Spoilers ahead for Episode 21 of Chicago Fire Season 11, called "Change of Plans."
Only one episode of Chicago Fire is left before summer hiatus, and if it follows tradition for the long-running NBC drama, then there could be a crisis or two by the time the final credits roll on Season 11. The promo for the May 24 finale focuses almost entirely on Jesse Spencer’s return as Matt Casey for another reunion with Brett, but the events of “Change of Plans” leave me much more concerned about what’s going on with Severide off-screen.
Chicago Fire Is Hyping Casey's Return
Before we get into why I’m nervous about what’s up with Severide at the moment, let’s take a look at how Chicago Fire is hyping Casey and Brettsey more than anything else. The promo reveals that he’s back and wants to help Brett, and Brett has another priority now that she wants to adopt a baby. This may sound familiar to Casey after Dawson wanted to get custody of Louie back in the day, but the focus is on Brettsey despite their complicated last meeting. Take a look:
As much as Casey’s return and Brett’s conundrum are undoubtedly going to be important parts of the finale, the episode also isn’t going to be an hour of Brettsey developments. The episode description for the finale, called “Red Waterfall,” reveals that Stella Kidd will find a new lead on a Homeland Security case, which is presumably the one that brought Casey back to Chicago in the first place this season. After the events of “Change of Plans,” Stella also has something possibly bigger to worry about: what’s happening with her husband.
What's Up With Severide?
Fire has dropped the occasional update on Taylor Kinney’s character since Severide went down to Alabama for arson investigation training to accommodate the actor’s leave of absence. “Change of Plans” (available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription) revealed that there’s more to the story than just Severide training down south and keeping Stella apprised of everything, and she had to find out about it from Cruz, who got the news from Chief Fletcher. After complimenting Cruz for stepping up as acting lieutenant for Squad 3, he dropped this bombshell about Severide:
He’s not in Alabama anymore. His training session ended… I’m buddies with one of the instructors down there at the ATF complex. They said they were so impressed with your lieutenant, they asked him to pitch in on some big investigation. Not sure where, though.
Fortunately, Cruz didn’t decide to keep this information to himself, and pulled Stella aside for a conversation as soon as they both had time to chat. He clearly believed that she knew what Severide was up to and was just keeping it private, but she had no idea that her husband had changed his plans and started working on an ATF investigation elsewhere than Alabama.
He tried to brush it aside as nothing when she made it clear that she had no idea what he was talking about, but Stella’s expression left no question that she’s just going to let it go. The episode ended before she could do any digging – or call up Upton over on Chicago P.D. for some advice on how to deal with MIA husbands making life-changing decisions without so much as a word – and I can only assume that the finale has some reveals in store.
Why I'm Concerned
I’m worried, given that Taylor Kinney will not return before the end of Season 11! I also watch enough TV that Chicago Fire doing Severide dirty while the actor is absent reminds me of how Law & Order: SVU handled Stabler’s departure back in the day, what P.D. is doing with Halstead, and even how Grey’s Anatomy said goodbye to Alex after Justin Chambers left the show. (No, I’m still not over that!)
I will say about the same thing that I said when Halstead rejoined the army on Chicago P.D. to explain Jesse Lee Soffer’s absence: Fire could be planning to use Severide making this decision as the starting point for a Stella storyline. After all, the show also gave Severide a storyline out of her absence in Season 10 when Miranda Rae Mayo missed a number of episodes. This could be for a larger narrative purpose for the character who’s still around… even if it makes Severide look pretty awful.
At the time of writing, there’s no confirmation of if or when Taylor Kinney will be back on Chicago Fire as Kelly Severide. The show was renewed to return for Season 12 in the fall, but the WGA writers strike means that it’s impossible to say for sure when scripted television will be back on the major networks after the spring finale season. Can I just pretend that Severide is doing his ATF investigation with Casey in Portland until I know otherwise, for some peace of mind? Maybe!
For now, fans can just tune in to the Season 11 finale of Chicago Fire on Wednesday, May 24 at 9 p.m. ET, between the Season 8 finale of Chicago Med (which has been dropping Manstead clues recently) at 8 p.m. and the Season 10 finale of Chicago P.D. (in the aftermath of Torres going too far) at 10 p.m., all on NBC.
