Dermot Mulroney’s Chief Dom Pascal is still finding his way on Chicago Fire — and this week’s episode will test his patience.
Mulroney, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly that the episode, which airs on Wednesday, October 23, will focus on firefighter Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri) and paramedic Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) after they accidentally break one of Pascal’s awards.
“We know that Pascal got the Valor award because someone broke it in my office when they shouldn’t have been snooping around,” Mulroney said, explaining that the incident revealed “a little bit of a moral dilemma, a little bit of a moral challenge for them.”
“What happens? Do they snitch on themselves?” Mulroney teased, and while he was coy about the exact outcome, he noted, “The way it plays out shows people’s character.”
Mulroney, who joined the cast at the start of season 13 in September, hinted that Pascal will react in “unexpected ways” when he learns what Ritter and Novak did.
“If [fans] are trying to make him this tough guy [who] loses all his money over something like that, your expectations might be a little bit off,” the actor revealed. “He’s chosen a different way to deal with that in his fire department.”
He added that the change ultimately “challenges” everyone’s “ethics” — including Pascal’s subordinates.
Related: Dermot Mulroney Teases ‘Chicago Fire’ Debut: Pascal Isn’t Anyone’s ‘Friend’ While there will be conflict in the episode “Down the Rabbit Hole,” Mulroney told Us that watching Kyri, 30, and Hudon, 29, film their scenes was hilarious.
“I [saw] them on the other side of the scene interacting in a very funny way,” he recalled. “These two actors, Daniel and Jocelyn, really have something. They have a great rapport, a lightning-fast [dynamic].”
Meanwhile, Kyri told Us exclusively earlier this season that trying to be funny and deliver the story in this episode was like “walking a tightrope.”
Related: Miranda Rae Mayo Calls ‘Chicago Fire’ Season 13 Premiere a ‘Firework Show’ “Comedy is a heightened state of being and storytelling. But you also have to have something grounded in reality and grounded in something real, like the real motivations of these characters,” he shared. “So one of the things that led to some of the tension that we were playing with when we were doing this funny scene in particular, was Ritter wanting to make a good impression on the new leader.”
Kyri notes that Ritter’s desire to win over Pascal plays a big part in how he and Novak try to cover up their mistakes. “The fact that someone is clumsy,” he continues to tease, “is going to be really interesting.”
The fourth episode will also show Pascal a different side to Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo), spotlight Kidd and Kelly Severide’s (Taylor Kinney) investigation into a trucking company, and celebrate Violet Mikami’s (Hanako Greensmith) birthday.
“The story takes an unexpected and welcome turn,” Mulroney tells Us of Pascal and Kidd’s relationship this week, adding that he sees her “true colors.”
He notes that Pascal has interacted with every character so far, including Severide, who he’ll continue to work with in the future. “I went through the list of characters and I ended up with him for now,” Mulroney added.
