Stella Kidd's Best Storyline On Chicago Fire
Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) may not have been among the original members of the "Chicago Fire" crew, but that hasn't stopped the character from becoming a fan favorite in her own right. Between her impressive firefighting expertise, her cool-headed demeanor, and her current status as one-half of the popular Stellaride couple alongside veteran character Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), there's plenty to like about the fire station lieutenant. She's had a bunch of stellar character moments and arcs sprinkled all throughout the show to boot, though a prime candidate for her best storyline yet actually comes relatively late in her tenure.
There was a time when fans were concerned that Kidd had left "Chicago Fire" for good. Her conspicuous absence across the first half of Season 10 sent alarm bells ringing for many, but she eventually made her triumphant return to the main cast in the latter portion of the season. Perhaps there was an element of absence making the heart grow fonder, but the character's story arc following her return proved to be an amazing showcase of why fans love Kidd in the first place.
Kidd steps up as a lieutenant and friend
Even though she had just returned to "Chicago Fire" and Firehouse 51, Stella Kidd wasted no time in resuming her responsibilities as a firefighter and then some. Season 10, Episode 12, titled "Show of Force," shook up the show's status quo as the episode sees Kidd lead Firehouse 51 after the station's new head, Lieutenant Jason Pelham (Brett Dalton), gets unjustly suspended over a past controversy. Not only does Stella handle her newfound duties with aplomb, but she ends up taking a stand and defending Pelham by putting her own job on the line too.
"It was great to see her go to bat for him, and after she was such a boss on the call!" u/BuckeyeGirl20 commented on a thread in the r/ChicagoFireNBC subreddit.
Kidd's handling of the situation was even well-received by viewers who professed themselves to not be very big fans of the character. "Stella did good tonight," u/AnnaNonna commented. "That's a big deal coming from me because I really dislike Stella Kidd."
When CinemaBlend asked Miranda Rae Mayo whether Kidd would be rusty upon her return to "Chicago Fire," the actor gave a clear answer: "No, she's just back in action. That's Stella." It took less than three episodes after coming back for Kidd to not only prove that those were not empty words, but to also remind fans why the can-do fire lieutenant is one of the best characters on the series.