Warning! Spoilers ahead for Season 15, Episode 3 of Chicago Fire, “Take the Hit,” streaming now with a Peacock subscription.
Chicago Fire continues to turn the heat up on its 15th season on the 2026 TV schedule, and the latest episode is no exception. Following the addition of several new firefighter candidates, 51 has been more chaotic than usual. Unfortunately for one newbie, Wednesday might have marked his final day not only at the firehouse but in the Chicago Fire Department. But I’m worried about what the fallout will be like for some OGs.
Among the new cast for Season 15 is Shadowhunters star Matthew Daddario. He joined as McCaffrey at the start of the season, but had brought plenty of problems and tension to 51. He’s cocky and doesn’t really get along with the rest of his fellow candidates and superiors, and that only continued in the latest episode, “Take the Hit.” After a call saw firefighter Tony (Anthony Ferraris) getting hospitalized following a pressure surge, Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) eventually found out it was McCaffrey who slipped up and touched the gas valve. Even despite receiving warning not to during the chemical fire.
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The two confronted McCaffrey about it, who later called his father, an Illinois state senator to pull some strings. This led to a CFD Chief visit, with Severide being offered advice on how to better manage his candidates. Severide ultimately put in a request to terminate McCaffrey, not only from 51 but from the CFD, following his behavior and dangerous choices. Unfortunately, this may not be the last we see of him, as he told Severide and Kidd, “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. This isn’t over.”
Kidd has already been monitored pretty closely as she trains the candidates, and the CFD higher-ups have also been keeping a close eye on Severide now that he’s running 51. It only made sense for them to let McCaffrey go since he could be a liability, and his behavior was not up to par with 51 and CFD standards. However, given who his father is, and the kind of pull he already has, I’m worried that Severide and Kidd might not make it out of this unscathed.
McCaffrey doesn’t seem like he’ll be going down without a fight, and we’ve already seen the kind of strings his father’s willing to pull. What will happen when he finds out his son was terminated from the CFD before he even finished his rotation is hard to predict, but things could be getting messy. With Severide and Kidd already under a microscope and the amount of changes at 51 as of late, it’s unknown what the fallout of this will look like and how it will affect them.
Meanwhile, as McCaffrey seemingly gets revenge, Severide and Kidd are focused on the rest of the firehouse. Plus, with Joe Miñoso’s impending exit as Joe Cruz, 51 will soon be down a firefighter, meaning it’s going to be all hands on deck. McCaffrey could use that as his way back in, but for now, fans will just have to wait and see. New episodes of Chicago Fire air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.
