It’s what Dawsey fans have been waiting for. Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund) is officially set to return to Firehouse 51 in the Chicago Fire season 8 winter finale! However, it’s been nearly two years since she divorced Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) and it may be a bit awkward when she walks back into the firehouse after spending so much time in Puerto Rico.
Raymund, 33, decided to exit the series at the end of season 6 — but ever since then, Haas has continued to ask her to come back.
Cocreator and showrunner Derek Haas joined the “Watch With Us” podcast on Thursday, October 31, revealing how he got Raymund, 33, to return and what fans should expect going forward.
“I pitched it way back in June,” the producer told Us Weekly exclusively. “I kind of held on to the information because you don’t know if stories are going to be what you imagine in June as you start to write them out. … I texted Monica, probably two months ago, and just said, ‘Hey, winky face. Can you come back for the winter finale?’ It’s hilarious, she’s like, ‘You’re nothing if not persistent!'”
Haas then added that it worked out in timing for her, plus he had a selling point: “I appealed to her by saying, ‘You know, George Clooney came back to ER. This doesn’t have to be a major commitment, just tell me what you can do and we’ll work it out.’ And she was game!”
While he stayed tight-lipped about what Dawson’s story line will be, the Way I Die author did hint that her return is “not going to be what you think it’s going to be.”
Last month, Haas was asked on Twitter about what was coming for Kelly (Taylor Kinney) and Casey and he replied that “they won’t both be at 51 before the winter break,” causing many fans to wonder what that meant. Since Raymund is set to return for the winter finale, does that mean there’s a chance that Casey and Dawson won’t even see each other?
“That’s good detective work,” the Wanted writer joked, before setting fans’ worries at ease. “I can confirm there will be a Dawson, Casey scene,” he said … which may mean the return of the “Dawsey music,” which was introduced when their relationship began. “I bought it, so it sometimes plays on my phone. I’m a fan,” Haas added.
So, are Dawson and Casey friends now? “Part of that is explored in the episode,” Haas teased, being careful about revealing any details.
As for the winter finale overall, expect high emotions. “We’ve established that we don’t end things well for all of our characters. We usually put people in some sort of predicament,” he said. “This one will be a unique one. I would say, not that you would turn it off with 30 seconds left, but don’t cut out early.”
For more, including how Brett (Kara Kilmer) will react to Dawson’s return, listen to our full podcast with Derek Haas on iTunes or SimpleCast above and subscribe for more exclusive TV news and interviews.
Chicago Fire airs on NBC Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
