The show is going to have to make a change with these two.
Look, we get it. Chicago Fire is a show predicated on melodrama, and romantic complications. This storytelling device has resulted in some of the most memorable moments in the show’s history. It’s also not working with Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) and his estranged wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland).
These are still new to Chicago Fire, with both having made their debuts in season 13, but every time they are onscreen together, the gloves come off and they erupt into an argument. In the fall finale, it became so pronounced that the rest of Firehouse 51 was taken aback by it. The audience and the 51 team became one in the same in that moment. Something needs to be tweaked here.
We still know little about Dom and Monica Pascal
The issue with the Pascals does not lie with the actors. Mulroney and Strickland are excellent actors who have proven themselves to be compelling screen presences on their own. It’s the way the Pascal couple are written that has seemingly turned off viewers. There’s nothing wrong with volatility, but we are now eight episodes into season 13 and we still don’t have a very good grasp on what their issue is.
We have reached the halfway point of their debut season, and Monica Pascal is still alluding to the couple’s mysterious past in Miami without delving further into said past, or clueing the viewer in as to how it has specifically impacted them. Dom Pascal asks Monica to stay with her safety as a means of ensuring her safety, and she responds by saying: “This is Miami all over again.”
Fans are growing tired of the argument scenes
There’s an interesting hook there, but for some reason, there’s a reticence on the part of the writers to yank on said hook. At least, so far. Chicago Fire may be playing the long game, and setting up an arc that is more of a slow burn, which is fine, but the largely repetitive argument scenes between the estranged couple are starting to wear on viewers’ patience.
One Chicago Twitter was littered with memes and gifs from those expressing how over the Pascal drama they are already. The new 51 Chief has drawn praise on his own, and there’s been plenty of fancams made about Monica, but together they seem to cancel each other out.
It doesn’t help that a large chunk of the fans are seemingly pushing for a romance between Dom Pascal and medic Novak (Jocelyn Hudon). That’s a topic for another article, though. We hope that when Chicago Fire returns in 2025, there’s more effort put into fleshing out the Pascal’s marriage. That or less emphasis on their bickering.
