Chicago Fire, like the rest of One Chicago, has gone through significant cast shake-ups in the last few seasons. The recent replacement of Eamonn Walker with Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal on Chicago Fire has the chance to completely change the dynamics of the Truck and Engine squads. Unfortunately, the series has not effectively used this new leader. While the new season is just beginning, a troubling pattern is already being established for this character, making it hard to see where he fits into the overall story.
Since his introduction, Chief Pascal has spent little time with his new colleagues. He has briefly interacted with members of Truck and Engine. However, these have been short and fairly surface-level interactions for the most part. In the Season 13 premiere, he told the crew reporting to him that he would be changing things, including conducting one-on-one debriefs after every call. This could have been a real chance to set the stage for Pascal’s future in this firehouse and an opportunity to develop individual relationships with his direct reports. However, these interactions are so brief that they are almost meaningless.
Where Does Pascal Fit in With the Team?
The most Pascal has involved himself in his new firehouse so far is by giving Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) a hard time about the fact that they continue to work together even though they are married. This is another missed opportunity to show Pascal’s ability to cause new conflict on Chicago Fire. Since Pascal’s introduction, this has been brought up once, and never again. This particular conflict makes little sense since, for the time being, Stella and Severide are key players on Chicago Fire. Their relationship is central to the series now. Since they have been working together for so long while being together, it would make little narrative sense to separate them.
Pascal has already questioned Stella’s leadership ability while only knowing her for such a short time. This is a major accusation that could have massive implications for Firehouse 51. Pascal’s only “evidence” to back up this claim is that there is significant turnover on Truck 81. However, this is already resolved now that Ritter (Daniel Kyri) has moved to Truck 81. This story could have also been a chance to showcase how adversarial Pascal’s leadership is and how Firehouse 51 would have to band together against him. Alternatively, this story could have provided Stella with a chance to prove herself to her new chief and have them start as adversaries but come to respect one another. Instead, this is another example of a Pascal storyline that simply fizzles out.
What’s Next for Pascal, and Why Should It Matter?
It is not enough to simply be told that Pascal’s leadership is wildly different from Boden’s. This is stated several times in Chicago Fire‘s Season 13 premiere episode. However, this has yet to be established aside from the previously mentioned cases and the fact that he is notably absent during Firehouse 51’s calls. Part of what made Boden so effective as a leader was seeing him consistently involve himself on the frontlines of any emergency his crews were called to. While he certainly didn’t attend every single call, it was the norm seeing him suited up and ready to jump in as his team responded to emergencies. By contrast, Pascal has yet to be shown interacting with the entire team in such a way that makes it difficult to appreciate where exactly he fits into Chicago Fire as a whole.
It also must be noted that, so far, Pascal has spent so much time away from the firehouse, embroiled in his own personal and family drama. While seeing Pascal act on his own could theoretically further develop this character and could give viewers a chance to get to know this character on a deeper level, the fact that he spends so much time alone and is so often shown away from the firehouse creates unnecessary distance between him and his new team. While it is understandable that there would be a reluctance to put Pascal directly into Boden’s shoes, Pascal should be able to establish himself within the context of Chicago Fire and make himself part of the team.
Chicago Fire has a new character that has already squandered several important opportunities to integrate with his new colleagues and establish himself as a character worth investing in. Pascal hasn’t proven that he is up for the task of being a leader. While some groundwork has been laid to see how this character might fit into the broader narrative of Chicago Fire, it is still difficult to tell exactly what kind of leader he will be for Firehouse 51, for better or worse. The longer Pascal spends away from Firehouse 51, the less able he is to prove himself. Once he has been established with the rest of the group, hopefully, his true colors will shine through.
Chicago Fire Season 13 airs Wednesday nights on NBC at 9:00 pm EST in the U.S.
