We all know that Dermot Mulroney can act, but Chicago Fire hasn’t really given him a chance to shine up until this latest episode. It’s hard not to feel absolutely heartbroken for Pascal in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 16.
After a two-week break, the episode picks up with Pascal grieving the loss of his wife. He is not just going to accept that it’s an accident, focused on getting the answers he needs to be able to move on. It’s one of the stages of grief, and those at Firehouse 51 are going to support him through this, even if he doesn’t ask for any help.
Meanwhile, Severide and Kidd find out that Jack Damon is out at Firehouse 20. He says that it’s his choice, but it’s really not, and it shows the toxicity of some of the firehouses. If someone has done wrong, they need to take accountability instead of forcing younger people out. There’s some hope for Damon, though.
Pascal fights for answers in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 16
It’s clear that Pascal is not coping with the loss of his wife, but he needs to go through the stages of grief. Part of that means fighting for answers of what happened to Monica that night. It turns out that the lights had failed, and the two cars collided due to that. Pascal doesn’t accept that there wasn’t another reason behind it. He’s so sure that the other driver must have been drunk or high, but that wasn’t the case.
In fact, Kidd and Violet later point out — when the entire team has been pulled back to the scene by Pascal to run through it all — that the man looked disorientated due to a head injury. Sure enough, the toxicology reports all came back clear. The man was just suffering from a head injury and shock after the crash. Violet knows what these types of injuries look like, and I’m glad that she was able to stand up against the chief in his search for justice.
Pascal won’t accept it, though. He wants someone to blame, and it’s so normal and understandable. Whenever someone close to us dies, we want those answers to bring us closure. There’s the need to blame someone, because we can’t just accept that the Fates decided it was their time. So, Pascal decides that Severide, Kidd, and Herrmann need to look over their reports.
Severide decides that it’s time to have a word with Pascal. He gets what it’s like to want and need answers. While he hasn’t lost his wife, he has lost dear friends in incidents. Sometimes, accidents happen, and Severide knows that Pascal can see that. The bit that he calls out, though, is when Pascal notes that he knows where the other guy from the accident lives. Why would he know something like that? It suggests that he’s been stalking to do something bad, and Pascal shouldn’t throw his career and life away.
He manages to get through to Pascal, who decides that there’s no point in resubmitting reports that haven’t changed. Pascal needs to accept this outcome.
Damon finds a more permanent home in Chicago Fire
The start of the episode opens with Damon chatting with Severide and Kidd. They are discussing Damon’s position at Firehouse 20. He’s had to leave that firehouse and head back to the floater pool. Severide and Kidd suggest that he comes back to Firehouse 51, which he would be more than happy to do. It just means the two lieutenants need to talk to Pascal, and this isn’t the best time to do that.
Well, Severide decides that it could be the time to talk to Pascal about that. He makes it clear that while Damon lied to Kidd, she has forgiven him and Damon has learned from that mistake. Severide wants to make sure everyone gets a chance to learn from their mistakes, and that is consistent with Severide’s character. I don’t feel like he’s doing that just because this is his half-brother.
It’s just in time, as well. It turns out that the floater pool is getting a little oversaturated, and that means there are fewer positions available. Damon does get to Firehouse 36, where there are a lot of people saying good things about him thanks to Novak. However, that’s not a permanent spot.
In the end, Pascal realizes that he needs to solve Herrmann’s problem of having one person short on Engine. It’s time to bring Damon back.
Firehouse 51 proves they’re family
The end of the episode was especially touching. Mouch, Cruz, Herrmann, and others spend the episode calling funeral homes to find out when and where Monica’s is being held. Pascal doesn’t want to have anyone else there, sharing that it’s family only, but Firehouse 51 isn’t just going to sit back and let him grieve alone.
We get that reminder of what this family is like. People are pulled in when they’re accepted. They get the support they need, even if it just means knowing that other people are by their side.
After delivering flowers, Firehouse 51 decides to go to the funeral anyway. As Pascal points out that it was for only family, Mouch agrees. They are all family, and they are all going to be there. It may seem like overstepping for some, but this is exactly what Pascal needs at this point. He needs to know that it’s okay to lean on his team in the way Boden would have been able to if this happened to him.
Throughout the episode, we got Violet’s voiceover as she wrote a letter of support to Carver. I think it worked well as a one-off, but I’m not the biggest fan of voiceovers in TV shows. So, while I loved seeing her connection to Carver and that reminder that she cares about him, I just don’t want this overdone.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC. Catch up on Peacock.
