Chicago Fire spoilers: What happened in season 10 episode 10?

There was lots to unpack during the winter premiere of Chicago Fire. The biggest question mark going into the episode “Back with a Bang” was Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), who appeared suddenly and without any explanation to a confused Severide (Taylor Kinney).

There was also the promotion that was handed off to Pelham (Brett Dalton), despite it being clear that Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) wanted to award it to Kidd. Fortunately, all of these subplots get addressed in the aptly titled episode.

What happened on Chicago Fire last night? (January 5th)

The episode picks up immediately where the last left off, as Kidd is left to explain her absence to a skeptical Severide. She tells him that she froze when she heard that the lieutenant’s position was available, and while she wanted the job she felt like she wasn’t ready for it. Severide then went on to ask why she stopped responding to him, and whether she had started seeing someone else while she was on the road.

Kidd assures Severide that there’s no one else and that she’s still madly in love with him. The next morning, she returns to the 51 and is enthusiastically greeted by the rest of the squad. She meets Pelham, in what amounts to the only real awkward interaction, and she reluctantly owns up to her attitude with Boden, citing her irresponsible response to the lieutenant news.

The squad go out on a call, where Ritter (Daniel Kyri) saves a frightened police officer from burning to death. Afterwards, the interacts continue. Pelham explains that he’s taken over as the 51’s new lieutenant and Kidd assures him that she heard good things about him.

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On the heels of this interaction, we also get a nice scene between Brett (Kara Killmer) and Kidd. The two reflect on their relationships, with Brett revealing that she’s going to be visiting Casey (Jesse Spencer) soon, and Kidd admitting that she wanted to spend time with Severide but he opted to hang out with everyone as a group.

Not everybody is handling the changes gracefully, though. Chief Boden gets paid a visit by Chief  Tom Kilborne. The newcomer scolds Boden about his decision to choose Pelham as his lieutenant without running it by him first. It’s immediately clear that there’s tension between the two men, and it’s safe bet to assume we’ll be seeing plenty of Kilborne in the future.

The emotional thrust of the episode comes to a head when Kidd asks about Severide’s indifferent behavior. He’s been flippant with her and avoided moments of intimacy since her return, and when he’s called on it, he flat out asks if Kidd still wants to get married. She pauses, and the screen cuts to black before she answers.

It looks like there are going to be major overhauls in the duo’s relationship, as they will have to re-establish the bond that once made them so close. On top of that, Boden and Pelham will have to continue to set new ground rules as they lead this new era of the 51.

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