It’s inevitable — viewers are going to compare Pascal to Boden in Chicago Fire season 13. However, the writers took the right approach with the new chief by making him so different from Firehouse 51’s former leader. By giving Pascal a personality that contrasts with Boden’s, the show can avoid too many negative comparisons between the two. That way, Pascal can pave his own path instead of constantly standing in Boden’s shadow.
Of course, Pascal has some pretty big shoes to fill in the cast of Chicago Fire season 13. Boden has left a permanent mark on the procedural drama that no one could ever replace, even if the series continues for 10 more seasons. But because Boden is so special, season 13 can’t make Pascal a carbon copy of the former chief. For starters, this plan would epically fail for reasons previously stated. Pascal is also his own character, and it would be a disservice to him to just repeat Boden’s story. Pascal needs to stand on his own, and it seems like he will.
