Everyone has their days at work that suck — and Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 2, “Ride the Blade” was one of those days. It was an episode that was dominated by the characters’ personal lives and strained relationships, and for the most part, it felt awkward. Plus, it was evidence that Firehouse 51’s two newest additions didn’t fit into the show’s smooth-running mold. Luckily, at least one of them seemed to be on the way out.
“Ride the Blade” focused largely on the tension caused by Jack Damon, as he drove a wedge between Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd, much to everyone’s (including the audience’s) chagrin. Meanwhile, we learned more about new leader Dom Pascal, and there was a possible development in the situation between Violet Mikami and Sam Carver. But most of the episode, save for the final few minutes, wasn’t something fans would want to see again.
To be fair, Jack Damon has been a problem on Chicago Fire since the Season 12 finale. The revelation that Damon is Severide’s previously unknown half-brother seemed completely random, and now, two episodes later, Damon has had a complete turnaround. Some of the facial expressions on actor Michael Bradway’s face in the scenes between Severide and Damon are reminiscent of Hope’s creepy look when she was obsessed with Severide in Season 7. And the relationship between Damon and Severide in this episode is equally uncomfortable, as the former’s hero worship grows to the point where he expects Severide to be his confidant and protector. Fortunately, the end of the hour suggests that this will all be over soon, as Severide gives Damon an ultimatum.
Kelly Severide: We can’t work at the same fire station. Some fans were worried that this meant Kinney would be leaving Chicago Fire again, but there was no logical reason to keep Damon around. He didn’t add anything to the show other than stirring up drama; if the show wanted to explore Severide’s family further, it had a clear path forward with the idea of him and Stella starting a family of their own. In the meantime, this show needed Taylor Kinney. The best parts of “Ride the Blade” are proof of that, as Kinney takes Severide through a clear arc, with the help of Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz.
Audiences will find it frustrating that Severide is so clearly letting Damon get the better of him — it feels like it’s taking away from the character’s power. But the script returns his intelligence to him by the end of the show, and does so in the best way, because there are real parallels between Cruz and his brother Leon and what Severide is on the verge of with Damon. Kinney says very little in that pivotal scene with Minoso, but his eyes tell the whole story, and that moment is an example of what he brings to the show. Hopefully the Damon arc is over, if only so Kinney can get back to developing Severide in other ways without losing his character.
While Damon’s situation is going on, the other major story in “Ride the Blade” is about new leader Dom Pascal and his very complicated, even slightly disturbing marriage. Pascal had his hero moment in the Chicago Fire Season 12 premiere — but then it ended with a weird fight between him and his wife Monica. Episode 2 confirmed that she wasn’t that mad at him, as it opened with them in bed. And then they got into another fight when Monica accidentally revealed that Pascal’s old friend Vale (who viewers met in the premiere) had called her while they were apart. It doesn’t sound like anything else is happening, but it’s enough to prove that Pascal is just as intense as his wife, and that their relationship is clearly unhealthy. Viewers are supposed to be shocked when Pascal shows up at Vale’s house and punches him in the stomach for talking to Monica, but that really just makes the character that much more annoying. Pascal will never be able to match fan-favorite Wallace Boden, of course, but especially with an actor of Dermot Mulroney’s caliber, he could be an interesting character. As it’s currently written, it seems like he and Damon are in the same boat: short-term extras who intend to cause trouble at the fire station before leaving. Viewers have suspected that Pascal was just a temporary fix until Christopher Herrmann was promoted to Captain, and Pascal’s behavior in “Ride the Blade” proved that, because he couldn’t survive at Fire Station 51 if he was going around punching everything and everyone.
There’s even a great way to get rid of him, as Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman confirmed to CBR that Boden will be back in Season 12. Boden could appear as Deputy Chief, fire Pascal for his erratic behavior, and promote him.
