Cindy's Lung Cancer is Officially the Meanest Plot Twist in Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire NBC's drama series following the work and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics of the fictional Firehouse 51 in Chicago Fire Department.
It is a part of Dick Wolf's sprawling Chicago franchise, and, like the rest of that franchise, it is known for striving to be as authentic and realistic, as boundaries of a TV series allow.
Though sometimes it is difficult to say where brutal realism ends, and being mean to the audience for the sake of shock factor begins.
Take, for example, the fate of Cindy. Cindy Herrmann (Robyn Coffin) is the wife of Senior Firefighter Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg).
The couple has five children, four sons and one daughter, and had been together for almost 20 years by the time the show premiered. Quite a few fans call them the heart of the series.
However, this heart might be about to stop, given that earlier this season Cindy's cough and fever ended up as symptoms of something much worse than accidental cold – she has been diagnosed with lung cancer, despite neither smoking, nor otherwise exposing herself to risk factors.
Cindy's surgery ends only a half-success – she's going to need chemotherapy and radiation for the time being, which usually means living a life akin to that of a cripple, and that's if those measures manage to contain the cancer.
Fans now wonder, whether Cindy can be saved and whether Robyn Coffin is about to leave Chicago Fire.
So far the script and the showrunners provided no clear answers. Chicago Fire co-creator Derek Haas teased "some epic surprises" as he was leaving Wolf Entertainment, but one has to wonder whether Cindy's upcoming death qualifies as a surprise at this point.
Meanwhile the show's co-showrunner Andrea Newman said in an interview with NBC Insider:
"It is going to be a rough road for the whole Herrmann family as Cindy battles lung cancer. There's a tough fight ahead, with no short cuts or easy solutions, but the Herrmann family, and the 51 family, will come together to help in all sorts of ways as the situation progresses."
Which does not sound terribly hopeful. It remains to be seen whether the showrunners will go all the way with this gut-wrenching development and kill off Cindy in the end.