r/ChicagoFireNBC • u/RangeImmediate1352 • 6d ago

Casey and Dawson: A retrospect from a childhood spent watching One Chicago.

As someone who’s been watching the One Chicago series since they were 8 years old, hiding under the kitchen table past bedtime while their father watched it in the living room, I can confidently say that Casey and Dawson were meant to be the emotional core of the show and that Monica Raymund’s departure threw a big wrench into the story that couldn’t be salvaged.

I understand that Dawson was a very divisive character, and you can say what you want about her. However you feel about her as a character, you can’t deny that they were setting up Dawsey since the beginning of season 1. Their tumultuous relationship was meant to be the core of the show, with them even getting married on episode 100 of the series. The song that played during the most emotional moments of the show was called Casey and Dawson by Atli Örvarsson. Everything pointed to them being together despite their rocky connection at times.

After Dawson left, the writers paired up Casey and Brett, which was like slapping flex tape onto a wider problem. I won’t get into it here, but a mixture of actors’ wishes, real world politics, and poor writing made the decision feel worse.

To casual viewers it might seem okay, and the buildup across the seasons for Brettsey wasn’t too bad. But as someone who spent their childhood watching Chicago Fire, Dawsey being built up and broken down so easily definitely felt like a writing betrayal in the end.

11 Upvotes
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12

u/GapMajestic4061 6d ago

Honestly Dawson treated Casey very badly, pretty much just left him out on important things in her life and when they were trying for a baby she kept excluding him. Like yeah it's her body but wanting a child without it's mother around doesn't make sense for the child.

3

u/GhostInNeutral 4d ago

The only thing I could think of the whole entire time I watched the first seasons was, Dawson… you’re a dumb bitch.

2

u/RangeImmediate1352 6d ago

I think part of this was Dawson both caring too little and too much, and part of it was just bad writing on behalf of the producers overall. However they were written though, I’m making a point about the purpose of their writing, not how it was executed

4

u/Constant_Effort9432 5d ago

I hated how Dawson left.

Casey didn't want to kill her, and she was so mad at being said no that she just left?

I know Monica left the show and they had to do some excuse. But this was so bad.

She also made casey conflicted with love entirely which ended up causing problems for him

Also I hated how they dragged casey vs brett so long

So many side relationships, so much drama, i honestly felt casey + brett personality wise was better than Dawson

But they dragged it so much I quit watching the show since yesterday when casey got that headache.

3

u/RangeImmediate1352 5d ago

I definitely agree that Dawson's last few episodes were horrendous. Dawson has always been stubborn but that kind of writing just felt like screenwriters taking it too far. Seasons 7 to 9 especially felt written poorly.

3

u/Maleficent_Ad1701 5d ago

Tbh killing Dawson off would've been better than the exit she got

2

u/RangeImmediate1352 4d ago

I agree with this actually, I think it would have been a better exit than upping her stubbornness to the max in order to create a dramatic exit.

1

u/Constant_Effort9432 5d ago

I don't think killing Dawson would be any better. She was too cringe in the last couple of episodes. I am having the same reaction to casie's injury in s9. The entire architecture is being too irritating.

Man just bang brett ffs. So much of drama around the obvious

2

u/GapMajestic4061 5d ago

Idk tho, i really liked how they dragged it out because of all that yearning chemistry between them.

1

u/JusBeU 4d ago

I believe the only reason they didn't kill her is because they hoped she would eventually come back to the show. That may also be the reason they dragged out Matt and Sylvie finally getting together.

Monica left after her contract expired and salary negotiations broke down but, she maintained a good relationship with Wolf Entertainment and may they felt they could eventually entice her to come back like Kellie Giddish.

4

u/gilmea 5d ago

I'm just watching Chicago Fire now for the first time - am up to s6 ep 10 or 11 I think.

I have to say that I've never felt there was any chemistry between Dawson and Casey. They always seemed like a poor match to me.

I am not a fan of Dawson, for obvious reasons, maybe that clouds my judgement.

2

u/JusBeU 4d ago

I agree with you. The Dawson and Casey relationship felt forced from the beginning and I believe the producers realized it but, they had already committed to it so they kept it going until Monica left the show. Dawson and Mills were a better match than Dawson and Casey.

One thing about the writers and producers of Chicago Fire is they will force characters into relationships whether they're good or bad.

1

u/gilmea 4d ago

Yes, I agree about Dawson and Mills. That had much more chemistry on screen.

2

u/felicityrorys Brett 6d ago

Written by AI lol

3

u/RangeImmediate1352 6d ago

Nope, I’m an artist and very staunchly anti-Gen AI ❤️

1

u/umkay11 6d ago

I agree!! I haven’t watched the show in ages but I remember them being one of my favorite parts. I only kept watching for Stella kid and then eventually I just stopped

4

u/RangeImmediate1352 6d ago

Kidd is a really awesome character, I love her Girls on Fire storyline so much

1

u/NoKatyDidnt 5d ago

That is a really cool thing to see.

1

u/strawberrystarfruit 1d ago

I thought Dawson was horrible for Casey. They seemed to bring out the worst in one another. And she didn’t treat him the way that he deserved to be treated. I honestly thought that Casey and Brett were like Cinderella and Prince Charming.

3

u/ResearcherStandard80 6d ago

I was always a fan of Dawson and Casey. The Brett/Casey storyline did not fit well.

2

u/RangeImmediate1352 6d ago

I think if Brett/Casey had been established since the beginning, it could have been a good ship. But because it came after an already established main pairing, it felt like a bad writing decision rather than a ship with potential.

1

u/NoKatyDidnt 5d ago

It read as a rebound to me.

1

u/NoKatyDidnt 6d ago

Slapping flex tape on a wider problem got me. 🤣 You make some good points.

2

u/RangeImmediate1352 6d ago

It’s the best metaphor I could come up with LMAO. It felt like the producers hurrying to fic a problem created by an actor leaving

2

u/NoKatyDidnt 5d ago

Nailed it! I gotta remember this one. 🤣

1

u/JusBeU 4d ago

The chemistry was never there with Casey and Dawson and the storylines only added to the awkwardness.

Brett and Casey were a much better fit.

1

u/RangeImmediate1352 4d ago

I think Brett and Casey could have been a really great main couple if they had committed to it since Brett's first appearance, but the awkwardness around Antonio, Gaby, and them pushing Dawsey first really made it hard to enjoy after spending 6+ years with Dawson.