Chicago Fire season 8 character review: Kelly Severide

What it means

Let’s be honest: the phrases “Kelly Severide” and “near-death experience” have been used in the same sentence so many times, that they’re practically a ship. So it’s no surprise that during season 8, the writers found a couple of ways to put Severide’s neck on the line, whether it was being in a basement with an arsonist or almost being hit by a car. It’s just expected that he’ll get into trouble every season. But when compared to past years, this season felt relatively safe.

The same could be said of Severide’s personal life. He didn’t do something to upset his girlfriend, he didn’t have an ex-girlfriend turn back up, and nobody threw themselves at him. The show tried to suggest that Seager had a crush on him, but that never got off the ground (thankfully). Maybe she has an admiration for him, but the last thing we needed was somebody else becoming a third wheel in his life.

It was a risk to transfer him out of Firehouse 51 in the first part of the season and have him away from the rest of the action, but the writers actually handled it very well. They made his plots worth watching and gave him a good partner to play off of in Seager, and most importantly, came up with a really plausible reason why he’d agree to step away from the firehouse.

This was a great Severide to see: stable, unbothered, yet still saving lives and taking names. He has had so many chances to grow up and get perspective, but Chicago Fire has never fully let him do that; the show has always found ways to trip him up. He’s more compelling of a character if he’s not in his own way—but will he be allowed to stay like that next season?