Matthew Casey (born March 24, 1979) is a fire captain with the Portland Fire Department. He was formerly a captain with the Chicago Fire Department and the officer in charge of Truck 81 at Firehouse 51, but transferred when he moved to Oregon. He was portrayed by Jesse Spencer.
Biography
He is the only son and second child of Nancy and Gregory Casey. He has an older sister, Christie, and a niece named Violet.
When he was a teenager, his mother struggled under the abuse of her husband. When she finally snapped (after Gregory started verbally abusing Matt), she shot and killed Gregory after letting herself into his home using a key that Matt had left out. Christie wasn't living with them at that time, therefore, she was adamant on supporting her father's side on every hearing her mother had while she was in prison. This drove Matt and Christie apart.
Season 1
Casey and Severide are at odds at the beginning of the season, with each blaming the other for the death of fellow firefighter Andy Darden.
Casey is in a relationship with Hallie Thomas and is engaged to her, but the two later break up. Casey gets back together with Hallie when she returns from a long trip and the two are happy until she is the victim of a fire at a clinic where she worked part time. Firehouse 51 responds to the fire and he manages to get her out, but she later dies at the hospital. He cries in the arms of one of his firefighting friends. He's very disturbed by her death and tries to dig deeper and find out what happened with the help of Antonio Dawson. It's clear that something is going on, but the head of the clinic refuses to cooperate and they meet a dead end.
Season 2
After Dawson breaks up with Mills, she helps Casey through the death of Hallie and the two start dating later in the season.
Heather, meanwhile, ends up in a car crash that kills her best friend and she asks him to take care of her children, Griffin and Ben, while she serves an 18 month prison sentence. He agrees since he was close friends with her late husband Andy and Dawson helps him through it until Heather is released early due to overcrowding. Heather thanks him for taking care of her boys, and even though they have grown close to him, she decides to move to Florida.
During Shoved In My Face, Casey is experiencing flashbacks of the fire and suffers repeated episodes when he cannot open his locker. He and Dawson also tell the rest of the squad about their relationship. On a call, Casey saves a man named Jeremy, who had a pipe go through his neck. Casey makes a bet with the man that if he survives, he’ll buy him a six pack of beer. Casey also experiences another episode when he is forced to stop bank robbers, nearly beating someone to death and almost attacking Mouch. Casey keeps up his end of the bet with Jeremy when he visits him at the hospital and offers him a beer.
At the end of Season 2, Casey proposes to Dawson, but they get a call for a structure fire, leaving the proposal unanswered. The building collapses with all of the firehouse inside.
Season 3
Following the building collapse that killed Shay, Dawson returns to work after a month's leave. She tells Casey she can't accept his proposal because it would be the day that Shay died and she can't mix the memory with such a sad one. They get later get engaged when Casey tells her that Shay picked out the ring with him. (Wow Me)
Dawson is eventually transferred to work under Casey on Truck 81 and so they can't get married as she wouldn't be able to work under him as long as she's a candidate. Everything works out fine until Dawson makes a mistake, causing Casey to call her out and threaten to kick her off Truck since she ignored his instructions. She's fine with it until Casey refuses to talk to her after shift as he's still upset with her.
Casey deals with the fallout of his sister Christie's impending divorce once his niece details the stress. However, he forces her husband into coming to a truce or else. (The Nuclear Option)
Casey later notices Cruz and Sylvie spending time together. He soon advices her to keep their relationship low but is surprised by her revealing Cruz is a highly skilled zumba dance instructor. Despite Brett swearing him to secrecy, Casey tells Dawson who in turn tells Hermann and the secret is known to everyone in the house. After shift, Casey and the others sign up for Cruz's class to see it for themselves and are amused to see Cruz surprised at seeing them. When Cruz nearly cancels, Casey encourages him before the class starts and the squad enjoy themselves. (Chopper)
When Dawson works late at Molly's that night and asks Peter to help her, Casey comes by to talk to her, but finds the two talking and takes it the wrong way when he sees them holding hands and leaves. Peter tells him he doesn't want to get in the way the next morning and Dawson apologizes, but he ignores her. Against his wishes, she decides to take a break and leaves the house, moving in with Sylvie. However, they work together when Mills and Brett are kidnapped. (Santa Bites, Let Him Die)
