Warning: spoilers are ahead for the sixth episode of Chicago Fire Season 14, called "Broken Things" and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
The heroes of Chicago Fire's Firehouse 51 have been working in uncertain times, but now one member of the team will be absent for reasons other CFD budget cuts as the 2025 TV schedule winds down. Stella Kidd decided to step away from not just 51 but the Windy City as a whole by the end of "Broken Things," which may cause unpleasant flashbacks to Season 10 for longtime fans. No need to worry this time, though – Stella is leaving for a good reason, and there's no cause to believe that she won't be back as planned.
Stellaride's efforts to do right by Isaiah meant Stella spending the day trying to get better care for his mom while Severide was shadowing Pascal. After connecting with Chicago Med's Goodwin, the Truck 81 lieutenant learned that there was a great center that could provide everything that Isaiah's mom would need. The catch? The hospital is several states and one Great Lake away from Chicago: Cleveland, Ohio.
Now, as somebody who is sitting in Northeast Ohio as I write this, I got a kick out of the shout out to Cleveland and a laugh from of the look of utter dismay on Stella's face when she said "Ohio." But it was clear that she was invested enough in helping Isaiah that the Cleveland location didn't mean giving up; instead, she and the youngster are relocating to the Buckeye State for some weeks to help get his mom set up while Severide stays behind in Chicago.
On the one hand, this doesn't sound entirely dissimilar to when Stella left Firehouse 51 (and Severide) in Season 10 for the purpose of promoting Girls on Fire across the country. That was all well and good... until she spent days not answering Severide's calls or texts, and didn't even give him a head's up when she returned. She did of course return full-time after that, but there were some rough waters for the good ship Stellaride for a while.
And while Stella going off on another indefinite trip away from Severide, Firehouse 51, and Chicago has some hallmarks of what she did in Season 10, the circumstances couldn't be more different. Helping Isaiah has been part of her parenthood journey, and she and Severide are as solid as they've ever been.
Plus, "Broken Things" aired just one week ahead of the Season 14 fall finale, which means that all of the characters will soon be off the air until the 2026 TV schedule. Stella's time in Cleveland to help Isaiah could just take place over winter hiatus, and she may be back right away or early in the new year. No need to sweat that she'll be gone for half a season this time!
The fall finale – called "Pierce the Vein" – seems like it will be plenty intense without Kidd in the mix, with her husband investigating a high school fire while Novak gets an unexpected call. Based on the promo, that call will probably be tied to her sister. Take a look:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, November 12 at 9 p.m. ET for the fall finale of Chicago Fire Season 14, between Chicago Med Season 11 at 8. p.m. ET and Chicago P.D. Season 13 at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows are also available streaming on Peacock.
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