The NBC drama “Chicago Fire,” the inaugural series in the network’s “One Chicago” franchise, follows the work and personal lives of fictional firefighters and paramedics in the Windy City. Like the rest of the shows in the franchise, “Chicago Fire” features an ensemble cast, with actors like Taylor Kinney (Kelly Severide), David Eigenberg (Christopher Herrmann), and Lauren German (Leslie Shay) making their mark throughout various points in the series.
One of the show’s most engaging characters is paramedic Sylvie Brett, played by Kara Killmer. Brett came into the mix in Season 3 when she joined Ambulance 61 following the death of Leslie Shay. Being from a small town in Indiana, Brett has trouble adjusting to life in Chicago at first, but eventually settles in. Later in the series, Brett is promoted to paramedic in charge.
Brett has become a core part of “Chicago Fire,” and naturally, fans are bound to have a lot of opinions about her, just as they do with any of the other major characters. And, with Brett, there is one thing that fans still don’t understand, even seven seasons into her arc.
Fans don’t understand why Brett has so many love interests
Since Sylvie Brett was introduced in Season 3 of “Chicago Fire,” she has had a slew of romantic entanglements. One fan, Redditor u/ZukosRose, took to Reddit to question why Brett has had more love interests than most of the other characters, writing, “I’m rewatching from the beginning and I’m not sure why the writers were so lazy they made literally all the guys fall in love with Her. I’m only on season 5 but Cruz,Otis, Antonio, Jimmy, Mills & apparently Casey too??” In agreement, u/Aethermist88, replied, “I like Brett but I always wondered why so many guys like her as well. It just seemed weird.”
They were far from the only fans who couldn’t quite make sense of this repeated character trait. Another fan argued that the choice feels emblematic of a larger problem with the “One Chicago” franchise. They wrote, “Honestly one of the main things I noticed about all three shows is that the one Chicago writers … don’t understand how to write women. I love Brett but you’re right, her dating or crushing on basically every guy she knew/worked with who was single was really lazy writing.”
Not everyone agreed, however. Redditor u/FlimsyManagement offered the theory that the intense and demanding work schedule means that it’s likely that Brett would naturally meet potential romantic partners while on the job, and also noted that she brings a different energy. They wrote, “She was painfully nice and kind of unassuming and optimistic, where as Shay and Dawson have an edge to them.” In response, original poster u/ZukosRose noted that the bigger issue is that they want to see more from the character than just her romances.
We’ll just have to see where the writers take Brett’s storyline in Season 11.
