Chicago Fire Season 13: Damon's Exit and Kylie's Potential Return!
The Damon Disaster: Why His Firing Was Long Overdue!
Let's be honest, Jack Damon (who joined after Derrick Gibson's unexpected exit) was trouble from day one on Chicago Fire. He was insubordinate, dishonest—a total headache for Stella Kidd! His stay on Firehouse 51 is only explained because of his friendship with Severide; thus, causing Stella to avoid escalating complaints out of that loyalty and familial connection; although that quickly became completely untenable; especially considering that he put both lives of his fellow crew and victims of that speedboat rescue in jeopardy. Ignoring direct commands from her, a key moment which created some really huge tension! Stella couldn't stay silent any longer; making a justified and well-deserved report and eventually that decisive decision, and eventually, his official departure and that necessary change.
Chief Dom Pascal ultimately does the right thing: He moves Damon to the floater pool! The perfectly appropriate action to handle his misconduct and dishonesty in a much needed restructuring to establish the necessary rules and order within the firehouse, a key action for better and safer rescue missions; emphasizing this point: removing dangerous, disruptive individuals from that extremely risky, critical team would necessarily mean this decision for safety purposes; removing him to give necessary safety, despite previously allowing many other instances where other poor decisions created issues for Damon’s character!
Kidd Needs a Truck 81 Replacement: Enter Kylie!
Damon's departure, while greatly relieving the tension, still creates issues! Now, Stella has to find a Truck 81 replacement – fast! She needs someone reliable; not another Damon! And who would this be?
That behind-the-scenes photo hinted that Kylie is back on Stella's roster. Kylie's presence within this larger One Chicago storyline already shows some really good developments— making her presence something the entire storyline was eagerly awaiting. Stella trusts Kylie— their strong mentor-mentee bond creates enormous value! She's also a follower, a key point considering Damon’s rebellious tendencies that ended in his demise as a main crew member within Firehouse 51. Plus, Kylie's one of Stella's first “Girls on Fire” recruits. A very profound and deeply memorable relationship and history shared!
Why Kylie Is the Perfect Fit
Finding replacements for Gallo proved really difficult for Stella. Gibson and Damon both failed; leading to those serious problems affecting crew safety; and as Stella understands that this greatly affects those situations– those life-and-death decisions involved. Getting someone totally trustworthy is vital; someone who will do as they are told, which completely removes most of the issues from this earlier period. This makes Kylie perfect! Stella trusts Kylie — completely and totally and their shared mentor/mentee experience is something both values, with Kylie also used to taking instructions, avoiding similar behavior. That bond; including her background and history in the “Girls on Fire” program; provides more layers of profound meaning in these decisions; which could only really lead to those really satisfying narrative additions.
And this is far better. Kylie's experience adds something incredible and really helps support Stella and Firehouse 51's overall storyline that was left damaged, and those new layers of detail bring the story even further forward! And her added layers as a character bring so much to this entire scene, especially within this storyline, greatly emphasizing a particular important change!
Conclusion: A Necessary Change Brings a New Dawn for Firehouse 51
Damon’s firing made way for a critical adjustment; that decision allowed Firehouse 51 to deal with those internal issues related to having bad members within their rescue teams. It wasn't completely resolved yet. Having a stable member on Truck 81—and having that person completely trustworthy, experienced, reliable and who won't betray the chain of command in order to help those being rescued is going to generate new stories and more complex developments! Getting Kylie fills the gap and the needed changes are going to bring that level of stability back!
