Chicago Fire Season 12: What Boden's Exit & That Severide Twist Mean For Season 13

Television TV Dramas

Contains spoilers for "Chicago Fire" Season 12, Episode 13 — "Never Say Goodbye"

Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) is out.

After 12 seasons heading Firehouse 51, Boden has decamped from his colleagues to run for deputy commissioner. But that frees up his position as battalion chief. While audiences might expect him to give the position to Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), who has been acting as his interim chief in Boden's absence, he turns instead to a surprising face – Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg), in spite of Severide's popularity in the vote. Boden reasons that Herrmann has plenty of experience to take over the position — but that is definitely going to shake up the chemistry at the station.

Herrmann isn't the only one considering some major life changes. Mouch (Christian Stolte) tells the whole firehouse that he's taking the lieutenant's test. As for Severide and his bride, Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo of "Pretty Little Liars"), there are two big bumps that occur during "Never Can Say Goodbye" that may make their Season 13 quite eventful even without a career advancement.

Kelly Severide has plenty of problems of his own

Aside from the fact he doesn't get promoted, Kelly Severide has two major things happen to him in "Never Say Goodbye" that might change things forever. First of all, in a bombshell season-ending twist, Jack Damon (Michael Bradway) reveals to Kelly that he had an abusive father — and his name was Benny Severide. That makes them half-brothers, and there's no telling who Damon's mother might be. That goes a long way to explain the adoring way Damon's been following Severide around the station, and why he even turned up to Station 51 for training in the first place.

The other big change? Kelly tells Stella he wants to have kids. She's visibly stunned by the request, which my bode ill for their relationship. Are they ready to have kids? Does Stella want to give up her career? Will Kelly even stick around in Chicago for long enough to conceive a baby? All of those questions and many more will be answered by Season 13.