After Chief Boden's father passes away, he decides to take a break from the job for a few months, leaving Chief Pridgen in charge. Even though he seems friendly at first, he constantly mocks the team, specifically Otis. This angers Casey and he speaks up against him. Combined with this, Casey has a brief relationship with Pridgen's newly divorced ex-wife, Beth. He ends it when he finds out, but Pridgen finds out and takes his anger out on Casey during shift. Responding to a fire, Truck 81 and Squad 3 are about to go in, but Pridgen deliberately redirects Truck 81 to a minor accident nearby. This angers Casey, but Pridgen refuses to let him work at the fire. The team leaves while Squad 3 takes care of the fire and rescues the trapped victim. During the rescue, a man has rushed in to help and is on the top floor, but they miss him. Casey comes back and tells Pridgen that the man refused treatment and that he was fine. Just then, the man jumps out the top floor window as the house explodes and injures himself, later taking action against Firehouse 51 for negligence. The case is investigated and Welch and Severide hear Pridgen tell them that Casey failed to properly check the scene and that the reason he was redirected was because there was a 'life threatening' injury nearby. Severide files another report, going against the initial statement made by Pridgen. He finds out and "encourages" Severide to take the promotion to Captain in OFI or be stripped of his rank, but Severide refuses and claims he's happy where he is. Things worsen since the man Truck was directed to help refused treatment and there's no paperwork indicating that they even went to help him. Pridgen then uses Welch's vendetta towards 51 to get him to sign a statement to support him. He refuses due to respect for the people there and is kicked out. However, Welch goes on to make a statement backing Severide, resulting in Pridgen getting fired and Boden returning to take control. (Headlong Toward Disaster, Red Rag The Bull)
Late in the season, Casey decides to find some construction work off shift. He finds a club called Stilettos where the owner, Jack Nesbitt, is looking to expand. Casey reveals to Nesbitt that he is a firefighter and Nesbitt tells him that he was a firefighter at Firehouse 114 for seven years before quitting. Casey later asks Scott Rice, who also previously worked at 114, about Nesbitt and Rice reveals that Nesbitt had some bad history with some department officials, therefore leading to his resignation. Casey is then informed by Hank Voight of how Nesbitt is into shady stuff and Antonio later tells him that he is illegally trafficking European girls into the country. Casey agrees to help gets jammed up in Nesbitt's business, when he tries to help a girl named Katya. (Category 5)
In the season finale, Dawson comes over to his apartment to tell him some important news, but his place has been ransacked and the dead body of Katya, a girl he had been helping, is laying on the floor. (Spartacus)
Season 4
In Let It Burn, Dawson calls Antonio to tell him about her discovery and asks him to track Casey down. Casey is found at Stilettos, having overpowered his kidnappers and beaten up Nesbitt for his actions. Casey is angered when Antonio informs him that Nesbitt was released after it was discovered he is working as a CI with the FBI on the case. However, he is overjoyed when Dawson tells him that she is pregnant with his child.
In A Taste of Panama City, Casey and Dawson go to the chief to tell him of her pregnancy and decision to leave her job as a firefighter to take an office job in the Arson Division. Despite this, Casey is annoyed when Jack visits him at the house and he goes to see Voight to tell him that Nesbitt is clearly working both the feds and traffickers. He tells Voight that if he doesn't stop Nesbitt then he will. That night, he talks with Gabby and realizes where Katya stored the notebook and retrieves it but is followed and threatened by Nesbitt. However, he is saved by Voight and the FBI who had took Casey's words seriously. He is happy when Nesbitt is arrested by the FBI and CPD.
Dawson and Casey's happiness is short-lived. She and Boden are at the office trying to find files on a case when she cries out in pain. She's taken to the hospital, where Dr. Will Halstead tells her that she's miscarried. She's heartbroken by this and she and Casey go through a rough patch in their relationship.
During a tornado in Chicago, power lines are cut and houses are destroyed. The Alderman of Chicago encourages Casey, who was at the scene and helped take many of the victims to the only homeless shelter in the area, to make a speech to drive in donations. He is happy to do so and helps to raise thousands of dollars. However, when he returns to the shelter, many of the people are still there and have not received any help or donations. Casey talks to the Alderman, who brushes him off, implying he has taken the money for his own personal use. He tells Casey that it's just 'politics'. Angered by this, he decides to run for Alderman himself after a lot of encouragement from Dawson.
However, during his campaigning, he finds he needs to do more than make promises. He is constantly overthrown in his decisions and shown under a bad light by others. He is frustrated even more when someone vandalizes cars and billboards, claiming that Casey is a 'murderer's son'. Knowing his opponent did this, he threatens him to take the posters down but he is dismissed, causing Casey to think about withdrawing himself from the election. However, Dawson tells him to keep going and is upset to hear that he is thinking of quitting, which encourages him to continue.
Casey finally gives in and talks to a gang leader who had promised to help him win if he took down cameras from the street corners to let them deal drugs. Initially, he was against this idea but agrees to do so, asking them for just one thing - not to hang around the corners around the children's high school. They aren't sure about this, but imply that they are willing to do so. However, this still isn't enough. He loses his first debate to his opponent before being informed about a second debate that no one told him about. However, as his campaign affects his ability to work, he is told by Chiefs to stop or not miss any time off work. He therefore agrees and deliberately misses the second debate as he is on a call. His opponent calls him weak and says that Casey is not willing to give up enough for his job as Alderman as he still has a second job. This stresses him out, but the media catch him risking his life for a mechanic and publish it in the newspapers as the reason for him missing the debate. This heroism helps him to win the four-year term as Alderman.
