Chicago Fire’s Firehouse 51 doesn’t shy away from in-house romances, but season 13’s next potential romance (between Fire Chief Dom Pascal and Lyla Novak) could end in disaster. The NBC procedural drama follows the personal and professional lives of the firefighters and paramedics at Firehouse 51 in Chicago. After Eamonn Walker’s Fire Chief Boden left Chicago Fire before season 13, Dermot Mulroney’s Pascal took over at the said firehouse. Though he upset some of his fellow workers, scenes between Pascal and Novak show that she’s not one to hold a grudge against him. Jocelyn Hudon’s Novak is also one of the new characters in Chicago Fire season 13, having joined the crew at the end of season 12. At first, it seemed like the show was setting up a romance between Novak and Kelly Severide’s half-brother, Jack Damon. While he was gone, however, Novak set her sights on her new boss in Chicago Fire season 13. Unfortunately, the relationship between Chief Pascal and Novak was probably the worst idea for all parties involved.
Novak made it clear that she had feelings for Chief Pascal in Chicago Fire season 13. Sure, she never said those exact words, but context clues suggest that Novak’s feelings for her boss continued to grow with each episode. In episode 1, Novak tells Violet, “Pascal is pretty cute for a chief.” Violet mentions that her paramedic partner had previously had an affair with her (married) instructor during training. That, combined with Novak’s comments about Chief Pascal, leads Violet to think she’s attracted to people in authority, but Novak attributes her attraction to “daddy issues.”
Chicago Fire writers are laying the groundwork for a romance between Chief Pascal and Novak.
Meanwhile, Chief Pascal has yet to be open about his feelings for Novak. However, while Chief Pascal has been hostile and critical of many of his employees in Chicago Fire season 13, Mulroney has been incredibly sweet (to him, at least) to Novak. When Novak called him awesome for helping Violet in episode 4 and invited him to Violet’s birthday party in episode 5, Chief Pascal was friendly (again, in his friendly way) to the paramedics. So it seems like Chicago Fire writers are laying the groundwork for a romance between Chief Pascal and Novak.
Even if there are sparks between Chief Pascal and Novak in Chicago Fire season 13, whether or not they turn romantic remains to be seen. First, Chief Pascal is married (although his relationship with his wife, Monica, is strained and complicated). Novak’s last affair was with a guy who was also married, and that’s not a good thing for a paramedic. Being “the other woman” is never a good position to be in. While she may have feelings for Chief Pascal, Novak shouldn’t want to put herself in that situation again.
Another big problem with Chief Pascal and Novak being romantically involved is that he is her superior. He is in command of Firehouse 51, while she is a paramedic (second in command to Violet, the paramedic in charge). As a result, there is a power imbalance between Chief Pascal and Novak, meaning that a potential romantic relationship would not only negatively impact the two Chicago Fire characters, but also Firehouse 51 as a whole.
