Bringing new characters into a long-running TV show is a great way to shake things up, and Chicago Fire had promise in Deputy District Chief Cranston.
There’s no doubt that many loved seeing Max Martini back on our screens, and in a potential antagonistic way is always fun.
Yet Chicago Fire Season 14 offered something a little different with Cranston, bringing up history while also showing that it is possible to have personal beef and professional standards at the same time.
Delving More Into Pascal’s Past
After a call that left Tony injured on Chicago Fire Season 14 Episode 12, Pascal faced an investigation that threatened to bring up his past.
He wasn’t happy to see Cranston, which made it clear there were personal feelings involved.
They have a history, and Pascal wanted to ensure that their history didn’t jeopardize the investigation.
After all, that’s usually what we see happen on a TV series like this, and we’ve certainly seen it happen on Chicago Fire more times than we can count.
The series ended up changing things up in a good way, though. Cranston and Pascal were able to air out some of their differences, as Cranston made it clear that he didn’t think Pascal was in the wrong.
There was this hint that we could learn more about Pascal’s past and why he went to Miami in the first place.
Someone died, and Pascal holds that close to him. While he doesn’t blame Cranston, it did affect their friendship, as anything traumatic threatens to do.
But just like that, Chicago Fire Season 14 ruined everything that could have been with a sudden, off-screen death.
Cranston’s Death Should Have Meant Something
It seemed a bit of a cop out to choose to write the death off-screen. While we had the memorial and the moment when Pascal learned the truth, it didn’t carry the weight it could have.
We’d only just gotten to know Cranston, and it was clear that he was a good firefighter and a good district chief.
He helped determine that Pascal wasn’t at fault on that call, putting his personal feelings aside for duty and safety.
This was a character we might have come to like, yet the show killed him off without any warning.
Now, sure, that’s life. Death catches us when we least expect it, but in the world of TV, it can’t happen like that.
A character death needs to mean something, and Chicago Fire dropped the ball.
When Monica Pascal died, it came with an aftermath that was difficult and meaningful.
We got to see Pascal go through all the stages of grief, and the way Firehouse 51 made it clear that he was now part of their family.
We also had time to get to know Monica and see the highs and lows of the marriage, which meant the death weighed more heavily on us.
Meanwhile, Cranston’s death is just like most victims in calls, where it’s just another day in the office.
Chicago Fire Could Have Created Chaos
Cranston’s death could have meant something if it affected Pascal professionally in some sort of way.
We know that Cranston had information that could exonerate Pascal in the investigation, but his death could have meant he never got to write that up.
It could have led to Pascal being suspended until someone else figured out everything Cranston had. It wouldn’t have been hard with Hargrave likely on the case as well.
However, the stress for Pascal would have been there. Everyone would have wondered how he’d be able to prove his lack of fault on that call.
It’s not like Cruz or Tony blamed Pascal for it, especially finding out that those bolts weren’t up to standard.
Now, it is possible that death can still mean something to Pascal, as he revisits his past a little more.
However, revisiting why they no longer remained friends would have been better with Cranston being there to talk it all out.
It feels like Chicago Fire brought in a great actor and then didn’t really know what to do with the character, and the death has become wasted potential, similar to the wasted potential of Carver’s return.
