Contains spoilers for “Chicago Fire” Season 13, Episode 17 — “A Beast Like This”
Fans of Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) have been anticipating the scene where they hold an orphan in need of care in their arms. After deciding against adoption after Kelly learns Stella’s tragic story, which includes becoming a parent and raising her cousins, they are approved for adoption. But “A Beast Like This” reveals that a toddler is not in their future — the child they could have adopted is a minor.
In the episode, Stella interviews Natalie Evans (Ava Torres), who gives her a fake name and resume in hopes of getting into the Girl on Fire program for underprivileged teens who want to become firefighters. Stella’s investigation reveals that Natalie has been researching her and trying to find out details about Stella’s background. Stella discovers that Natalie is a little girl she saved from a fire when Natalie was four years old, and she’s confused but motivated by the situation; why didn’t Natalie tell her?
The story could go in a number of different directions from here, but it’s pretty clear that “Chicago Fire” will ultimately use Season 13 to avoid the child trap with Stella and Kelly and take their parenthood journey in a new direction.
Stella and Kelly’s parenthood journey could end here
Natalie could be the answer to Kelly and Stella’s hopes of becoming a happy family of three. But the current storyline leaves a lot of questions. Could Natalie be related to Stella and lying about her heritage to get closer to her, like Jack Damon (Michael Bradway) did to get closer to his biological brother Kelly? Or is she stalking Stella because she’s the only person who’s shown her kindness since she was a child? Could she be young and mentally ill? Or is she just looking for help?
This is an intriguing opening for a new story, no matter how you slice it—and it certainly seems to suggest that Natalie will prevent Kelly and Stella from repeating one of the biggest mistakes “Chicago Fire” has made regarding adoption—introducing a toddler or baby for the characters to adopt, only to have the child snatched away by relatives who suddenly reappear. Whether she ends up being a minor threat or an angel, Natalie may be here to stay. Whether that benefits Stella and Kelly or turns their lives into a horror show remains to be seen.
