The Stunning Chicago Fire Twist That Explains Why Stella Shut Out Kelly — And Waffled On the Lieutenant Position at Firehouse 51
Theories abound about what’s going on with Stella — is it more than just brunette ambition?
The fall finale of Chicago Fire was filled with holiday-related mishaps for the firefighters to deal with, featured costly bungles for Gallo and Ritter, a triumph for Brett, and — of course — included some festive warm fuzzies as Mouch led the engine 81 crew to deliver toys to some deserving kids. But it wouldn’t be Chicago Fire if it didn’t end with a cliffhanger, and that was provided by Stella and Kelly…
After extending her Girls on Fire tour beyond the expected four weeks to eight with little to no communication, it became obvious to viewers that something was going on with Kidd. It couldn’t be that she was just riding the high of her program’s success, could it?!
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While Girls on Fire is incredibly important to her, so is Severide, and so would the lieutenant’s position have been — not only would it be the promotion she worked so hard to achieve, but this particular job opening would have kept her at Firehouse 51.
It’s no surprise, then, that Boden became irritated by her uncharacteristic lack of enthusiasm and professionalism by ignoring the open lieutenant’s position… to the point that he called Severide into his office to discuss it and, as it turns out, to deliver an ultimatum through him.
And yet, still no response from Stella. At this point, Kelly is now convinced that something is very much awry. She wasn’t at all keen on him shutting her out and refusing to communicate back when he did it, so what on earth would make her do it to him?!
In an interview with our sister publication, TV Line, showrunner Derek Haas teased Stella’s thought process while she was away may have included such nuggets as: “Is this where I should be focusing? Or should I be focusing on other things, like maybe even bigger, grander things?”
Bigger, grander things like starting a family, perhaps? Certainly one of the things that could have led to Stella’s extended absence and radio silence would be an unexpected pregnancy that threw her into a state of confusion and indecision.
She loves her fiancé and undoubtedly wants to have a family with him some day, but the timing is not ideal given how driven she has been with regard to her career. It would explain her dodging Kelly while she worked things out in her mind, and it makes sense that it would affect her decision on taking the lieutenant position.
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Of course, Stella’s issues might be totally unrelated to any and all things maternal. It may be that she’s looking at a life and career beyond Chicago and Firehouse 51 and isn’t sure how Severide fits into that picture. It could be that she cheated on him. Of course, all of this makes little sense to us given how in love with Kelly she is, but the bottom line is that we’ll just have to wait… just a little longer… to find out what exactly is going on with Stella Kidd.
Kidd’s portrayer, Miranda Rae Mayo has teased that Stella returns with a bang, so the reveal will undoubtedly be stunning when Chicago Fire resumes with new episodes beginning Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Watch the promo below to see Stella confirm that she “panicked”.
What do you think is going on with Stella? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to check out our photo gallery of Yellowstone’s top characters of all time, ranked, below.
Video: TV Promos/YouTube