Truck 81 responds to a call of a person in distress. Upon arrival, they find that the victim is a high school boy called Victor. They manage to rescue him and he survives. The boy's grandmother then shows up at the firehouse and tells Casey to do more as Alderman. He finds out from Antonio that Victor was attacked by a gang who wanted revenge because his older brother was previously affiliated with the same gang, but helped take some of them down when he agreed to help the police. Casey goes to see the gang leader again and tells him to stop terrorizing Victor, but they refuse to do so. 3 days later, Casey goes to see Victor, who wants to go to graduation. He tells him not to as he could be attacked again, but Victor remains unafraid. Seeing no other option, he gets together with the firehouse and they line up along the road, ready to protect him. Chief Boden and Casey personally escort Victor to the school.
Casey also goes through a difficult time in his relationship with Dawson after a call causes her to make an unexpected decision. They find a mother who has overdosed with a young boy in an apartment that's on fire. They help the mother out and Dawson goes in to find the boy. She finds him hiding under the bed and after some time, convinces him to come out. When she comes out, the boy is unwilling to let go of her, so she goes with him to the hospital. However, social workers tell her that he was fostered and will be placed back in a foster home. She feels terrible and tells Casey she wants to foster him herself. However, she had previously told him that she didn't want to get married and so he tells he that it's not such a good idea. She is upset and leaves, but tells him the next morning that she has decided she wants to take the boy in and he doesn't have to help her. In the season 4 finale, Dawson fosters him and Casey goes on a trip with his political adviser, Susan. Towards the end of the episode, Susan kisses him and writes her room number on a napkin. He then goes to see Dawson at her new home, a loft above Herrmann's garage.
Season 5
The first half of the season mostly deals with Louie and Casey's political career. A political advisor tries to get him to hire her to work on his campaign, but he refuses. Just days later, another opposing politician, who had threatened to destabilize Casey's career unless he listened to his own demands, tells the media that Casey used his position as Alderman to skip the fostering waiting time for Louie to adopt him. This scares both him and Dawson as both are threatened with the issue of Louie being taken away.
Casey decides to call the advisor, who is on the case immediately and solves the issue in no time. However, he soon discovers that this advisor and the politician worked together to trick Casey so that she could use him for her own gains. He fires her afterwards and he goes back home to Louie and Dawson, who he is evidently happy with.
Later on, Dawson and Casey are told that they can now adopt Louie if they want, but that Dawson will be seen as a single mother as they are not married. Casey tries to ask around for another option, but since they aren't engaged or married, there is none. However, later on at Molly's, they both get the idea of running away and getting married. In One Hundred, Casey and Dawson get married at the courthouse in their uniforms, and the whole firehouse attends the ceremony. On their way home, Casey sees the man who has been stalking them for the past few days. The man reveals himself and says that he is Louie's father and that he wants him back. In the season 5 finale, tensions continue to rise between the married couple. However, things take a dramatic turn when 51 is called out to fight a large and out of control building fire. Casey calls Dawson on his radio for what seems to be the last time to tell her that he loves her and that she's his miracle.
Season 6
Casey goes to the chief's office and expects reprimand from the visiting superintendent but the latter instead praises him for getting the job done, despite him breathing down his neck. Casey is surprised when the superintendent recommends him for promotion to Captain.
After Boden orders the water cannons turned on, Casey shelters himself and a victim under a metal cabinet. He is found unresponsive by Chief Boden after the fire is put out. Uniformed personnel are then seen attending what appears to be Casey's funeral, but is revealed to actually be a ceremony at which Casey receives a medal from Chief Boden for not only being brave at that fire, but for being brave everyday on the streets of Chicago. Casey is then promoted to Captain for his heroism.
A fire at Donna's high school isn't what it seems when she insists that the blaze wasn't an accident. And at home, Dawson angrily tells Casey not to say goodbye to her like that again and he agrees. When an off-duty Dawson is caught in the collapse of a parking garage, 51 responds and Casey rescues her from the rubble. (A Breaking Point) After discovering that Hope forged Chief Mullens' signature on a transfer form for Stella Kidd, Casey and Chief Boden dismiss her from the firehouse. (Down Is Better)
While shutting off a damaged gas valve to slow down a fire, Casey and Severide realize that as soon as they let go of the valve wheel, the whole roof is going to blow. They run to the edge and jump into the river several stories below, still in their heavy turnout gear. Casey surfaces dazed, but uninjured. Severide, however, is injured and Stella rescues him. (The F is For) Casey is comforted by Dawson and Severide recovers. A photo of their daring jump makes the front page news and is great press for the department. The photographer who took the photo is invited by the CFD to do a "day in the life" type spread, but Casey catches him attempting to take photos of Dawson while she's in the shower and throws him out.
