“Through the Skin” is also a massive step forward for new Battalion Chief Dom Pascal. The character has definitely proved that he’s not Wallace Boden with the way he’s handled his team since he arrived, but what the show hasn’t established is why he belongs at Firehouse 51. That seemed to change when he kicked Jack Damon out of the building, but this episode undercuts that by creating tension between him and Stella Kidd over finding a replacement. Pascal doesn’t fully turn the corner until he goes to bat for Violet, even though it means humbling himself. Pascal knows that his old acquaintance Vale is friends with an alderman, so he turns up at Vale’s office and asks his frenemy to get the alderman to advocate for Violet. It’s the alderman’s vow to make a public scene out of the case that prompts the state medical board to reinstate Violet’s license.
This plot point is definitely a convenient and quick way to resolve Violet’s dilemma, but it’s also a good way to take the show’s least interesting storyline and make it mean something. In Season 13, Episode 2, “Ride the Blade,” Pascal punched Vale for his perceived interest in Pascal’s wife Monica. The whole Monica story is strange and over the top, and it stands out more because it’s the only character development that the new chief has gotten. But now that assault has relevance, because it gives Pascal’s decision to ask Vale for help stakes, and shows his true character. He’s not just calling in a favor; he’s sticking his own neck out in a sense, and that’s not easy given how obstinate viewers have seen Pascal be. For him to take that risk is proof that Pascal is fully committed to Firehouse 51.
Lizzie Novak: You didn’t just save her job, you saved a lot of lives.’
These are the kinds of scenes that Dermot Mulroney’s character needs. Whether he stays around for the rest of the season or winds up being replaced by Christopher Herrmann eventually, audiences have to believe that Pascal is worthy of leading the house — and that’s not just in an administrative sense. It also means feeling like he cares about everyone else. All Season 13 has to do is focus more on this and less on what is going on in Pascal’s marriage, and he could gain his own fan following.
Chicago Fire absolutely did not have to say anything more about Jack Damon, which makes it surprising that Episode 4 brings him back. After how quickly Damon went downhill in Season 13, it was a relief when Pascal agreed to transfer him out of Firehouse 51. That means it’s almost bewildering that the subplot of “Through the Skin” is Stella worrying about Damon’s future. Yes, he may be Kelly Severide’s half-brother, but he lied to her and about her; she doesn’t owe him anything. Nonetheless, Stella and Severide want to make sure that Damon is okay, which leads Severide to visit Damon’s new firehouse. And when he gets there, he vouches for Damon to the captain.
Damon’s surprise when he learns about Severide’s recommendation — which prompts the captain to offer him a permanent spot at his new house — is exactly the reaction the viewers have. This is the Damon storyline the show should have had all along. The half-brother bit always felt like a stretch, but Severide mentoring Damon and encouraging him to find his own identity is so much more worthwhile than Damon scheming and feeling entitled. Michael Bradway also gets to relax in his performance, too, now that he doesn’t have to lean into Damon’s negative qualities. The earnestness of the character is back, and it’s nice to see him end up in a good place, similar to how Chicago Fire let Hope turn things around
