After taking a brief hiatus from Chicago Fire, Dermot Mulroney will offically return in the season 14 finale.
It seems we have not seen the last of Chief Pascal on Chicago Fire after all! Following a brief leave from the show, Dermot Mulroney will return for the season 14 finale.
Mulroney’s return was confirmed via the first official promo for the Chicago Fire season 14 finale. In the promo, Chief Pascal is back on the job in his CFD uniform, on call with the Firehouse 51 team as they respond to a fire that the promo warns will leave fans breathless. In the brief glimpse of Hopkins, we see him standing outside on the scene with a worried look on his face as well as on the faces of both Violet and Novak, who are seen standing behind him by one of the engines.
This is the first official confirmation of Mulroney’s return following his exit from the show earlier this season in episode 14, “Hit and Run.” In the episode, Pascal was relieved of duty and let go from the CFD for conduct unbecoming. After a round of emotional goodbyes to the men and women of 51, Pascal packed up his things and left town as he accepted a job out in Phoenix.
Pascal’s exit storyline was one written to accommodate Mulroney’s need to take a hiatus from the show. When word first broke that Mulroney was taking a step back from Chicago Fire, it was unclear whether he would return before season 14 ended, as scripts for the final episodes were still being finalized.
The exit was described as being temporary, but there was an understandable fear among the fans that Mulroney would not be returning. This fear was understandable given that Hopkins had been relieved of duty and then moved out of town to take the job in Phoenix. Following his exit, Pascal was mentioned briefly before the shift focused away from his departure and onto the arrival of Chief Hopkins who stirred up a lot of drama upon his arrival.
Thankfully, Mulroney will return for the final hour of the season and it seems he’ll quickly make his way back to 51.
It’s going to be interesting to see how exactly Pascal is brought back into the fold after he was relieved of duty within the CFD. Considering his sudden return, we imagine that the finale will address the details of his return quickly at the top of the episode. It certainly helps that Hopkins has vacated 51 after learning the truth about his past and finally letting go of the grudge against Benny Severide he’d been carrying.
While we’re thrilled to see Mulroney back as Pascal, the timing of his return is sure to leave fans with mixed feelings. On his way out the door, Pascal pushed Severide to take the captain’s exam and left him the keys to the castle, knowing that Severide was ready to take on more responsibility.
With Hopkins out of the way, fans were hoping to see Severide take on a leadership role at 51 as the acting highest-ranking officer based out of the firehouse. With Pascal returning, though, that would once again make him the highest-ranking officer at 51 and make the Severide storyline almost pointless in a sense. It doesn’t help that Severide is considering the job offer to take over as head of OFI, which would be a major step in his career.
Would Chicago Fire really bring Pascal back only to say goodbye to Severide? That’s a question we’re going to have to wait to get the answer to in the season 14 finale when it airs Wednesday, May 13 at 9/8c on NBC.