Chicago Fire: Fans Just Hate How Severide Absence Was Explained

Taylor Kinney has been the star of Chicago Fire for more than a decade, so it's no surprise that the absence of one of the main characters caught viewers off guard.

While fans understand that the actor left the show temporarily and there is nothing reprehensible about that, it was the way the writers justified his departure that made the fans angry.

Taylor's character left town to attend an arson investigation training program, an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Although Kelly's colleagues are upset about his absence, they agree that this training will benefit not only Kelly personally, but the entire team.

According to the fans, such a plot decision contradicts the previous actions of the hero, who did not want to work in the OFI, and now he attends their training.

"They really need to sort out this Kelly/OFI business because one minute he says he doesn't want it and the next he's continually working for them/covering for them/going on training courses for them," Reddit user Aethermist88 said.

While many understand that the actor's decision to temporarily leave the set likely rattled the writers, many believe that there were many other storylines that could more plausibly justify Kelly's absence.

"I wish he had gone to visit a relative or something because we really don't know how long TK will be out, so if he's gone till the end of the season, it's a really long training session," Reddit user _wonder_girl_ commented.

In addition, there is another character in the series who has repeatedly expressed his desire to join the OFI, Wendy Seager. So the fact that it was Kelly who went to the training seems even more stretched.

"Why wouldn't they send Seager? You know an actual ofi member who hasn't continuously refused placement in ofi," Reddit user QuiJon70 shared in his post.

Now fans are wondering if this twist will lead to something in the future, or will be quickly forgotten as a not-so-good decision by the writers.