Firehouse 51 will be decidedly different when Season 14 of Chicago Fire kicks off in the fall. Pascal’s (Dermot Mulroney) role as chief is secure, Herrmann’s (David Eigenberg) decision to stay in the trenches satisfies Mouch’s (Christian Stolte) desire to be promoted to lieutenant, Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) have a baby on the way as well as two unofficial adoptees, and the exits of three characters from the series heading into the fall. Three, you may ask? We already know that Carver (Jake Lockett) and Ritter (Daniel Kyri) are not returning, despite it not being clear how the latter is exiting the series. The third is a subtle exit written into the finale that I, for one, certainly didn’t expect: Flynn Calhoun (Steven Strait).

Flynn Calhoun Entered ‘Chicago Fire’ as a Good Samaritan

Season 13’s “Down the Rabbit Hole” sees Carver still under the negative influence of Tori (Holly Hinchliffe), the old high school girlfriend he became reacquainted with. She’s impulsive, unpredictable, and wants him under her thumb at all times, even if it means she ruins his relationships. And the one she really wants to ruin is the one with Violet (Hanako Greensmith), and, out of jealousy, she’s been monitoring his phone and deleting any texts from her.

It comes to a head after Tori confronts Violet at Molly’s after Carver tells her he had to work overtime, but instead went to Violet’s birthday party. She accuses Violet of manipulating Carver and trying to break them up, only to then turn to Carver and tell him he has to make a choice between them. That certainly wasn’t Violet’s intent – not yet, at least – and so she apologizes to Carver the next morning, explaining that she believes the text she sent him set Tori off. It’s the first time Carver hears about the text, with Tori already having deleted it. Violet doesn’t have the time to explain, however, after she has to respond to a call.

The call is to a scene where a man has been stabbed, and Violet and Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) spring into action. Thankfully for the victim, a Good Samaritan bystander came to his aid, preventing what could have been a tragic outcome. Too focused on the victim and with her concerns about Carver, Violet doesn’t notice that the bystander, a lawyer, isn’t too bad on the eyes. That changes when the lawyer, Flynn Calhoun, catches up with her, and their meet-cute ends with them exchanging numbers.

Flynn and Violet Had Chemistry, Just Not Enough in ‘Chicago Fire’

There’s an instant, playful chemistry between them, and throughout the season they continue to see each other. Flynn is kind, and thoughtful, and seemingly perfect for Violet. They even work together to clear the name of a medic being tried for negligent homicide, with Flynn representing him as his lawyer and Violet agreeing professionally that he followed protocol. Of course, that medic was none other than Jared Lennox (Wesam Keesh), the man who lost his job with the CFD after trying to get Violet and Severide fired, so she was reluctant to do so. So, if Flynn convinced her to do the right thing, she must have really loved him to get over her hatred of Lennox and help him out. Right? Not so fast.

In the penultimate episode of the season, “The Bad Guy,” Violet is featured in a local newspaper article as a local hero highlight. Her teammates are ecstatic, and shower her with congratulations. Carver, too, sees the piece, and even though he’s away at a rehab facility, he texts Violet with his own congratulatory message. Then Flynn shows up at the firehouse to congratulate her as well. But that’s not all, as he adds that the law firm works with a medical examiner who would like to meet and chat with her.

She assumes that the medical examiner is interested in using her as an expert witness, but is taken aback when their chat turns into a plug for a program at the UIC Medical School. Flynn told the examiner all about Violet, and she believes that Violet would be an ideal candidate for the program. Only Violet is happy and content with being a paramedic, and has no interest in attending medical school or becoming a doctor, and politely turns her down. She then confronts Flynn about his intentions in setting up the interview, and he says that he thinks she would be an amazing doctor. Violet doesn’t want that, but when Flynn downplays her role as a paramedic, saying she could be so much more, she ends their relationship there and then, realizing that he doesn’t respect her. Oh, and she‘s in love with someone else, anyway.

Flynn Calhoun is Out of ‘Chicago Fire’

For an already fired-up Flynn, the revelation is the final straw, and just like that, he’s out. We know that she’s in love with Carver, and with the revelation in the finale about Carver leaving for Denver (after they each declare their love for one another) complicates matters. Potentially, it could even lead to a fourth Firehouse 51 member leaving in Season 14, if Violet decides to follow Carver there.

Really, though, the break-up between her and Flynn is a bit of a cop-out. Yes, he doesn’t respect her role as a paramedic, but then she seemingly hasn’t really explained to him exactly why that is. He worked at getting connections in the medical field for her out of kindness, he certainly didn’t deserve the tongue-lashing that came with it. Starting off with “I’m in love with someone else” would have been harsh, but at least honest.

So is Season 13 a one-and-done for Flynn Calhoun? It would certainly appear to be that way, but perhaps not. Much of that depends on what happens with Violet. If she follows Carver to Denver, then yes, that is probably it. But if she stays behind, heartbroken by Carver’s decision, Flynn could swoop back in, anxious to apologize and willing to work at wooing her back. Regardless, Flynn deserved better than the back-door exit he was given, and while it’s unlikely to happen, bringing him back for a kinder goodbye would be, well, nice.