Casey helps Dawson with getting Bria ready for prom. He decides they should have something good to remember, so arranges for Kidd to drive them to prom in Truck 81. After the Truck leaves, Dawson tells him that she wants to start trying again and he happily agrees. After going to a doctor and finding out that Dawson has a 10% chance of dying if she gets pregnant, he decides he doesn't want her getting pregnant. He brings up adoption and even looks into it, which upsets Dawson since he done it behind her back and she's afraid the same thing that happened to Louie will happen again. After a huge fight, Dawson tells Casey she'll be right back and she goes to ask about a job in Puerto Rico while he stays home, not sure where his wife has gone.
Season 7
Dawson tells Casey that she is taking a permanent position with the relief effort in Puerto Rico. He tells Severide that they got divorced in S7E8.
Reporter Naomi Graham asks Casey for his help solving a series of explosions in the kitchens of mobile homes. They get together after seemingly solving the case, only to wake up and find Casey's apartment ablaze. The mobile home company had sent someone to scare Casey and Naomi so they would back off on the lawsuit, but they gather enough evidence to get them arrested.
Season 8
The mattress factory fire spirals out of control and Otis is severely injured. He is taken to the hospital, where the doctors reveal that they will not be able to save him.
Three months after his death, Chief Boden tells Casey that he needs to choose someone to replace Otis, which Casey is rather hesitant to do. It is revealed that Casey carries the weight of Otis's death more than anyone else in the firehouse, though he chooses to grieve silently. At the end of the episode, Casey is one of the first people to kneel in front of the monument dedicated to Otis's memory.
After witnessing him at a call, Casey picks Blake Gallo, a young and impulsive firefighter, to join 81. Boden is reluctant to bring him on because of his tendency to not follow instructions and seemingly put himself in dangerous situations. Casey is adamant on bringing Blake on, and ends up convincing Boden to give him a chance.
In Badlands Casey asks an IT manager out. She seems a little crazy (for example, she googled him) but he sleeps with her anyway. He realizes it was a mistake the morning after, but she still has to install new IT system in the firehouse. Casey asks Severide for advice on how to get rid of her, to which he replies that 'these things tend to solve themselves'. He was right as she regrets it as well.
Dawson briefly returns in Best Friend Magic. The whole house is surprised. Dawson attends a fundraiser (connected to her work in Puerto Rico) and she asks Casey to go with her. Casey consults Brett on this matter, as he isn't entirely sure it's a good idea. Brett encourages him to go. Casey and Dawson enjoy the gala together and spend the night together, even though Gabby will leave and Matt will stay in Chicago.
Season 9
In Rattle Second City, he welcomes Cruz's friend to be the new paramedic. When Brett worries about a stalker, she calls Casey and he decides to sleep over to protect her. They end up having a game night where Casey does an Australian accent.
In That Kind Of Heat, the firehouse receives word that Ambulance 61 is under attack. Casey and Truck 81 rush to their location and Casey jumps out of the moving Truck to run and save Sylvie. Despite his actions, they save the stalker to get him medical attention for his wounds. Much later, Casey speaks with Sylvie, who thanks for the rescue and tells him “It’s always been you”. This statement leaves Casey stunned before she awkwardly walks away. That night, he goes to Molly’s, where he invites Brett to join him, Gallo, Capp and Tony. During their conversation, Gallo reveals that Casey jumped out of the moving Truck to get to Brett. Casey and Brett share a moment before she leaves and Gallo apologizes if he ruined things, but Casey tells him he didn’t ruin anything and leaves. Casey then goes over to Brett’s apartment and asks if she has been avoiding him. She kisses him, and he kisses her in return. Before they go too far, Brett asks him if he still loves Dawson and if he would leave Chicago with her if she asked. He can't answer and although he wants to stay, he leaves out of respect towards her.
During Smash Therapy, Casey arrives at work and spots Brett, who notices him before looking away, making him realize things are now awkward. Casey later speaks with Brett, where he tells her that he does not regret what happened between them and wants to make it work regardless of his past with Dawson. However this explanation is not good enough for Brett and she tells him to forget that the whole thing happened. In the end, Casey spots Severide and invites him out for cigars while discussing what happened with Brett. He explains to an amused Severide that all he has been thinking about for the past year is Brett.
Season 10
Casey is happy in his relationship with Brett, but he still lives at the loft, even though he hinted he would have to move out after Severide's engagement. In Head Count, he is surprised to find Griffin Darden looking for him. It becomes clear in Counting Your Breaths that Griffin is not well as his mother, Heather, is again in jail and his brother, Ben, is going through a rough patch. Casey eventually decides to help Ben and Griffin, but he is unable to move them to Chicago. Therefore, he is forced (by his self-sacrificing nature) to move to Oregon and take care for them at least until Griffin turns 18 and goes to college in Chicago, which will happen in 3 years. He has also taken a position with the Portland Fire Department. His decision upsets Brett, but she comes around and agrees to try a long-distance relationship. (Two Hundred)
Season 11
Casey returned to Chicago for a conference, informing the CFD of how Portland faced a series of terrorist attacks within it's limits and warned of possible strikes coming to various cities, including Chicago. He even assisted Stella and Truck 81 on a rescue job. (Danger Is All Around)
Professional
Casey worked for a year on engine before going to firehouse 51. At some point he become Lieutenant of Truck 81 and then Captain, becoming 2nd in command at the firehouse. He personally chose Blake Gallo for the place left at truck 81 after Otis' death, being his mentor.
