The season 13 chief seems to be falling apart in real time.
Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) is spiraling. The chief has spent most of season 13 winning over even his toughest critics. He’s proven to be a fair yet determined leader who is willing to do what he needs to in order to save lives. At least, he did. The death of Pascal’s wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland), flipped these strengths on their head.
Pascal is no longer a steadying hand at Firehouse 51. He’s impulsive, angry, and quick to put himself in harm’s way. He’s not exemplfying leadership behavior, and the investigation we know is coming in season 13 leads us to believe that his tenure as chief may not be much longer. Pascal could need a replacement, and these are the three most likely candidates.
Christopher Herrmann
Herrmann (David Eigenberg) is the most obvious choice. He has passed his exams, and been mentored by Pascal throughout season 13. It’s telling, also, that in the episode “In the Rubble,” Herrmann suggests the idea of going against Pascal’s orders.
Not for nothing. Pascal did demand that 51 follow him to the crime scene of his wife’s death and poke around in the hope of finding new clues. Not exactly the way that firefighters and medics are meant to spend their time on the clock. Herrmann is clearly considering the well-being of his peers, however, and we think this may be his leadership instincts bleeding out.
Kelly Severide
Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) briefly took over as 51 chief when Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) stepped away, and many fans assumed that he would get the full time promotion when Boden made his decision to leave. No dice. Boden threw his support behind Herrmann, and then Pascal came in. It was all very unexpected.
In spirit, though, Severide is the natural 51 leader. He’s the one the rest of the team looks to when things go haywire, as evidenced by the fact that Herrmann consulted him when Pascal started to act out. We’re not sure if Severide wants the gig, but his reluctance might also make him the perfect guy for it.
Wallace Boden
A stretch, yes. But hear us out. Boden has been promoted to Deputy Fire Chief, and we can only assume that he’s done an excellent job in the position. We know he’s coming back, though, and if he decides Pascal is not fit to remain as 51 chief, he may choose to step in and hold down the fort until they can bring in a proper replacement.
So we don’t think Boden would demote himself long term, but we could see a world in which he takes on chief responsibilities for a brief period of time, in order to get everything back in order. It’s not the most likely scenario, but we’ve seen wilder on Chicago Fire!
