Because Chicago Fire has been on the air for so long, you wouldn't expect that the long-running first responder procedural would be able to still keep us guessing, but that's exactly what it does. From its inventive storylines to its methods for executive said storylines, the series continues to be unpredictable. That's exactly what it was during its most recent episode.
Ahead of the Chicago Fire season 14 episode 16 airing, fans began to have the sneaking suspicion that more than a few of our favorite characters wouldn't appear in the episode. First-look images suggested that a majority of the show's case would be benched for this particular episode, and when tuning into "Firehouse 66," we quickly realized that suspicion actually came true.
Unfortunately, the episode wrote out over half of Chicago Fire season 14's main cast, which included the fan-favorite character Stella Kidd played by Miranda Rae Mayo. In addition to Mayo, the episode also didn't feature appearances from David Eigenberg (Herrmann), Christian Stolte (Mouch), Hanako Greensmith (Violet), Jocelyn Hudon (Novak), and Brandon Larracuente (Vasquez). But why?
Kidd's absence in Chicago Fire season 14 episode 16 explained
Thankfully, we didn't have wonder for very long why Kidd and more characters weren't included in the episode. An explanation was provided not too long into the episode that Kidd and the truck team weren't on shift due to being out for a wildfire training session. As far as reasons for being sidelined for an episode, that's a pretty important one for a team of firefighters.
As for the ambulance team, they were simply not on shift for the day. It's a cut and dry reason for the characters to not appear in the episode. Whether it's for story or budgetary necessities, each member of the Chicago Fire cast doesn't appear in every single episode. That's normal for series with ensemble casts like this and is something all One Chicago shows go through.
Even though it's frustrating that Kidd was absent from the episode, along with a lot of the cast, she wasn't completely missing. Let's explain. Halfway through the episode, Severide became increasingly stressed about the ongoing matters with Chief Hopkins. He steals a moment to call his wife and leave her a message, just to hear her voice and vent his frustrations. It's another cute Stellaride moment for the fans, even if one half of the couple didn't appear on screen.
Luckily, we won't be going a second week in a row without Kidd and most of the team offscreen. As the trailer for Chicago Fire season 14 episode 17, titled "Sway," and the first-look images (one included above) reveals, Kidd will be back in the next new episode. With only a few more episodes remaining in season 14, hopefully she won't sit the bench for any others.