These two have a complicated relationship on the show.
Chicago Fire is no stranger to complicated dynamics. The show thrives on its ability to bring different characters together and taking them in unpredictable but ultimately satisfying directions. The bond between Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) is undoubtedly one of the most unique the show has come up with in recent years, though.
Initially posed as enemies, Carver and Kidd grew extremely close during season 11. So close, in fact, that it led to the latter second guessing her feelings, and pulling back from spending time with Carver in the absence of her husband, Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney).
Carver and Kidd got surprisingly close in season 11
Things have cooled off between Carver and Kidd ever since, but the remnants of their bond remain. This was obvious during the season 12 finale, when Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) accused the firefighter of secretly being in love with Kidd. It was a shocking sentiment to communicated aloud, and it’s something that has been hotly debated by fans.
Is Carver actually in love with Kidd? Well, Jake Lockett weighed in on the topic during a recent interview with TV Line. The actor acknowledged the strong bond Carver and Kidd have, but he’s actually pretty skeptical when it comes to the “love” aspect of their relationship:
“I think there was history… I think love is a strong push. Not that I’m saying it wasn’t there… What was there is the history and having closure.”
This makes quite a bit of sense when one steps back and looks at Carver’s life. The character has been through unspoken amounts of trauma from a young age, and has translated said trauma to a career in which he regularly puts himself on the line.
Jake Lockett points to familiarity and not true “love”
It’s worth noting that the incident that really brought Carver and Kidd together was the bomb scare in the season 11 episode “Nemesis.” Kidd threw herself in front of Carver to protect him, and wound up suffering serious wounds as a result.
This sacrifice, this visceral, heightened space is something Carver knows all too well, and so it stands to reason that he would connect so deeply with someone who knows what he’s gone through.
We do not see any version of the show in which Kidd breaks things off with Severide to be with Carver, and so this progression, this moving away from the crush on Kidd, is baked into Carver’s development as a central character.
