Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) is feeling the heat on Chicago Fire after being implicated in a deadly arson incident.
The Chief’s arrival in Season 13 has been anything but smooth, especially after the tragic death of his wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland). That horrible trauma came back to haunt Pascal after Firehouse 51 arrived at the scene of a blazing car crash. An engine explosion led to a fire and disastrous collision, and the victim stuck inside the inferno was none other than Robert Franklin, the driver in the accident that killed Monica Pascal. The firefighters were shocked to see Franklin again, and it wasn’t lost on them how the incident would dredge up emotional turmoil for their Chief.
“This guy is in two big crashes in less than two months? Crazy,” Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) said. Alarm bells began ringing for 51’s arson specialist, Severide (Taylor Kinney). After discovering clear signs of arson at the scene, Severide realized that this was no accident — it was an attempted murder
As Severide got to the bottom of a suspicious arson, Chief Pascal found himself at the center of the investigation. Did Pascal get revenge against the man who killed his wife? Or was something even more sinister at play? Here’s everything that happened during Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 21 (“The Bad Guy”), below:
Chief Dom Pascal came under fire after a troubling call
Soon after determining the accident was a set-up, Severide visited Pascal to give him the update about Robert Franklin. Pascal shrugged it off, viewing Robert as a danger behind the wheel, but once Severide clarified that OFI was investigating the incident, Pascal realized the severity of the situation. Pascal explained he was home alone the night before the accident and had nothing to do with Franklin’s crash.
But without an alibi to confirm that, Pascal remained the primary suspect. While Severide trusted Pascal was being truthful, he needed proof. As Severide and OFI Chief Van Meter dug into the forensics of Franklin’s accident, they discovered evidence that confirmed the perpetrator was a firefighter. Another strike against Pascal.
After giving Stella the latest update, they couldn’t deny how bad the situation looked. Severide said it certainly looked like Pascal rigged the explosion, which either meant Pascal was the culprit or someone wanted it to look like he was. Was Pascal being set up? Severide was aware that Pascal had a few enemies from his past, but who would go so far as to frame the Chief for murder?
Severide was told to look into Pascal’s shady dealings in Miami. Meanwhile, Pascal visited Franklin in the hospital and learned he was still doing poorly. Pascal then visited Chief Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and told him that Firehouse 51 may need him to step up to plate sooner than they thought.
Chief Dom Pascal’s mysterious past was finally revealed
Severide’s investigation soon unveiled Pascal’s past in Miami, when he worked under Chief Hendricks, a devious gangster connected to the mob. After learning his Chief was dirty, Pascal had been collecting evidence against Hendricks. Monica soon discovered her husband had gotten entangled in Hendrick’s mess. Fearful that Hendricks or his mobsters would come after her for knowing about Pascal’s investigation, Monica left Miami. Hendricks was picked up by the Feds a few months later, and Pascal followed Monica to Chicago to repair their marriage.
Pascal still looked guilty, but if someone could corroborate he was trying to get Hendricks arrested, he’d be able to argue his innocence. It’s possible someone connected to Hendricks was setting Pascal up for Franklin’s murder.
Monica was the only one who knew about Miami. With her gone, Pascal racked his head for options. The one person who could maybe help Pascal was Lieutenant Stephen Vale, who had tried to romance Monica after she fled from Miami. Soon, Severide confirmed Monica had mentioned to Vale that Pascal was working a case against Hendricks. No one had ever denied Pascal’s credibility, including Vale.
Is Chief Dom Pascal leaving Firehouse 51 on Chicago Fire?
Before Severide could make further headway proving Pascal’s innocence, he caught wind that OFI was at Firehouse 51. The CPD arrested Pascal, much to the shock of his 51 family. What’s going to happen to Pascal? Who could have jumped through these hoops to ensure his downfall? And most importantly, will Severide uncover the truth before Pascal’s time runs out?
Find out what happens to Pascal by watching the Season 13 finale of Chicago Fire on Wednesday, May 21 at 9/8c on NBC, or stream the episode the next day on Peacock.
