Despite their frustrating lack of resolution, two major mysteries in Chicago Fire deserve answers in season 14. The Chicago Fire season 13 finale did little to establish its upcoming character exits, but other characters have been gone much longer without explanation. There is now an amazing possibility that Chicago Fire season 14 can finally address that for better or worse.

It’s difficult because closing either mystery could require part-time additions to the Chicago Fire cast. One of the easier ways to answer unsolved questions in a TV show is to bring in new characters with extra information, but that actually might not be the play this time. In fact, both mysteries can be resolved by characters already in the cast.

Chicago Fire Still Hasn’t Revealed How Kidd’s Parents Died (Even Though It’s Important)

She Mostly Talks About Her Life After Their Deaths

Nothing proved just how important it is to know how Stella’s (Miranda Rae Mayo) parents died more than Chicago Fire season 13. It was revealed by her cousin Cole (Richard Blackmon) that Stella moved in with her Aunt Laverne and took over the house when Laverne fell into postpartum depression, which does a lot to explain Stella’s rather humane approach to managing her Truck staff.

However, at no point has it been established why she had to move in with Laverne in the first place. We know that this happened after her parents died, but the cause of her parents’ deaths has never once been said in the series, despite years of knowing that it happened. We only know how it shaped Stella’s personality.

By now it seems odd not to know any more than that. It’s easy to find an entire timeline of Kidd and Severide’s (Taylor Kinney) Chicago Fire relationship, yet fans have to guess about Kidd’s parents while knowing almost nothing about them. This could be answered by new characters or flashbacks, but such gimmicks are perhaps best left for another mystery.

Chicago Fire Season 13 Establishes Another Unexplained Death In Novak’s Family

All We Know Is That It Likely Involved A Suicide

Meanwhile, in season 13, episode 8, Lizzie Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) absolutely unloads on a man when she’s called to the scene of an attempted suicide. Later in the episode, a former neighbor recognizes Lizzie as “one of the Novak girls” when she visits her childhood home. The overwhelming implication is that Lizzie has firsthand experience with suicide that the neighbors can easily remember.

Novak also never elaborates on what happened to her family, so online fans have had to put some pieces together on their own. A prime theory is that Lizzie specifically asks her attempted suicide victim how he could “do this to us” because her father took his own life. But that’s not the only credible theory worthy of further consideration.

At the beginning of the episode, Lizzie kisses her finger and presses it to a photo of her sister. This has caused a lot of fans to assume that Lizzie’s neighbor recognizes her because Lizzie’s sister is locally remembered due to her suicide. Both stories are plausible explanations for one of Chicago Fire‘s biggest unanswered mysteries.

Kidd And Novak’s Family Deaths Remaining Unexplained Weakens Their Chicago Fire Arcs

These Plot Points Are Currently Just Sources Of Distraction

On the face of things, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with backstory characters dying under known circumstances. The problem is that every reference to Kidd’s parents distracts from whatever she’s presently talking about, even if it would otherwise be considered unrelated. The same is true of Novak’s family history, especially assuming she’ll likely be called to the scene of a suicide again.

Novak can’t be part of another suicide storyline without this coming up. Otherwise, her character development would be ruined. Likewise, Stella can only bring up her dead parents so many times before people start demanding explanations. Perhaps that hasn’t happened yet, but fans need to know that Stella is more than a receptacle for unexplained melodrama.

Why Chicago Fire Season 14 Is The Best Time To Reveal The Causes Of Stella And Lizzie’s Tragedies

Increased Family Focus Justifies These Storylines

One of the biggest mysteries from season 13 is how Chicago Fire might write out Carver (Jake Lockett) and Ritter (Daniel Kyri). Characters like Kylie (Katelynn Shennett) might become more important, but it seems that Ritter and Carver’s leaving will create numerous opportunities to fill their roles in the firehouse. One member of the 51, however, can’t take such a hands-off approach to controversy.

Chicago Fire season 14 will have to focus to some degree on Stella’s pregnancy, which means that the sheer subject of family is going to be a big topic at the firehouse moving forward. This means that Stella may be reflecting on her own childhood to become more comfortable being a parent.

And Stella won’t be on that journey alone. Novak also has to come to grips with her past, whether it surrounds her father or sister. This could lead to Novak and Kidd having a more intimate conversation with each other than ever before, allowing them to wrap up these mysteries while also building up the show’s characters.

While it’s clear that Kidd’s pregnancy provides an opportunity for her and Novak to bond over these family tragedies, that doesn’t mean it will happen. But this is the undeniably best time for Chicago Fire to start answering questions related to its main characters and their family histories. Hopefully, the series won’t waste that opportunity.