Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) is not taking the loss of his wife well, an understatement if ever there was one. “In the Rubble,” the episode immediately follows the absolute heartrending loss, sees Pascal lose it on his own team, demanding they go over their reports again to find any reason to suggest someone is to blame. Severide (Taylor Kinney) had to talk Pascal back from exacting revenge on the driver involved in his wife’s death, knowing from Episode 7, “Untouchable,” that he’s not above working outside the law. He tears into the driver of a vehicle who ran over a young girl after crashing into the mall unintentionally, and he recklessly scales a lift, one that has pinned a man up near the ceiling, without safety equipment. The tease of a tension showdown between Pascal and Deputy Commissioner Boden (Eamonn Walker) suggests that an error on Pascal’s part may lead to serious ramifications. Which leads one to wonder — could Chicago Fire be laying the groundwork for fan favorite Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) to become chief of Firehouse 51?
‘Chicago Fire’s Season 13 Sees Herrmann “Go Through a Whole Thing”
Herrmann was the odds-on favorite to take over as chief after Boden took on the 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner role for the Chicago Fire Department, only for Boden to appoint Pascal, formerly a chief in Miami, as 51’s new chief. But as Eigenberg himself states, in an interview with TV Insider, he was still a lieutenant at the time, adding:
“The character can’t make a shift to a chief unless we were deep into TV falsehoods. I’m not going to let him do that. He has to become a captain, and then you got to go through a whole thing. I think that the character might be able to make the transition.”
Chicago Fire, at least in the opinion of this firefighter, is “right for the most part,” so for Herrmann to bypass the captaincy to become chief wouldn’t have been right, as Eigenberg makes clear. It speaks to just how deeply Eigenberg understands his character, and he isn’t willing to sacrifice what he knows Herrmann would do simply to make fans at home happy, which, confirms, he does by being so committed to keeping Herrmann real.
To Eigenberg’s point, Season 13 has seen Herrmann go “through a whole thing” after becoming a captain. At first, Herrmann found it difficult to commit to the role outside of active duty, despite Pascal’s efforts to mentor him by learning first-hand what’s involved. He can’t, or more accurately won’t, stand by in the role as his crew put their lives on the line, and repeatedly returns to the front line, most evident in the highly successful One Chicago crossover event “In the Trenches.” But in the follow-up, “Relief Cut,” sees Herrmann embracing the role of captain in an epic mic-drop moment.
The Signs Point to Chief Herrmann in ‘Chicago Fire’
Since then, Herrmann has committed to the mantle of captain, realizing that the role isn’t taking him away from the battle but allowing him to fight for the means of his crew to win it. It’s something that he’s shown in the expected ways, taking charge on calls, but in small ways as well. Episode 17, “A Beast Like This,” provides the perfect example through Herrmann’s interaction with Damon (Michael Bradway). When he realized that Damon hadn’t unpacked anything in the locker to make it his own, Herrmann knew that Damon was just waiting for the shoe to drop, expecting to be kicked out of Firehouse 51 at any time and sent back to the floater pool. Herrmann makes it clear that he has a home at 51 and isn’t going anywhere. Understanding what your people are struggling with and helping them move past that is an asset of any successful chief.
But that’s not even the small way we’re talking about. In the same episode, Damon unintentionally snags one of the hose lines, forcing the need for a new one. He approaches Herrmann and offers to pay for it, but Herrmann stops him. Accidents happen, he explains, and it’s the city’s job to pay for the equipment. He then adds that Damon should never agree to pay for anything, saying it’s worse than the actual crime itself. It’s a small detail that Herrmann knows, insight from his years in the department, and he shares it freely. He could have taken Damon up on his offer, but it speaks volumes about Herrmann’s character that he instead chooses to use the situation as a teachable moment, something Damon would never learn anywhere else.
Nothing but Good Comes From Making Herrmann Chief in ‘Chicago Fire’
Herrmann is the heart of Chicago Fire, and has been all along. He’s the one that fights for the others, for what’s right. He pushes 51 to remember who they work for, to become involved in the community. He truly cares for those in Firehouse 51, and those in 51 hold him in great esteem. He has their respect, a respect that’s been earned. Chief Pascal has, slowly, been building that respect, but he hasn’t made it easy. But if the showdown with Boden is evidence of something Pascal has done, or not done, that has put the lives of his team in danger, that work is for naught. Firehouse 51 is forgiving, but if you put one of them in peril, that’s not going to sit well.
Herrmann would simply never do that. Pascal has yet to fully understand that 51 is family, and while their presence at his wife’s funeral is testament to that, it still feels that he doesn’t get it. Not only does Herrmann understand that, he fills a patriarchal role within that firehouse family. As such, he protects the crew like they were his own, and if that means stepping back from action because he doesn’t believe he’s in a space that ensures their safety, he will. It goes back to being the presumed next-in-line following Boden’s departure. Herrmann was already exhibiting the traits of a chief then. But now that he’s, as Eigenberg said earlier, “gone through a whole thing” as captain, the time for Herrmann to be promoted is now. Hail to the Chief.
