Chicago Fire season 14 kicked off with quite a gut-punch for Stellaride fans, one that’s going to take us a bit of time to get over.
Season 13 ended with Kidd telling Severide she was pregnant, which ignited excitement among fans in getting to see the couple start their family. Sadly, the hope we felt in the finale was quickly and unexpectedly dashed in the opening moment of the premiere, as we learned that the pregnancy test was a false positive. Labs show that Kidd was never pregnant, but the good news is that they do show she shouldn’t have any issues in having a healthy pregnancy in the future.
The news certainly came out of left field as we never anticipated that the writers would end up reversing course on the pregnancy, especially so abruptly. The show had a chance to tell a historic storyline by pursuing a Kidd pregnancy; however, it seems that story will have to wait, though as one door closed, another opened.
After getting news that Kidd was not pregnant, Kidd and Severide decided to press pause on the adoption process. However, as the episode comes to an end, Terry shows up at the Firehouse to ask the pair to reconsider their decision. He mentions how there aren’t many couples who are willing to take in a teen as they were prepared to do before Natalie was taken in by her sister, wonders if Severide and Kidd might be willing to meet him.
The moment hints that perhaps a Stellaride family storyline is incoming, just not in the way we anticipated it would happen.
Elsewhere in the premiere…
Why did Sal Vasquez end up at Firehouse 51? That’s a mystery the season looks to answer
Down two firefighters, 51 gets a new recruit in the form of Sal Vasquez, a cocky new addition arrives at the firehouse to join Kidd’s team. Upon his arrival, Kidd makes it clear to Vasquez that he has big shoes to fill as he’s replacing a good driver to which he quips that he’s pretty good himself.
We quickly get a sense for his reckless behavior on the first call of the season when he takes some bold choices with his driving while responding to a fiery truck racing down the road. While it worked out in the end, Kidd quickly pulls him aside to discuss the way he failed to listen to her on the call. Rather than apologizing, he gets a bit sassy and Kidd isn’t having it.
She voices her concerns about Vasquez to Chief Pascal and asks for his files, but Pascal shoots the inquiry down and warns her she shouldn’t jump the gun. Little does she know that earlier in the episode, Pascal had a meeting with two higher ups and had Vasquez essentially thrust upon him as a department favor.
The mystery builds when Vasquez is injured on a call and chooses to keep the injury hidden rather than reporting it. Novak comes to his aid, but it definitely raises some flags as to why he felt he needed to hide the injury from Kidd and the rest of the 51 team.
Knowing her gut instincts don’t typically steer her wrong, Kidd decides to ask around about Vasquez and learns that he has a history of pushing back and breaking protocol. To her surprise, when she tells this to Pascal and suggests that the best thing would be to let him go, Pascal makes it clear that Vasquez isn’t going anywhere. Kidd tries to get some answers, but Pascal avoids giving her any.
Instead, he simply points out that perhaps what Vasquez needs is a leader like her who can elevate his game. Pascal says the only answer he can give her is that this is Vasquez’s last chance in the CFD and he needs him to remain at 51.
Carver and Damon exit Chicago Fire, while Ritter’s exit storyline is introduced
During the premiere, Violet reveals that she and Carver are maintaining a no contact agreement so that they’re able to move on. They got the chance to tell one another how they really felt which was something they both were happy to have gotten the chance to do, but he’s officially moved on to Denver to start fresh.
We also learn via a conversation between Cruz and Mouch that Damon has transferred to a different firehouse in the CFD. No further details were provided, but the transfer storyline does help to leave the door open for Damon to return down the line.
In addition to the two exits that occurred off-screen, Chicago Fire’s season 14 premiere laid the groundwork for Ritter’s forthcoming departure.
Early in the episode, Ritter reveals he and Dwayne have begun texting since he moved to New York. It seems they’re back in an excellent spot, so much so that Ritter has once again started to question whether Dwayne is the one. All has been going well until Dwayne randomly stopped responding in the last 24 hours. After Dwayne misses a FaceTime call in which he was supposed to show Ritter his new apartment, Ritter asks Mouch if he can check with Trudy to see if she’s heard anything on her end.
Later in the episode, Mouch gets a call from Trudy and races off to inform Ritter that Dwayne was shot in the line of duty and has just been taken into surgery. Upon learning the news, Ritter books a flight to New York and gets to the hospital just after Dwayne has pulled through his surgery. Dwayne is thrilled to see Ritter has come to be with him, and it’s clear the writers are planning on giving Ritter a happy ending, by paving the way for him to move to New York to be with Dwayne.
Chicago Fire season 14 premiere odds and ends
- Herrmann spends most of the premiere struggling to adjust to the new normal after stepping down as lieutenant. He ultimately begins to give up some of his lingering authority by handing over his office – or sharing we should say – with Mouch.
- While 51 is safe from CFD budget cuts, Chief Pascal learns that the city is implementing rig reductions on a rotating basis, while Violet and Novak will begin facing longer runs and busier shifts as EMTs.