The smartest part of Newman’s script is how she uses Stella Kidd as a stand-in for the One Chicago fans. When the news broke that Eamonn Walker was finally leaving Chicago Fire, it was very tough on the audience, because he felt like the one original cast member who would always be there. It wasn’t like any of the show’s numerous other cast changes, due to Walker’s long tenure and to the influence that his character Wallace Boden had on pretty much every other protagonist. Newman, who’s been with Chicago Fire since the beginning herself, recognizes that and allows the viewers’ feelings of sadness, hurt and skepticism about Boden’s replacement to come out through Stella.
Even though Boden got a beautiful sendoff in Season 12, those feelings get stirred up again by seeing someone else in his chair. By making the choice to create the new character of Pascal and not give Boden’s job to someone the fans already know and love, the writers stunned the fans and so there’s a natural predisposition against Pascal. When Pascal says he’s not Boden, it feels like he’s speaking to the viewers as much as to Firehouse 51. Stella is the perfect character to show the audience that their feelings are recognized, because she’s one of the people who was most positively impacted by Boden. Not only did he walk her down the aisle at her wedding, but he also pushed her to become an officer and saw more potential in her than she saw in herself. Miranda Rae Mayo does a great job of being contrarian, while also being vulnerable as Stella admits she’s not over Boden’s departure. And that’s a scene viewers need to make their own transition between the Boden and Pascal eras.
