Chicago Fire has raised the stakes in Season 9 for none other than Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd, whose relationship had seemed absolutely unshakeable... until Severide learned that people within the CFD were suggesting that Kidd was only moving up the ranks because of her relationship with him. Severide, being Severide, started distancing himself from Kidd without telling her why, and the result is Kidd sleeping over at Brett's and fans having reasons to worry that Stellaride might not be so unshakeable after all.
This wasn't the first time that bad communication from Severide has caused a rift between him and Kidd, but it is the first since he decided he was going to be a better man, and it previously seemed like he learned from the Season 7 situation that led to their on-again, off-again relationship going off-again for a time. Luckily, when Taylor Kinney and Miranda Rae Mayo spoke with CinemaBlend and other outlets for the One Chicago Day celebrating Chicago Fire as well as Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med, they weighed in on having hope despite Severide pulling a Severide and causing this Stellaride rift.
Taylor Kinney, who has been playing his character for nearly a decade now, shared his perspective on Severide shutting himself off from Kidd:
The progression of the relationship has kind of been moments like that where it's just lack of communication. The issue, [in] Season 7, I think, is when she had a high school friend that came back and I kind of saw through the veneer of, you know, platonic intentions, and I'm going, 'No, there's something else there.' And I just let it be. So it wasn't like jealousy. It was just like, 'No, this guy's... Okay, do your thing.' And then in turn, something happens. And it wasn't like I told you so, it just got to a point where I pulled back so much that it was too much. And I think he has struggled with that.
Severide's desire to let Kidd pursue the lieutenant's test without giving anybody reason to suspect that their relationship is the reason for her rise up the CFD ladder unfortunately played into his struggles with figuring how much to pull back. For her part, Kidd didn't just forget about what happened with her high school friend and Severide shutting down, and all signs point toward her not standing for a repeat of the Tyler fiasco.
According to Taylor Kinney, Kidd's knack for pushing him to do better is part of the reason to be hopeful for the future of Stellaride despite these obstacles that have gotten in their way. He continued, saying:
But she's always there to kind of kick him in the ass and be like, 'Hey, you can just speak, use your words.' [laughs] And so I think going on going further Stella is really climbing the ranks with promotional opportunities, and she has a lieutenant's test coming up. And he goes, you know, not out of his way to say, 'Hey, I've done that, been through it, I believe in you. And you can do it. And I'm at your beck and call.' Like, 'Hey, whatever you want, you got it.' And then he kind of like pulls a Severide and retreats when he thinks, 'Oh, I actually might be a hindrance. So I'm gonna step back, but I'm not gonna tell you why.' [laughs] ... And that's just been kind of fun to play. Because, you know, it's just a different facet of something that has been a common theme. And again, Stella, you know, she's like, 'On with it! What's your problem?' And that's been kind of where they are. And hopefully we resolve it and keep growing.
Well, let it not be said that Chicago Fire hasn't been consistent with Severide's character! The upside is that Severide and Kidd made so much progress since their last roadblock that it doesn't seem like abruptly calling it quits is in the cards like the last time. Even though Kidd has stayed the night with Brett, she does still live with Severide (and Casey), and Severide is at least shutting down their communication because he's trying to help.
According to Miranda Rae Mayo, Severide's good intentions make a difference when it comes to Stellaride's current situation. Sure, Kidd has no idea what's going on in his head, and he has given her reasons to doubt all the growth from the past season or so, but the truth behind his well-meaning but ill-advised actions is bound to come out eventually, right? Maya explained, saying:
I think the thing with Severide is, he has good intentions. He just is missing out on the really wonderful collaborative opportunity to being in a relationship. It's like, okay, you think that's what's best, maybe you could just bring it to the table. And we could discuss and come up with something, you know, good together. But his heart is good. And his intentions are good. And so I really think that that's the glue that holds them together. That's at the root of, you know what I mean, all of these kind of missteps. So, I think they'll be able to work through it, because they love each other so, so much. And they're willing to do the work.
Miranda Rae Mayo and Taylor Kinney's hopeful comments about Stellaride definitely indicate that their love story isn't over, and hopefully they'll get back on the same page sooner rather than later. There is the sticky issue that Kidd would have to learn that members of the CFD brass assume that Severide is the reason for her rising career if she's going to get on the same page as Severide, but she has arguably handled worse, and surely having a supportive rather than silent Severide could go a long way for her.
Find out with new episodes of Chicago Fire when they air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. As for past seasons of the One Chicago series, you can find all the episodes that your heart can desire streaming on Peacock now.
