Chicago Fire’s Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey broke up in the Season 11

premiere — but that probably didn’t come as a surprise to One Chicago fans who

have watched the ups and downs of Brettsey. The ship has delighted some

fans and confused others, but whether viewers liked the two as a couple or not, Brett was right about one thing: their timing was off. And it was reflected in how the relationship was constructed. Season 11, Episode 1, “Hold on Tight” saw Brett thinking about her future with Casey after the Stellaride wedding. This period of reflection ended with her making a tearful phone call to Casey, saying that things simply hadn’t lined up for them and that “maybe someday…” While she didn’t verbally break up with him, and fans didn’t get to hear Casey’s side of the conversation, Brett’s words and her crying made it clear that the relationship is over. But was there ever a happy ending truly in store for Brettsey? While Brettsey fans are understandably hurt by the breakup, it was a foregone conclusion after Jesse Spencer exited the series early in Season 10.

It is near-impossible to maintain a relationship after a character leaves a TV show, and Fire made a great effort to keep Brett and Casey together for the rest of the season. The writers were doing the honorable thing — busting them up immediately would’ve made all the seasons they spent pining for each other seem like a waste of everyone’s time. But that’s actually where the problem started. Chicago Fire slow-burned Brett and Casey for nearly two seasons, as the writers didn’t know that Spencer was going to leave until Season 9. Brett was engaged to Kyle Sheffield (who returned in the Season 11 premiere!) then dated Greg Grainger, while Casey slept with Naomi Graham, had a one-night stand with his ex-wife Gabriela Dawson (who didn’t come back) and got another woman’s number. By taking all these detours, the writers ended up with Brettsey happening just before Casey was gone — an awkward position for everyone.

There was no way not to get them together after all the back-and-forth, but there was no sustainable way to keep them together. The Casey and Dawson breakup could have informed Brett and Casey’s writing. Dawson likewise moved out of Chicago and she got a bittersweet but appropriate goodbye scene. No one expected Casey to follow Dawson to Puerto Rico, and both of them still had love for each other, but they both got what was best for them. Chicago Fire repeated the same themes with Brett and Casey. The difference is the Brettsey ship was made messier by everything in between. One Chicago fans know that what happens off-screen plays a part in what they see on-screen. It’s happened countless times in the NBC franchise (see Kristen Hager leaving Chicago Med as well as Jessy Schram returning).

Monica Raymund told the Chicago Tribune that co-creator Derek Haas was in “extreme denial” over her choice to leave the show, and that played out when Chicago Fire had Casey and Dawson sleep together in Season 8, giving hope to Dawsey fans while still teasing Brettsey. Raymund later revealed to Deadline that she was supposed to guest star a third time in Season 9 as Dawson would help Brett and Casey. However, COVID-19 quashed that idea. So the series was never able to address fans’ concern about Brett dating her best friend’s ex-husband in any meaningful way, and when viewers did see Dawson, she was still involved with Casey herself. Spencer leaving Chicago Fire was the culmination of a story arc that didn’t get the chance to fully develop.

If the series hadn’t teased Brettsey for so long, they would have had more time to be fleshed out as a proper couple. If the writers had given Casey and Dawson closure instead of their own open ending, then Casey and Brett might have won over some of the skeptical viewers. Spencer shouldn’t be expected to make repeated guest appearances the way Raymund has graciously done; he deserves the chance to move on. And Killmer deserves stories that don’t revolve around phone calls or Brett — and the fans — talking about someone who’s not there. The end of Brettsey is sad, but it was the best possible option for both characters and their actors. The relationship was always going to be complex to write, and at least it got a chance to play out after all the time and effort invested. And the breakup very specifically ended on a good note. Neither party was made to look bad, so uninterested fans are able to move on while shippers can hope that Casey and Brett get another chance someday. This one just didn’t have the stars aligning.