In cases he can help, after a fire or a save, he does. Such as rebuilding some part of damaged places or helping a victim and checking them at the hospital.
Abilities
- Skilled Fighter: Casey has shown to be a skilled fighter, as he was able to stand up to two muggers at once and even disarm robbers armed with guns. He was even able to take down CPD Officer Hank Voight single-handedly. Casey relies on brute force and boxing as opposed to Severide, who relies on slightly more nimble moves in a fight.
Medical Injuries
In reference to the episode: "Not Like This".
An apartment fire rages across sixteen units, with civilians trapped. Truck 81 work together to get everyone out safely and Boden orders an evacuation, but Casey learns that there is a baby still inside the building. He ignores the evacuation order and saves the baby, but while on his way to the exit, a support beam falls on him, activating his PASS device. Casey is rushed to hospital in Ambulance 61, with Severide in tow. Casey is diagnosed with a epidural hematoma and is rushed into emergency surgery and placed on leave for six weeks while he recovers. After returning to work, he still has problems with his memory and dizziness.
In Double Red, he hit his head again during a call with a drunk driver. He suffers from a constant severe headache and blurry vision. The medical report from his operation in 2013 says: "Due to the nature of the injury, another injury could exacerbate trauma to a debilitating level". This seems to concern him, but he dismisses every offer of help and insists on being fine.
The symptoms eventually go away, but Brett persuades Casey to get a checkup anyway (after finally learning about his headaches and tunnel vision). Casey undergoes an MRI scanning, which reveals that his brain is against all odds fine. The constant pain was a result of post-concussion migraines which can be medicated. The uneven strength in his arms was caused by a shoulder injury he suffered during the fall. (Natural Born Firefighter)
Relationships
Romance
Sylvie Brett
see Brettsey
Casey has been developing a bond with Brett since Season 7 when they grew closer as friends while bonding over the loss of Dawson. She helps him look for a new apartment after a fire burns down his place, and she is concerned for him when he suffers some trauma after a scary call, giving him advice and offering to be there if he ever wanted to talk. However, Brett starts questioning her own feelings towards Casey when her friend Olivia, whom she had set up on a date with Casey, tells her that she should be with him, and that they were "meant for each other". Brett gets advice from Kidd and Foster on this, who seemingly agree and she ends up acting awkward and nervous around Casey.
After he is injured on a call, Brett tends to a burn on his neck, teasing him about his bandage skills. Casey then compliments her work, jokingly telling her that she should work in EMS. The two then share a long look before Brett quickly leaves and Matt is clearly confused. Casey is now unsure about his feelings towards Brett, and when Boden invites him to a dinner, telling him to bring a date, he nervously tries to ask Brett, but is interrupted before getting the chance and then gets cold feet. When he sees Brett and Kyle the chaplain at Molly's sharing a hug, he jumps to conclusions and assumes that they had gotten back together. He tells her that they are good together, before she gets a chance to explain that they're just friends. Brett seems upset by this and is confused further. Kyle then proposes to Brett at the firehouse with everyone looking on, including a stunned Casey, and she accepts, although seems reluctant. Casey congratulates her and she tells him that it was what he said at Molly's that made her accept. He realises that he had unknowingly pushed Brett back to the chaplain, and he is clearly upset by this.
At the start of Season 8, Brett has moved back to Fowlerton with Kyle, but she is unsatisfied with the slow-paced life of the firehouse there and misses Chicago and everyone at 51. She and Kyle amicably break up and she returns to Chicago, where she reunites with everyone and Casey is happy to see her back, saying that 51 isn't the same without her. The two continue to grow closer, and Casey starts becoming jealous when he sees her with another man, Ryan, and assumes they're dating, to which Brett quickly explains that they're just friends, prompting knowing looks from Foster. When he teases her again about Ryan, she talks about her lack of luck when it comes to romance, but he tells her that she deserves to find exactly what she wants in a relationship, resulting in some heart-eyes on Brett's part.
When Dawson briefly returns to Chicago to invite Casey to a charity ball, he asks Brett's advice and she encourages him to go, but is visibly upset. He goes to the ball and he and Dawson end up spending the night together before she leaves the next morning. Brett asks Matt how the night went, to which he tells her it was great. Foster teases her more, but she tells her "he seems happy; that makes me happy". Casey and Brett tend to an elderly victim who had lost his wife in a house fire, and they search for his beloved cat. Whilst they wait, she asks for his advice as she has received information that her birth mother is seeking contact. Not quite knowing what to do, he tells her "I've been impressed by your ability to see the good in people, always. If anyone can handle this kind of bomb dropped in their lap, it's you." She then receives another letter from her birth mother herself and she asks Casey to throw it away for her, to which he agrees, but keeps it anyway. When she later asks about the letter, he smugly shows her the letter, saying that he knew she'd change her mind. She gets angry, to his hilarious confusion, as he didn't do what she asked and asks him to get rid of it again. He throws the letter in the trash, but Brett later comes to his apartment, saying that she's changed her mind and wants the letter back. He seems confused as she saw him throw it away, but she doesn't buy it and asks him if he went back and got the letter after she'd left. He smiles and says "Are you gonna yell at me again if I did?" She asks him to stay with her as she opens it, only to find a name and an address. He offers to drive her to the house, for which she is grateful.
