Dom Pascal’s appearance at Firehouse 52 was met with mixed reactions during the Chicago Fire Season 13 premiere. From indifference to attempts to make a good impression, there were a variety of reactions. But for Stella Kidd, Pascal had no business being at that fire station, and she didn’t like everything about the way he ran things. Miranda Rae Mayo spoke to TV Line about the episode and why Stella was hesitant about the new chief. She revealed that her characters had an idea of who the new chief would be, and the fact that it didn’t come to fruition left Stella confused.
“I mean, the thing is: I don’t think Stella is trying to get off on the right foot with any new sheriff unless it’s Herrmann. Then that would be fine, but becoming sheriff is a longer process, so there’s no way that could happen right away,” the actress said of her character’s expectations and why they don’t happen. She elaborated on the nature of Stella and Pascal’s relationship throughout the season, saying, “But I think because they started off on the wrong foot, we see tension between them so far for much of the season because, in short, he’s never going to be Boden for her, and she’s struggling with herself to be professional and not let personal expectations based on her past affect how she shows up, day-to-day. “I think, ultimately, a lot of it comes down to leadership, wanting to be a good leader, really wanting to follow Boden’s example, and I think Stella puts a lot of pressure on herself, and I think she’s going through a lot of turmoil this season, like, really trying to carry this torch within herself to justify the trust that Boden has in her and has had.” Meanwhile, Stella is on edge because of Severide’s newly revealed brother. In Season 13, Episode 2, “Ride the Blade,” Damon disobeys Stella’s orders and runs to Severide for protection. “It just seems like it was a misunderstanding or miscommunication, so to see how that plays out, that’s when you really start to see things get complicated between Severide, Damon, and Kidd,” Mayo said. In her personal life, Stella told Kelly that she wasn’t ready to have children yet. “That’s something that Kelly’s character has always wanted. So I think that’s one of the things that could potentially create a lot of tension in their relationship, but so far he’s been very understanding,” she previewed the storyline.
