Kidd’s cousin comes to town, and Herrmann searches for a fire hydrant thief in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 12. Here’s a look at what happened in the episode.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Chicago Fire season 13, episode 12.
There’s a lot that we don’t really know about Stella Kidd and her family. It was time to find out more, and Severide really understood more about Kidd’s personality. Meanwhile, Herrmann and Kylie teamed up on a hunt for fire hydrants.
This was also a big episode for Ritter. After recently deciding that he couldn’t move in with Dwayne, reality came crashing down around him. It was a stark look at what happens when two people in a relationship aren’t on the same page.
Kidd’s cousin comes to town in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 12
The new episode started with us learning that Kidd’s cousin was coming to town. It seemed like a great time to learn more about Kidd and her family, but it turned into an awkward situation with Severide. It had been 15 years since Kidd had seen her family, and that cousin decided that it had to be Severide’s fault. He had to be controlling her and preventing her from going home.
That wasn’t the case at all. Kidd admitted to her cousin that she was embarrassed about that part of her life. She was embarrassed about the drugs and the abusive relationship she got herself into. She didn’t think her family would want to be in her life.
It’s such a great look at what recovery and moving forward in life is like for many people. There will have been plenty of people who wanted to cut ties, but that’s not the case with Kidd’s family.
Kidd’s honesty does allow for Severide and the cousin to get to know each other. I’m glad to see the cousin accepted Kidd’s answer because, in this case, it’s totally true. There’s no way that Severide would stop his partner from visiting her family. He may not have had the best family life, but he knows how important family is.
Ritter learns Kidd-isms from Carver
Ritter struggles on a call when Kidd gives an order. Ritter doesn’t know what she actually wants him to do and asks for clarification. Kidd doesn’t have the time to deal with that, though. It’s a fire in a hybrid, and there isn’t much time to get people out of the car. Fortunately, Carver knows exactly what she means.
Kidd isn’t angry at Ritter, though. She knows that moving from Engine to Truck is a big change. Carver even gives Ritter a football reference so we can all understand. Sure enough, moving from one firehouse to another is tricky because there are different statements for each task, but Kidd has what Carver refers to as “Kidd-isms.”
He spends the episode helping Ritter understand, and I adore it. This is a clear lesson in never being embarrassed to ask for help. The firehouse is a team, a family. It only makes sense that people will help each other out. Ritter certainly gets frustrated at times, but Carver has just learned to accept Kidd for who she is. Sometimes, you just need to learn the jargon instead of questioning it all.
And yes, Chief Pascal certainly has some dark thoughts. Him thinking Carver and Ritter were practicing cutting breaks is a little wild.
To be fair to Ritter, he’s not just frustrated at this. Dwayne asks where Ritter sees them in five years. Does he envision a future together? When it seems pretty clear that Dwayne and Ritter are on different paths, Dwayne walks away, leaving Ritter on the sidewalk by the restaurant they were supposed to have dinner at. By the way, I’m on Ritter’s side. Meeting the parents on a second date is crazy.
Ritter and Dwayne's breakup is disappointing, but also realistic. Ritter isn't ready to settle down. He panicked when it came to moving in with Dwayne, and I understand that. If you're not ready, you're not ready. But it also means that a breakup is likely necessary.
Herrmann and Kylie figure out where the hydrants are in Chicago Fire
The first call of the night brings the storyline for Herrmann and Kylie. Fire hydrants around the city are being stolen. They all belong to the water company, but the city isn’t paying to replace them, so the water company won’t do it.
To be able to get to the bottom of the stolen hydrants, Herrmann and Kylie bug a hydrant painted in Bears colors and find out that thieves are selling to a scrap yard that has contracts with the city. By taking the hydrants and forging city contracts, the guy is arrested.
Herrmann makes a note that the city will put trackers in all fire hydrants. While that isn’t going to happen because of money, Herrmann has an idea to help get the fire hydrants replaced. Pascal asks for him to go to a charity dinner where the city treasurer is. Herrmann uses this chance to prove a point that the fire hydrants need replacing.
Herrmann has a way with making political noise. He will make a good chief one day. That’s if he does decide to go that route. He’s been a little back and forth with that one.
Kidd makes a decision about starting a family
With her cousin coming to town and telling the story of how Laverne ended up with postnatal depression and Kidd raising her cousins, the discussion of starting a family comes up. Kidd knows that she wants to start a family with Severide, but she doesn’t think she wants to get pregnant.
What about adoption? I really hope Chicago Fire gives us a positive adoption storyline for Severide and Kidd compared to Dawson and Casey. I want to see something more like Burgess and Ruzek in Chicago PD. This is a great route to go, though. Getting pregnant and having a baby is a risk on a woman’s life, and not all woman want to go through that. As Severide pointed out, it would affect so much for Kidd more than him. Opting for adoption and giving a kid who needs a home somewhere safe is a beautiful decision.
One thing we do learn is that Carver is attending AA meetings. I need more about this before I comment.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Catch up the following day on Peacock.
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