Sumith Prasad
Although NBC’s action series ‘Chicago Fire’ is known for its highly enthralling emergency intervention sequences, storylines that revolve around relationships are not any less important. Matthew Casey and Sylvie Brett’s togetherness and Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd’s oneness are not only enormously celebrated storylines but also severely important to the narrative of the show. Among these storylines, there is one that is started in the premiere episode of the series and still progressing: Christopher Herrmann and Cindy Herrmann’s marital relationship. The admirable couple has overcome several obstacles in their life, only for Cindy to confront a life-threatening one in the eleventh episode of season 11. So, should we be concerned about her fate? Let us share our thoughts regarding the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Happened to Cindy?
In the eleventh episode of the eleventh season, Cindy falls sick and suffers from a severe cough. Herrmann fears that she has covid and asks her to take a test before going to work. Although Cindy tests negative for covid, her cough persists, alarming her husband. Since Herrmann doesn’t want to take any risks, the firefighter takes her to Med for consultation with a doctor. After a series of tests, the doctor confirms to the couple that Cindy has lung cancer, startling Herrmann since he is the one who is out in the smoke day after day and not Cindy, who hasn’t even smoked a cigarette in her life.
Considering the “ruthlessness” ‘Chicago Fire’ has always displayed to kill off characters for the greater good of its narrative, Cindy’s potential death cannot be ruled out. However, even after the diagnosis, Cindy’s doctor doesn’t mention that her cancer is at a terminal stage, which is hopeful. If Cindy’s death is imminent, the doctor may have explained the severity of the predicament to the couple rather than hiding it. Instead, she schedules a surgery in a hopeful way, which indicates that there is a door open for Cindy to survive her cancer. Since the surgery is expected to happen as soon as possible, we can expect the same in the twelfth episode of the season.
Furthermore, Cindy’s cancer can be a narrative development conceived for giving prominence to Herrmann’s storyline. Apart from his involvement in Blake Gallo and Tracy’s storyline, Herrmann hasn’t been in the nucleus of a multi-episode storyline despite being one of the most prominent characters of the show. Cindy’s illness gives the writers a chance to explore his struggle to deal with the same, as confirmed by the logline of the twelfth episode of the season. Thus, rather than killing off Cindy, we can expect the show to focus on the senior firefighter’s efforts to make peace with his wife’s diagnosis and the ways Firehouse 51 will support the couple to overcome the troubled period.
Robyn Coffin is Most Likely to Continue Her Role in Chicago Fire
As of yet, neither NBC nor Robyn Coffin has announced the departure of the actress from ‘Chicago Fire,’ indicating that her exit from the action drama is not imminent. Since the chances of Cindy dying are low, we may not need to worry about Coffin leaving the show without a prior announcement. The writers of the show had already killed off Chief Evan Hawkins in the eleventh season to explore Violet Mikami’s grief about losing her partner. It is extremely unlikely that the writers would repeat the same in Herrmann’s storyline in the same season.
Furthermore, ‘Chicago Fire’ is not a show that relies on killing off characters for drama. Herrmann and Cindy’s possible attempts to approach the latter’s cancer as another bump in the road with the help of their extended Firehouse 51 family is definitely something that we can expect from the show, as the storyline that revolves around Joe Cruz’s successful adoption of Javi makes clear. The action drama has always captivated the viewers with the depiction of how the members of Firehouse 51 come together to help and support one of their own in their time of need and Cindy’s cancer can be another example of the same rather than an indication of her potential death.
Considering these factors, we believe that Robyn Coffin most likely will continue featuring in ‘Chicago Fire.’ In the upcoming episodes of the show, we can look forward to seeing Cindy undergoing surgery and recovering from the same with the help of Herrmann.
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