When Brett introduces her birth mother, Julie, to Casey, she mistakes their relationship and asks her how long they have been dating, to which Brett quickly explains that they're just friends, but Julie isn't entirely convinced. When a realtor asks Brett out and she seems unsure, Julie tells her that she's hung up on Casey. She reaffirms their platonic relationship, and explains that Casey was married to her best friend, and so nothing was going to happen. However, she starts to question why she is reluctant to date anyone else. As she leaves after a shift, the relator calls her, and, as she looks on at Casey, she turns him down, telling him that she's "got some things to sort out." Having finally acknowledged her growing feelings for Casey. Julie goes into labour and Brett calls him for support when the doctor explains that there are some complications. When Casey arrives at the hospital, the doctor tells Brett that Julie has died in labour. She is devastated, but goes to see her little sister and cries as she holds her. Brett is heartbroken by Julie's death and Casey continues to check up on her, telling her that how she's feeling isn't silly. When Julie's husband starts to have doubts about raising the baby, he asks Brett to look after her or he'll put her up for adoption. She is shocked and completely unsure what to do. She confides in Casey and breaks down in his arms, grieving for her mother. He tells her that "Whatever you decide, I'm here". She appreciates this, but ends up convincing Julie's husband to keep the baby. At Cruz's wedding, she and Casey share some longing looks during the vows.
In Rattle Second City, Sylvie worries about a stalker and comes back home to find her apartment unlocked. Before going inside, she calls Casey and he insists on sleeping over to protect her until they hear otherwise. They spend the evening playing Heads Up, teasing each other over their terrible Australian accents. They then share a moment before Sylvie goes to bed, but not before gazing at Matt as he makes up the couch to sleep on. Later on, the stalker chases Brett and Mackey when they head out and runs them off a bridge after trying to shoot at them.
Upon hearing of this, Casey rushes to the scene. When he sees the wreck, he jumps out of the moving truck to reach Brett quicker. He runs to her and checks if she's okay, to which she is stunned to see him there so fast. She later questions him as to why she only saw him there at first, but Casey lies and tells her that they had all rushed down together. She then blurts out "It's always been you" to Casey's shock, as he seemingly realizes her feelings for him. She tries to roll back on this, but Casey isn't convinced. Brett runs to Kidd, telling her "I basically just told Casey that I'm in love with him." Kidd asks her why it's such a bad thing for him to know how she feels, but she tells her she can't feel that way. She then tries to pretend she never said it so that things could go back to the way they were.
Casey awkwardly asks Brett out to Molly's. At Molly's, Gallo recounts the real events of the accident to Brett's amazement, as she realizes Casey feels the same way about her. The two share some longing looks whilst Gallo talks, but she abruptly leaves, making up an excuse about meeting a friend, leaving Matt seemingly hurt and confused. For the duration of their next shift, Brett avoids Casey, to his annoyance, and Severide picks up on this and tells him to sort it out. Wanting answers, Matt shows up at Brett's apartment and she tells him that she was only avoiding him "so I wouldn't end up doing this" and she kisses him. He then kisses her back. Brett then admits that she'd "wanted this for for a long time" and Matt agrees. Just as it seems that the two were going to sleep together, Brett pauses and explains the reason that she had been so scared to act on her feelings for Casey, asking him: "If Gabby came back to Chicago, right now, tonight, and asked you to leave with her, would you go?" Matt hesitates, but tells her that he hadn't spoken to Dawson in ages, but Brett doesn't see this as an answer to her question and pushes him further before he admits "I don't know." Brett is clearly heartbroken, her fears having come true. She tells Casey that she knew he was "still in love with Gabby all along" and so blames herself for her actions. Casey tries to explain that things were more complicated than that, but she doesn't see this as complicated at all. She asks Casey to leave, and although reluctant, he agrees. A devastated Brett then breaks down alone on her couch.
While talking to Severide about this, Matt reveals that he has only ever thought about Brett for the past few months.
