‘Chicago Fire’ Gives Update on Severide — What Does Kidd Know?

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 11 Episode 21 “Change of Plans.”]

The title of the latest Chicago Fire applies to what’s going on with Lieutenant Kelly Severide while Taylor Kinney is on a leave of absence from the NBC drama … but who knows what?

It’s while Cruz (Joe Minoso), who’s been acting as squad lieutenant with Severide is away, that he learns that things have changed. Severide’s no longer in Alabama — where he’d been after a spot opened up in the best arson investigation program. As had been detailed in a conversation between OFI’s Van Meter (Tim Hopper) and Boden (Eamonn Walker), that didn’t mean that Severide would be transferring to arson investigation, but he’d return with expertise that would benefit the entire department. But now it turns out that Severide made quite an impression and is pitching in on some big investigation somewhere.

Cruz, of course, goes to talk to Severide’s wife, Lieutenant Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), though she’s initially distracted trying to help a homeless man she treated on a call. By the time they catch up, it’s near the end of the episode, at Molly’s. Cruz thinks that Kidd knows what’s going on and tells her that while he gets that the couple didn’t want to broadcast it to the house, it would’ve been nice to know about Severide’s change of plans since he’s acting squad lieutenant.

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But Kidd had no idea that her husband is now on an ATF investigation in an unknown location. “What are you talking about?” she asks. He tries to backtrack, that it was just chatter at the academy, and he’s sorry to have brought it up, but … why not have Severide tell Kidd what’s going on? She looks genuinely confused.

With Kinney not set to appear in the Season 11 finale — though Jesse Spencer will be returning as Matt Casey, last in Chicago as part of a task force with Homeland Security investigating possible infrastructure attacks on several major cities — we can’t help but wonder how it might leave things for Stellaride.

Chicago Fire, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC