5 Things Fans Want Most From Chicago Fire Season 13: Dramatic Developments and a Return Worth Waiting For
Chicago Fire returns to NBC on September 25, and the Season 12 finale left us with plenty of questions we hope the show answers – and plenty of hopes going into a new season. From more Stellaride to resolution for Carver and Violet, without forgetting the Severide siblings bonding, there’s a lot we hope we get to see in Chicago Fire Season 13.
A Stellaride Baby (Decision)
We don’t actually need Kelly and Stella to have a baby yet – but we would like the two of them to come to a decision and start trying. If there’s a couple that deserves a joyful pregnancy arc, it’s these two. Sure, there are obstacles ahead, particularly with Stella’s job. And it doesn’t have to be easy as they figure it out. But as long as they talk to each other and want the same thing going forward, they can figure it out.
And for fans, the thing that makes this part of the journey interesting is not conflict, no. It’s seeing Kelly and Stella take a new step in their relationship, together. They’re a family already, but if expanding that family is what they both want, then for fans who love them, there will be nothing more satisfying than seeing them finally become parents, whenever and however that happens.
For Firehouse 51 to Remain Firehouse 51 – Even With a New Chief
Andrea Newman joked in the EW Fall Preview that it’s like Boden raised these people, but it’s not even a joke if we’re being honest. These firefighters, this firehouse, was built by Boden, and having a new person come in is bound to shake that up. But in a way, that’s fine. That’s the kind of drama we can deal with. Clashing personalities, okay. Trouble getting used to new styles of leadership? Hey, that can make for interesting storytelling.
What we don’t want to see if the new Chief (and what kind of a name is Dom Pascal, really? That makes him sound like he should be sipping piña coladas on a beach somewhere!) tries to change what makes Firehouse 51 …well, Firehouse 51. That’s when we’re going to have problems. If he’s going to try some funny business we can just replace him with Herrmann.
For Carver and Violet’s Will They/Won’t They to Commit to the Will
Ironically, Carver and Violet are the ship we didn’t think we would end up shipping. A part of us is still mourning Hawkins, deep down. A part of Violet also is. But that’s the thing with grief, sometimes, when it is mixed with love. We know that the person we lost, the person who loved us, would have wanted us to love again. To laugh again. To live. And that’s been a hard lesson for Violet.
Carver, on the other side, has his own baggage. So, it’s not like we anticipate these two can just jump into a relationship and have it be smooth sailing. But we would love for them to actually verbalize to each other the desire to try – beyond whatever casual thing they were pretending they were doing in Season 12. The feelings are not casual, we already know that part. So the relationship shouldn’t be. And Jake Lockett is a series regular now, so …this all just makes sense.
Family Bonds – & Not Just Found Family
Season 12 ended with the revelation that new kid Jack Damon was actually Benny Severide’s kid, aka Kelly Severide’s younger half-brother. And though Chicago Fire has always been a show that has done a pretty great job at leaning on the family aspect, particularly the found family of it all, Season 13 has a great opportunity to allow Kelly and his younger brother to develop the type of connection they’ve never had before.
Sure, family isn’t just blood. It never has been. But it can be if you want it to. Damon sure seems to want that, that’s pretty much the reason he came to Firehouse 51 in the first place. And as for family, well …it’s not like Kelly Severide couldn’t use more of that. In that regard, the more the merrier, to be honest.
Kylie on Truck Once and For All
It’s time for Kylie Estevez (Katelynn Shennett) to come home, once and for all. How many people have tried to fill the stop on Stella Kidd’s truck as Kylie – and us – pretended she wasn’t the perfect fit and the only one that made sense? In Season 13, we’re done pretending and the show should be done too.
The truth is Kylie fits in the way all these new people haven’t. She’s part of Firehouse 51, and it might have been different had she never chosen to be a firefighter, but now that she has? There’s just no other place for her, even if Boden isn’t around anymore.