When Casey suffers another head injury during a call, all of his concerns about not being fit for work emerge again (after his injury in Not Like This). Brett is the first person he confides in revealing all of his fears and uncertainties. She accompanies him during all of the medical exams. In A White-Knuckle Panic, Casey confesses to Brett that he is in love with her and though it takes her a while, she eventually reciprocates, telling Matt that she is in love with him too. The two end the season with officially getting together. (No Survivors)
Their blissful honeymoon stage is cut short when Casey is forced to move to Oregon and their relationship changes to a long-distance one. (Two Hundred)
After Casey found out Dylan broke up with Brett, he went to her apartment. After Brett opened the door he proposed to her ending the season. (Red Waterfall)
Before being called out on a call Brett´s engagement ring gets stuck in her locker, confirming their engagement. (Barely Gone)
Hallie Thomas
Matthew was engaged to Hallie Thomas. After responding to a motor vehicle accident and delivering a baby there, Casey asks Hallie if she wants children. She says no and due to their different choices, Hallie cancels the wedding and moves away.
Hallie returns a few months later and realizes that she misses Casey. They got back together and were getting along well. However, this ends when she is killed in a fire at the clinic she worked at. (Leaders Lead) Casey had a hard time dealing with Hallie's death, but he eventually managed to get closure and move on.
Gabriela Dawson
see Dawsey
Casey and Dawson started out as good friends. She crushes on him throughout season 1, even though he's in a relationship at the time. After Hallie and Matt break up, Dawson asks Casey to be her date for a Christmas function. At the end of the night they lean in to kiss, but Casey kisses her on the cheek instead.
After Hallie is killed, Casey leans on Dawson for support and they soon become very close. Sometime later, Casey and Dawson's feelings for each other grow and after he goes to Dawson's house one night, they get together.
At the end of season 2, Casey proposes to Dawson.
Unfortunately, in season 3, Casey and Dawson take a break due to the turbulent nature of their relationship. It is caused mainly by their changed work relationship, as Casey's now Dawson's direct superior.
During the break, Casey and Dawson become close again and resolve their issues, leading to a one night stand that results in Dawson getting pregnant.
Casey and Dawson then get back together (at the beginning of season 4), but sadly lose the baby. Dawson and Casey are in love and better than ever even through the tragedy.
In season 5, Dawson and Casey get married and foster a child named Louie. Dawson is especially torn up after Louie's father comes back into the picture and takes him back. This discourages her from wanting to adopt in the future. When she decides that she wants to start trying for another baby (in season 6), Dawson goes in for a fertility test after getting impatient and finds out that she has an aneurysm that will be irritated if she gets pregnant again, and that it may kill her. Dawson wants to move forward with attempting to get pregnant again, but Casey tells her that she can't get pregnant because he can't lose her.
Their relationship is put on hold after Dawson decides to leave Chicago to go help with the relief effort in Puerto Rico.
In The Solution to Everything, Casey mentions to Severide that he and Gabby signed their divorce papers.
In That Kind of Heat, Casey is unable to answer Brett's question of him still loving Dawson, stating that he doesn’t know.
In A White-Knuckle Panic, Casey confesses to Brett that, while he and Dawson will always care about each other, he is no longer in love with her and hasn't been in a long time.
The unborn child
The unborn child was a failed pregnancy between Gabriela Dawson and Matthew Casey. The child is conceived by accident in the episode I Am the Apocalypse, in which the two had sex "to relieve the stress of the day".
In the episode Spartacus Gabby finds out she's pregnant. After his near-death experience, Matt decides to get back together with Gabby. While persuading her they're meant for each other, she tells him she's pregnant. (Let It Burn) They announce it to the firehouse in A Taste of Panama City and are ecstatic to enter a new page in their lives. Gabby even pauses her firefighting career and takes a desk job at the Office of Fire Investigation.
At the end of I Walk Away, Gabby collapses in cramps and we later find out her pregnancy is ectopic. Sadly, the baby is lost in Your Day Is Coming due to the pregnancy not being an IUP (intrauterine pregnancy). This type of pregnancy cannot be successful and Will Halstead has full hands with saving Gabby, which he manages after 2 surgeries. Both Matt and Gabby are devastated after this outcome.
Friends
Kelly Severide
Kelly and Casey are co-workers at Firehouse 51. At the beginning of season one, after the death of a close friend, they had some trouble getting along and often butted heads, but would come together for the sake of the house. By Season 2 they have stopped blaming each other and get along very well. They are often seen putting themselves in danger to protect each other, such as when Severide went into an unstable burning building to help Casey find his fiancé. After Casey was injured in episode 2x10, Severide was the first to notice that he was not healed. He was very concerned about Casey, asking him numerous times if he was okay and offering help.
Following Shay's death, Severide moves in with Casey and Dawson. Severide and Casey stay as roommates after Dawson moves out. Some of the strain on Casey and Dawson's relationship comes from Casey and Severide's relationship; with Casey putting Severide in front of Dawson, such as when Dawson tells Casey to ask Severide to move out after his unexpected marriage and Casey responds by saying Severide "is going to need [him] on his side, so good or bad that's where [he'll] be".
Casey and Severide often bond and talk about personal new issues, questions and problems smoking cigars outside the firehouse - it starts when either of them shows the other a couple of cigars. Neither of them have a name for it, but the other firefighters call it "cigar chats".
