Spoilers ahead for Episode 14 of Chicago Fire Season 10, called “An Officer With Grit.”
Chicago Fire has delivered some big twists and turns when it comes to Stella Kidd’s story ever since her extended Girls on Fire trip. Casey’s departure opened up a slot for a lieutenant on Truck, but when that slot went to Brett Dalton’s Jason Pelham, it seemed that Stella was either staying at 51 without a lieutenant position or leaving for another house. Fortunately, “An Officer With Grit” delivered a twist that will let Stella take the job she earned without leaving 51, and based on the rest of the episode, I'd say that Fire really needed to deliver that win.
It wasn’t a triumphant episode from start to finish, but Stella Kidd getting her ideal position was a long time coming and helps balance out what could be the beginning of a very complicated storyline for another woman at 51.
What Happened For Stella Kidd
After her talk with Kylie last week, Stella realized that she’d worked too hard and too long to just not go after a position as an officer. After an encounter with Truck 72 and a Lt. Boswell who was very conveniently on the verge of leaving, Stella saw her opportunity to lead a Truck crew. Sure, the crew itself paled in comparison to the heroes of 51, and it would have meant seeing less of Severide, but she went after the job, got Boden’s approval, and was approved before the end of the episode. It was good news, with the bittersweet twist of Stella leaving her family at her longtime firehouse.
But that wasn’t going to happen if Pelham had any say in the matter! Although he had settled into 51 and formed bonds with even some of the more resistant firefighters, all it took was learning that Stella went after the Firehouse 72 job to realize that it was time for him to move on. He decided to volunteer for 72 and free 51 up for Stella, saying that he never even imagined that he’d get the opportunity to be more than a floater, and he learned a lot at 51 to pass on to the firefighters at 72.
Pelham is out, Stella is in, and pretty much everything in that storyline is worth celebrating, except that it presumably means the end of Brett Dalton’s time on Fire! And based on another plot in “An Officer With Grit,” that win is worth holding onto.
Why Chicago Fire Needed Stella's Promotion
Unfortunately, Violet’s relationship with Chief Hawkins is already causing problems rather than celebrations like what happened with Stella. Violet unintentionally got him to pull some strings and fix the heating in Ambulance 61, with her boss/secret boyfriend bumping them to the front of the line after hearing that she and Brett were uncomfortable in the cold.
Brett quickly connected the dots and pointed out to Violet that people will assume that Hawkins is doing her favors because of their relationship. Violet told Brett that she broke things off with Hawkins, but a later scene showed that Violet was just telling Brett what she wanted to hear, and very much still hooking up with their boss. She did try to tell him that she doesn’t want favors like what he did by fixing the heat, but they both were more focused on heading to the bedroom than having a serious discussion. And that does not bode well for Violet, if things get out of hand.
Now, this isn’t the first Fire relationship with one partner outranking the other, with Dawson/Casey and Stella/Severide as iconic examples. But Dawson and Casey weren’t both firefighters when their relationship started, and there was nothing inappropriate about a paramedic and a firefighter. Severide did outrank Stella before she passed her lieutenant’s test, but he worked in Squad rather than Truck, and wasn’t her direct superior. If things get out of hand and backfire with Violet/Hawkins, as seems inevitable, I can’t help but imagine that Violet will have to pay the biggest price for it. Even if they are pretty cute together!
It might be a compelling story for Chicago Fire, but I know I’m glad to have gotten Stella’s win in the same episode as Violet experiencing the first big complications of hooking up with her boss. Find out what happens next for both characters with new episodes of Chicago Fire on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. in the 2022 TV schedule.
