‘Chicago Fire’ Says Goodbye to Ritter — Will He Be Back?

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 2 “Primary Search.”]

Firehouse 51 sends off one of its own — but at least it’s a happy exit for Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri) in the Wednesday, October 8, episode of Chicago Fire.

The premiere saw Ritter fly to New York after his ex-boyfriend, Dwayne (Samuel B. Jackson), was shot on the job. The good news is Dwayne’s going to be OK. Ritter returns to Chicago in this episode and admits to Violet (Hanako Greensmith), “This week was a lot.” As soon as Mouch (Christian Stolte) told him Dwayne was shot, “I had to go.” But an hour after he got to the hospital, another guy showed up: Dwayne’s brother. In quick succession, Ritter them met his mother, father, and sister, and yes, they were all cool, but it was awkward. As Ritter sees it, he’s the reason Dwayne was shot. If they had moved in together like Dwayne had wanted, he never would have gone to New York. Violet assures him that it’s not on him.

“Do not use that as an excuse to walk away again. Don’t do what I did with Sam. You two reconnected before all of this happened. You still have a chance to make things work,” she says, pointing out New York’s not far away. But he counters that Denver, where Violet’s ex-boyfriend, Carver, isn’t either. “Sam and I had a moment before he went to Texas that started that spiral. It could have worked but I pushed him away. If you do that with Dwayne, trust me, you will regret it,” she advises him.

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But Violet’s not expecting Ritter to take her advice and make a major decision that will take him from Chicago. He called Dwayne and they spoke for two hours. The cop also regretted walking away and almost turned back. But New York was a promotion, not because of Ritter. When the firefighter asked if he wanted to get back together, Dwayne said yes. And so Ritter’s flying to New York after his shift. He’s already cleared it with Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Pascal (Dermot Mulroney). For how long? With the brownouts happening, there are plenty of floaters, he points out. Plus, she’s the one who told him to go. But she didn’t mean to quit the CFD.

“I’m not quitting,” Ritter insists. “It’s just an extended furlough.”

Fortunately, Mouch gets a moment of a goodbye with Ritter — we know how important their relationship has been. (Ritter’s going to stop by his uncle’s old firehouse; he hasn’t been since he was a kid.) And then Violet and Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) stop Ritter as he’s heading to the airport. They’re taking him. When Novak comments it’s only a few months, Ritter says, “We’ll see what happens,” suggesting it could be permanent. Whatever it is, Violet promises they’re going to come visit.

So will Daniel Kyri be back? It’s possible. After the premiere, showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Insider, “He’s there at the beginning of the season, and we hope to see him back at some point later in the season. This is what we do on Chicago Fire. We’ll say our goodbyes, and then we’ll see people again. And he’s certainly very much still in the lives of all of us.”

What do you think of how Ritter was written out? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago Fire, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC