CHICAGO FIRE Post-Mortem: Derek Haas on Kidd’s Return and What it Means for Firehouse 51

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Wednesday, December 8 hour of CHICAGO FIRE.]

Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) finally returned to Chicago, but where she’s been and what she’s been up to will remain a mystery until CHICAGO FIRE returns on Wednesday, January 5.

For much of the fall finale, “Winterfest,” Kidd’s fiancé, Severide (Taylor Kinney) was unable to reach her. Their boss, Boden (Eamonn Walker), warned Severide that Kidd had until end of shift to check in, or the vacant spot as lieutenant would go to new-to-51 Pelham (Brett Dalton).

After a lot of silence, and missing the work deadline, Severide returned home to find Kidd in their living room. “Hi Kelly,” she said, before the screen faded to black.

When the next episode picks up, “her headspace does need some explanation,” showrunner Derek Haas admits. “And I’m not just saying that as me the writer or you the audience—Severide wants to hear an explanation. Boden wants to hear an explanation. And this is her time to give it. She needs to let them know where her head was and decide what she wants to do about it going forward.”

“This is the first time, really, that she’s more or less gone dark on Severide,” he continues. “And Severide has done that to her in the past, but he’s not really been in this position before. And throw on top of that that he’s not the greatest communicator. This is going to have some serious implications for them and for Firehouse 51 when we get back from winter break.”

And though Kidd’s silence has been alarming, what’s going on with her “[is] not a physical thing,” Haas says. “It’s definitely a reassessment when you’ve been on a hamster wheel, so to speak, for years. And then been on a track and you get away from it, and discover other things that have your interest and question why you were doing certain things. Those are the kind of life-altering decisions that she needs to explain.”

The good news? Kidd is sticking around to talk this stuff out. “She’s full-time back on our show,” Haas says. “So we’ll see her a lot.”

But with Kidd missing out on the LT job at 51, Pelham has his first steady gig after being blacklisted for years…and now he’ll get to meet the person whose job he (in some ways) took.

“That’s a big plotline for the next batch of episodes, because first of all, he’s only heard about Kidd before this,” Haas previews. “And now he’s going to meet her and see what she means to this firehouse. He didn’t even know Kidd and Severide are in a relationship—so that comes as a surprise to him—because he’s been worried about his own stuff.”

However, the biggest threat could be external. “There are certain people out in the Chicago Fire Department who made sure that he was a floater and they’re not too happy that he has found a permanent space,” Haas teases. “So there’s some unseen, as of now, enemies out there swirling around Pelham that Boden is going to have to be drawn into. So there’s a lot going on with all of the inter-office power dynamics.”

CHICAGO FIRE, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC

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