‘Chicago Fire’ Season 11: The Aftermath of the Explosion Will ‘Hang Over the 2nd Half of the Season’
Chicago Fire is famous for delivering gut-wrenching finales. Last season’s finale saw Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd in the thick of events involving bad people with weapons. The two made it out alive, but season 11’s fall finale sees Kidd’s life in danger after an explosion. A Chicago Fire showrunner recently said the blast’s aftermath will “hang over the second half of the season.”
The 1st half of ‘Chicago Fire’s Season 11 ended in a cliffhanger
The final episode of the first half of Chicago Fire‘s season 11 was a rollercoaster, especially for firefighter Sam Carver. After a rescue call with a city employee goes wrong, Carver deals with an internal affairs investigation. Carver wanted to take control of a bridge during the rescue, but the city worker refused.
It turns out the person leading the investigation is none other than Emma Jacobs, the EMT in season 10 who wanted to take Violet’s job. Carver and Kidd enter a house to assist the bomb squad, dealing with a live grenade. The grenade was attached to Detective Pyrma’s leg, and Kidd, Carver, and the team were looking for the best way to remove it without detonating it.
They were successful on that end, but once they removed the grenade, the weapon became armed, and Kidd, Carver, and Pryma found themselves with no cover. Unfortunately, the grenade went off, and Kidd was last seen beneath the rubble. The events left fans guessing whether Carver and Kidd survived the blast.
‘Chicago Fire’ showrunner says the explosion will hang over the 2nd half of the season
Chicago Fire is on a hiatus and will return on Jan. 11, 2023, for the second half of season 11. So fans will have to wait until then to find out whether Kidd survived. In a recent interview with NBC, showrunner Derek Haas said the explosion’s effects would loom over the show when it returns in January.
“That is a big, big question when episode 10 comes back. Did anyone survive this? Severide is gonna rush right into the building, stepping over debris and into the fog, and we’re gonna be right there with him as we try to figure out if anyone survived,” Haas said when asked whether Kidd died. “But the ramifications of this are gonna hang over the second half of the season.”
Haas also told TV Insider the show would pick up “one second later,” with Severide rushing to find Kidd.
“Firefighters don’t run away when bad things happen. They run toward it. And this is Severide. Even though there could be other live explosives still inside the building, he just runs straight into the fog of war, and that’s where we pick up,” Haas said, calling it “harrowing.”
Will Stella Kidd return?
Chicago Fire never shies away from killing off characters, even fan favorites. Stella Kidd is a beloved character on the show, and though her death would be tragic, she wouldn’t be the first central character to die.
Chicago Fire has done away with Leslie Shay, who was integral to the first two seasons, and Evan Hawkins, Violet’s love interest. All signs point to Kidd being alive, but she might deal with medical issues if she survives the blast, given she was in the hospital a while ago because of her lungs.
Alternatively, the show might save Carver because he is a relative newcomer. Hawkins was still fresh in the series when he died, so killing off Carver might become repetitive.
