‘Chicago Fire’: Major Character’s Return Provides Interesting Update About Chicago P.D.’s Antonio

The big return on Chicago Fire was also a big moment for fans of spinoff series Chicago P.D. The NBC firefighter drama welcomed back beloved character Gabby Dawson (Monica Raymund) during the Season 8 fall finale Wednesday, bringing with her the emotions of her previous marriage to Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) as well as an update on recently exited fan-favorite, Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda).

Fans of the One Chicago franchise will recall Seda was one of three actors — also including Colin Donnell and Norma Kuhling — who exited Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. ahead of their current seasons. Gabby’s update marks the first mention of Antonio’s off-screen exit from the police drama since he was revealed to have moved to Puerto Rico.

Spoilers ahead for Chicago Fire Season 8, Episode 9: “Best Friend Magic”

The episode began with Casey and the other members of the firehouse getting a surprise visit from Gabby, who had been gone since she took the full time job helping with relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

Casey first encounters his ex wife before the memorial to Otis (Yuri Sardarov). After remembering their fallen friend, Gabby reveals she is in town for a fundraiser, and the station was her first stop.

Still in shock about his wife’s return to the city, even if just for a short visit, Casey fills an awkward silence by asking how Antonio is doing. Gabby is happy to announced her brother is thriving upon his move to the island.

In the quick moment during the conversation, Gabby said her brother is doing great. He is working again as part of a crisis response team in the Bahamas. She added that the move from Chicago to the the Caribbean has been “really good for him,” which implies he might have gotten his addiction issues under control.

Chicago P.D. fans will remember Antonio was last seen in the Season 6 finale as he relapsed while the Intelligence Unit discovered the mayor-elect had been murdered. In the season premiere, the team worried as their coworker and friend was MIA, with Voight (Jason Beghe) eventually revealing he helped Antonio out after his relapse and took him to a rehab clinic to stay clean.

The show then revealed in a later episode, without a follow-up appearance by Seda, that he had moved to Puerto Rico to be closer to family after his relapse.

What did you think of the quick update? Will we see Antonio return at some point too? Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. will return in January following their respective fall finales Wednesday on NBC.