The first One Chicago Crossover in five years has come and gone, and the episodes, titled ‘In the Trenches Part I, II and III’ didn’t just deliver a three-hour movie kind of spectacle, they also solidified what’s important in the One Chicago universe. Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 11 ‘In The Trenches: Part I,’ started the emergency, leading into Chicago Med ‘In The Trenches: Part II,’ with the crossover concluding with Chicago P.D. ‘In The Trenches: Part III,’ and by the end of the hour, all was well. But before that, we suffered a little bit. Particularly because Stellaride suffered.
And they suffered apart, which somehow made it even worse. The episode started with a very nice moment between Stella and Kelly, as they discussed if they were going away for the long weekend. The answer was no. Kelly wanted to wait until they had more time. But Stella makes a point about “making time.” And it’s a really good point, too. As first responders, it’s not like time is going to fall on your lap.
The matter seemed settled, but then life gave Kelly Severide reasons to reevaluate. Ironically, at the beginning of the emergency, it was Stella who was worried. She even made sure to tell her husband to be careful and remind him that he owes her a trip to Cancun. That was before she ended up trapped underground in a train with Adam Ruzek. Fun times!
Adam and Stella made a good partnership, and in the end, they got out of the trapped train. All was well that ended well for Stella and for Stellaride. Kelly even got to be one of the firefighters going down to rescue. But for a while there, it seemed like they might run out of time. Severide was surely thinking about the possibility after they lost communication with Stella. And that fact was surely reinforced when they just couldn’t get to her, no matter what they tried.
Meanwhile, on the train, Stella kept her cool. In fact, she kept her cool so much she didn’t even take a minute to call Kelly. Because for Stella, there was just one possibility. She was getting out of there. There was no reason to call and say goodbye.
Up top, her husband was not having a good time. He chaffed against waiting and was desperate for a way to get to her. And the fact that once they did he found her and Adam wrestling with a guy with a gun probably didn’t help. But in the end, the two could embrace under the falling snow and take solace in each other.
It’s then that Severide tells her they should go away. His perspective has changed. He wants to make the time, and he wants to make it now. He almost lost his wife and now that he’s got her in his arms, he just wants to spend time with her.
We don’t know what this perspective will mean for the two of them going forward, though the trailer for the next episode suggests it will make Stella reevaluate starting a family. Her whole argument that you just have to make time can apply to this. But even if this doesn’t happen right away, the crossover was still a really good moment for a couple that’s the backbone of One Chicago. The crossover worked, in part, because Stellaride worked. And as long as they continue to work, people will keep watching.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
