Contains spoilers for “Chicago Fire” Season 13, Episode 1 — “A Monster in the Field”
Everything at Engine 51 is in a state of upheaval as “A Monster in the Field” opens up. Newly-arrived Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) has a by-the-books style that clashes with everything his crew has come to expect by the departed Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker). His cold adherence to rules and regulations has everyone scrambling — especially Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) when Pascal points out that they shouldn’t be working at the same firehouse as a married couple. Pascal gives Severide a warning that he’ll be watching him — and notices Severide’s sudden interest in Jack Damon (Michael Bradway), whom only Stella, Jack, and Kelly know is Kelly’s half-brother, as revealed by a Season 12 finale twist.
Is it any wonder that Stella buttonholes her husband during a lull in the action and tells him she’s not emotionally ready to become a parent? Yep, that cliffhanger conversation Stella and Kelly had during the Season 12 finale regarding having kids ends in a firm no. She admits to him that every time she’s been on a call with a kid, she’s been extra tense. She’d been hoping she was ready, but it’s not the right time for them to have a baby.
Kelly takes the announcement with grace — since his wife is also under the gun for her Girls on Fire charity, it’s the least he can do. But they aren’t the only ones facing personal problems as Season 13 begins.
Romantic ups and downs decorate A Monster in the Field
While Kelly’s going to have to cope with being under double scrutiny by Pascal for protecting his half-brother in the field and his marriage to Stella, the rest of the firehouse is suffering through its own personal tumult.
Suffering the most is Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), whose relationship with Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) is over and done. Though she wants to make amends, he appears to be dating a girl he connected with during his long summertime sojourn in Texas. Violet tries to talk it out with him, but he coldly and officially breaks the relationship off. Dom Pascal’s also suffering relationship issues with his wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland), who locks him out of their new shared home. She calls him out on his workaholic behavior, but he talks her into giving him one more chance.
On the positive side of the scale, Jack and Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) appear to be moving toward a romantic connection of their own, as Jack asks her out on a date. Time will tell if they will become another legendary pairing like Stellaride as Season 13 of “Chicago Fire” continues to unspool.
