Dom Pascal’s arrival at Firehouse 51 shook up the entire fire department as he changed the leadership style everyone was used to. Many characters in Chicago Fire Season 13 reacted differently to him, but many of those reactions were negative. In fact, in Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 6, “Birds of Prey,” Severide clashed with Pascal over how to handle the aftermath of a call. The November 6 episode added to the backlash the chief received. But Pascal didn’t mind or care, as Dermot Mulroney told TV Insider. “He’s not there to be anybody’s best friend,” the actor said. Mulroney added on why the character hasn’t won anyone over yet, saying, “He’s definitely taken this new job very seriously. You see him coming in very hard. Now, has it really changed the dynamic in the house in the episodes that we’ve seen? Honestly, I can’t say much. Pascal himself is not familiar with what’s going into Season 13 and he’s trying, right? He’s trying to run a tight ship, but it’s a little difficult. Pascal is a rule-follower.” There’s a lot of history behind Pascal in Miami and Chicago. It’s unclear what drove him to leave either city, but it doesn’t seem good. “The writers were great about just very little in the early episodes about what happened in Miami, that it drove everyone crazy, and then I don’t know when you get off the hook,” Mulroney revealed of the season. Pascal, however, is someone who wants to follow the rules even if he can flaunt them. The issue of Kelly and Stella working together is still unresolved, and his upcoming fight with Kelly may not help. Meanwhile, Herrmann is considering taking the helm, but Pascal won’t be willing to give up easily if Herrmann decides to pursue the top job at Firehouse 51. Mulroney previewed this potential conflict, saying, “I feel like Pascal has been put directly in Herrmann’s path from what’s left over from Season 12 and Boden’s departure. I think he’s been set up, as I understand it, as the heir apparent to the seat behind the sheriff’s desk. Oh, sorry, Pascal’s here, and I don’t think he’s going anywhere. So the writers are going to have to figure that out.”
Is Pascal’s tenure destined to be short? Can he transform the fire department? Tune in to Chicago Fire on NBC on Wednesday to find out. Tune in to Peacock before the show returns on November 6.
