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Chicago Fire's most recent episode may not have been the intended season finale of the NBC show, but it did introduce a big change for the next season. In Season 8, Episode 20, which is streaming on NBC now, Emily Foster (played by Annie Ilonzeh) announced that she wanted to go to Northwestern's medical school.
Though the episode ended with the admissions panel telling the paramedic that they would let her know whether she got in, it seems like Foster may have earned a place at the college. According to TVLine, the character will not be returning as a series regular in Chicago Fire Season 9.
Though this does not mean that the character is gone for good, it does suggest that Sylvie Brett's (Kara Killmer) ambulance partner will no longer be working at Firehouse 51.
However, it is likely that Foster may appear in some early episodes of Chicago Fire Season 9, which has already been given the green light by NBC. The current season had to end a few episodes early after production shut down due to the coronavirus. As such, Foster's exit episode was probably due to due part of Season 8 and will now air as part of Season 9.
This was hinted by Chicago Fire co-creater Derek Haas in a TVInsider interview, in which he said, "We were going to kick off a few storylines that would've gone right into a big cliffhanging finale. Unfortunately, we weren't able to do that, so we'll probably transfer those storylines to next season."
Alternatively, the show could choose to open the new season without Foster, saying she has decided to go to college in the interim between the two seasons. This may have been confirmed by Us Weekly, who reported that she will not be returning to Season 9 at all.
Ilenzeh is the second actor to leave Chicago Fire during its eighth season. The season premiere of the firehouse drama saw Otis (Yuriy Sardarov) killed off. Foster herself was a replacement for another character who left following Gabby Dawson's (Monica Raymund) exit in Season 7.
However, Gabby has made a number of guest appearances in the show since leaving in Season 7, which might suggest we may see Foster at some point in the future.
It seems as if the showrunners themselves do not know whether Ilonzeh will return as a guest in Season 8 or beyond, Asked by Us Weekly what would happen in Chicago Fire Season 9, co-creator Derek Haas said, "We're really not sure how we are going to begin season 9. We usually don't figure that out until June."
Speaking to TVInsider, however, Haas hinted that this storyline would have a big impact on Foster's friend Brett. He said, "We were going to keep the pressure and the combustibility on her storyline. Now, we'll have to rethink how we're going to handle this story in the next season."
Chicago Fire Season 9 is coming soon to NBC.
