Chicago Fire season 12 has returned – and although we learned Randall 'Mouch' McHolland (Christian Stolte) was safe and alive, it wasn't all plain sailing as Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende) left Firehouse 51 and Christopher Hermann appeared to have been left injured after saving the team from a bomb.
For HELLO!, showrunner Andrea Newman breaks down what fans can expect from the rest of season 12…
Christopher Hermann will face consequences for his heroics:
"His big heroic save at the end of the premiere will have consequences for him both psychologically and physically – and it's going to take Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri) with a big move to help him get past that," says Andrea.
"Those two will end up having their relationship tested a little bit; Ritter is the one who kind of comes to save the day for Hermann."
Darren Ritter will get a bigger season:
When asked if Ritter will get more scenes in season 12, Andrea admitted that the writers room have "been talking about that".
"Ritter is a big favorite, and he's a favorite of ours, we love him. It only makes the show better the more Ritter we have so Ritter gets some great moments early in the season this year and we'll continue to explore that character more."
Violet Mikami will step into her spotlight:
The biggest change fans can expect from season 12 will be seeing Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) "stepping into her spotlight," with Gallo and Sylvie Brett both leaving Firehouse 51.
"I think this is a year where Violet kind of turns everything she's been through into something positive and it lets her step into the spotlight," says Andrea. "Violet also has some big calls and it gives her the time to shine and step up as a leader and as a central character in the show."
New Firehouse 51 romance?
The season premiere appeared to hint at a possible new romance between Violet and Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) – and Andrea admits that there is a lot of fun to be had between these two this season.
"They're just great together, they're so fun together, and we love watching them," Andrea says, adding: "I think Violet is not looking for anything serious, but I think that there's a lot of fun to be had between those characters and I think that that relationship will have some surprises on that."
And it turns out Hanako and Jake didn't even need to be told that there may be a new arc, with Andrea sharing that "they just kind of knew, it was so funny!"
"In talking to both of them, they both kind of knew and they both can play the drama and the comedy so well, and both of those things will come in handy for this relationship."
Why newcomer Derek Gibson will cause 'good trouble':
At the end of episode one, Deputy District Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) gives a passionate speech about the meaning of being part of 51 – and it comes at the right time as a new firefighter will be joining the Firehouse in episode two.
"I think anybody coming into 51 has a challenge because they're all so close – it was an adjustment for Carver too – and you can't keep everything on the surface when you work with people who like to dig in. There will be a lot of layers to peel back on this Gibson character, and that's what our 51 like to do, they try to get to the heart of who somebody is and that's not easy for everybody – and it's not necessarily the right fit for everybody – but Gibson is an intriguing character and everybody wants to get to know him, and he going to cause some trouble – some good trouble."
Gibson is not a replacement for Gallo though: "Gibson plays things closer to the vest, he's magnetic in the same way that Gallo was but he's also more mysterious."
Stellaride are still struggling – even six months on
Andrea says that Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) will have a simmering tension throughout most of the season, even though it's been six months since he returned to Chicago.
"There's been some simmering tension underneath and the audience very much gets to be a part of that journey instead of us being like, 'Oh, it's resolved and they got through it!' What we find out is they've been burying some things," says Andrea.
"They're very much in love, obviously - it's obvious within two seconds of the premiere that they can't keep their hands to themselves! – but there's definitely a new element to this relationship and we get to see that play out and see the journey of getting through that and how that affects them"