden knows how much he means to all of them before he leaves. Cruz (Joe Minoso) credits Boden with making 51 a “family.” The thing that clinched it, though, was the silence that closed out the scene.
Instead of making sentimental remarks, Boden went in for a gigantic group hug with everybody in his office. It spoke volumes, and it meant the world to the new Deputy Commissioner, as evidenced by the closeup on his face during the hug.
