While the Damon situation is going on, the other major story in “Ride the Blade” is about new chief Dom Pascal and his very complicated, even slightly disturbing marriage. Pascal had his hero moment in the Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere — but then it ended on the weird half-fight he had with his wife Monica. Episode 2 affirms that she’s not that mad at him after all, because it opens with them in bed. And then they get into a different argument when Monica lets slip that Pascal’s old buddy Vale (whom viewers met in the premiere) called her while they were separated. It doesn’t sound like anything else happened, but that’s enough to prove Pascal is as intense as his wife, and that their relationship is clearly not healthy.
Viewers are supposed to be stunned when Pascal shows up at Vale’s house and slugs him in the stomach for speaking to Monica, but it really just makes the character that much more off-putting. Of course Pascal was never going to live up to fan-favorite Wallace Boden, but especially with an actor of Dermot Mulroney’s caliber, he could have been a fun character. As presently written it seems like he and Damon are in the same boat: short-term additions meant to cause trouble in the firehouse before leaving. Audiences have been suspecting that Pascal is just a short-term fix until Christopher Herrmann gets promoted to Captain, and Pascal’s behavior in “Ride the Blade” kind of proves that, because he can’t possibly last at Firehouse 51 if he’s going around punching things and people.
Sharon: No one ever really knows Dom Pascal.
There’s even a great way to write him out, since Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman confirmed to CBR that Boden returns in Season 12. Boden can show up as Deputy Commissioner, fire Pascal for his erratic behavior, and promote Herrmann into his chair. Herrmann and Mouch’s scene about Herrmann’s lack of confidence in himself as a leader feels like foreshadowing. When he gets that promotion, it needs to be Boden who gives to him, as a way of reminding him that he deserves to be there. And seeing Boden come back to dump Pascal will be entertaining if Eamonn Walker and Mulroney get to square off.