In Headlong Toward Disaster, Severide instantly turns down an order from his chief to spy on Casey. He also tells the chief that Casey is "one of the finest firefighters [he's] ever had the opportunity to work with in the entire CFD."
In Season 5, when Dawson and Casey are getting back together and adopting Louie, Severide offers to move out to give the three of them space.
After Casey's apartment burnt down in Inside These Walls, Severide offers him his guest room. This results in Casey moving in with Severide permanently.
During Season 9, Casey confides in Severide about his status with Brett, something that leaves Severide amused, but he gives advice on how to handle it.
Severide asks Casey to be his best man, which Casey enthusiastically accepts. On Severide's wedding day everything planned changes but Casey finds a boat and a captain to marry Severide and Kidd.
Severide is one of the only people on the show besides Sylvie, Dawson, Boden and Hank Voight, to call Casey by his first name. Severide is the only person on the show to call Casey by the nickname, Case and Casey is the only person on the show to call Severide by the nickname, Sev.
Neutral
Hank Voight
Voight is a police officer whose son drunkenly caused a car accident. Casey filed a CFD Incident Report that implicated Voight covered it up.
This marked the tension between the two, as Hank tried bribing, threatening, and outright trying to kill Casey. This ultimately led to Voight being arrested by Antonio Dawson but he was released after making a deal with Internal Affairs and becoming Sergeant of Intelligence in the Chicago P.D. force.
While Casey and Voight still have their problems, they are slowly reaching neutral terms. This was seen when Voight saved Casey from a gunman in Let Her Go. At the end of Season 3, Hank informed Casey that his old friend Nesbitt is actually a crook who is trafficking women and asked for his help in bringing him down. Casey goes undercover which leads to Nesbitt getting caught. However, the FBI releases Nesbitt because he was their informant. Casey went to Voight and revealed his belief that Nesbitt may be playing both the traffickers and the feds, promising to do something about it if Voight doesn't. Voight takes his promise into consideration, secretly following Casey and arresting Nesbitt after he held Casey at gunpoint. Voight even congratulated him on becoming a father. In a crossover (5x09, 4x09 of P.D.), Casey believed the conflict was behind them after Severide was nearly accused of committing a vehicular homicide.
Memorable Quotes
- (To Griffin Darden) "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for another. This badge case stands as a memorial to the fallen firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives in service for the citizens of Chicago." (Joyriding)
- (To Griffin Darden) "It's okay to cry here. I have." (Joyriding)
- (To Gabby) "What's wrong with being dependent on someone who loves you with everything he has?" (The Grand Gesture)
- (To Severide) "I grew up in a family full of secrets. I guess it’s become a fallback for me, shutting people out." (Natural Born Firefighter)
Notes and Trivia
- Casey's Badge Number is 17138.
- In 6x03, Casey is promoted from Lieutenant to Captain.
- He wears the same jacket for four seasons.
- He is the only character to have an American flag on his turnout jacket.
- He's unable to do a decent Australian accent (he attempts to in 6x20 and 9x01).
- Matt was the first customer of Molly's to try the whiskey cocktail Stella's Golden Hammer.
- Matt's a great cook, but thanks to his position, he's not expected to do it on shift. Therefore, he cooks his famous corned beef for 51 solely on three occasions (on screen):
- He tries to reconcile with Severide in Pilot.
- He celebrates Kidd's save in Down Is Better.
- He's relieved after he's cleared for duty, so he cooks in Don't Hang Up.
- He passes the recipe to Gallo via letter in Whom Shall I Fear?.
Gallery
.jpg "Sacred Ground (1).jpg (32 KB)")
Appearances
| Season 10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayday | Head Count | Counting Your Breaths | The Right Thing | Two Hundred |
| Dead Zone | Whom Shall I Fear? | What Happened at Whiskey Point? | Winterfest | Back with a Bang |
| Fog of War | Show of Force | Fire Cop | An Officer With Grit | The Missing Piece |
| Hot and Fast | Keep You Safe | What's Inside You | Finish What You Started | Halfway to the Moon |
| Last Chance | The Magnificent City of Chicago | |||
| Season 11 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold On Tight | Every Scar Tells a Story | Completely Shattered | The Center of the Universe | Haunted House |
| All-Out Mystery | Angry Is Easier | A Beautiful Life | Nemesis | Something for the Pain |
| A Guy I Used to Know | How Does It End? | The Man of the Moment | Run Like Hell | Damage Control |
| Acting Up | The First Symptom | Danger Is All Around | Take a Shot at the King | Never, Ever Make a Mistake |
| Change of Plans | Red Waterfall | |||
Crossover Appearances
Chicago Med
- S2E14 Cold Front
- S4E2 When to Let Go
- S5E2 We're Lost in the Dark
- S5E4 Infection, Part II
Chicago P.D.
- S1E12 8:30 PM
- S2E20 The Number of Rats
- S4E1 The Silos
- S4E9 Don't Bury This Case
- S5E16 Profiles
- S6E15 Good Men
- S7E4 Infection, Part III