Severide is in hot water on Chicago Fire, so Stella did some snooping on their new boss.
Firehouse 51’s interim Battalion Chief Andre Hopkins (Rob Morgan) has a bone to pick with Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) on Chicago Fire, and it’s a tension that’s arrived under a cloud of mystery.
Decades ago, Severide’s late father, Benny, suspended Hopkins for unknown reasons. Ever since, Hopkins has worked his way back up the CFD ladder. Hopkins is a stickler for the rules, chastising Severide and Firehouse 51 for twisting protocol and blurring the bureaucratic lines whenever possible, an echo of Benny’s behavior.
Hopkins’ militant approach to command, added to his multi-decade grudge against Benny, has led to a flurry of hurdles for Severide to navigate, and it all came to a head after Hopkins caught wind of Severide’s history of assisting the Office of Fire Investigation on arson investigations. Knowing Severide never sought approval from headquarters, Hopkins filed for an internal review against Severide for “Dereliction of Duty.”
Severide returned from Captain’s training eager for a promotion, only to learn he was under investigation. But Severide isn’t going down without a fight.
Stella Kidd is fighting fire with fire against Chief Hopkins
Severide wasted no time updating his wife, Lt. Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), on the madness unfurling with Hopkins, who maintained Severide should have gotten authorization from HQ before ever double-dipping with OFI. Stella was floored, but instead of sitting around waiting for a verdict, she decided to do some digging of her own, reaching out to HQ to request top-level files.
While Stella was off on a call, 51’s new assistant Lucy (Jeanine Mason), picked up a call from HQ related to Stella’s inquiry. Stella’s rank didn’t provide access to those files, but with Chief Hopkin’s approval, she could get her hands on them. Lucy felt bad about Severide’s situation, and with her hands on everything that landed on Hopkins’ desk, she was in a unique position to help.
Later that night, Stella headed home from Firehouse 51 and discovered an envelope leaning against her apartment door. After opening it, she was surprised to discover it was the files she’d requested: the original complaint Benny Severide filed against Hopkins. What was Hopkins’ misdemeanor, fans may wonder? “Conduct Unbecoming,” an offense that leaves viewers plenty to chew on.