Warning! Spoilers ahead for Chicago Fire Season 3, Episode 15, “Too Close.”Chicago Fire season 13, episode 15 delivers a major death, but it’s curious why Violet is so oddly emotional about it even though she didn’t know the casualty personally. One Chicago is no stranger to deaths, considering the dangerous jobs that its characters have. Throughout its time on the air, the Dick Wolf franchise has seen a variety of losses, so all kinds of upcoming tragedies need to be meticulously done to be able to have a massive impact on its viewers. Otherwise, they risk falling flat. Somehow, however, it’s able to prevent that in its latest casualty.
Firehouse 51’s latest tragedy was already teased via the official teaser for ‘Too Close,” that was released in the week prior. This resulted in theories about who would die in Chicago Fire season 13, episode 15. Ultimately, however, it wasn’t that surprising to eventually learn that Chief Pascal’s wife, Monica is the show’s casualty, as she is found in a major traffic accident by her husband’s people who responded to the scene. Ambo 61 was even able to rush her to Gaffney, but she later succumbed to her injuries. By the time Chief Pascal gets to the hospital, Violet delivers the news to him.
Violet Confirms Monica’s Death To Pascal & She’s Oddly Very Emotional
As A Paramedic, One Would Assume That Monica’s Death Wouldn’t Impact Violet As Much
Since she’s the paramedic-in-charge for Ambo 61, Violet personally tended to Monica as they rushed her to the hospital. Novak drove the vehicle, while Mouch assisted her. She was even able to make a plea for Chief Pascal to hold on and keep fighting. Because of this, it makes sense that she’s the one to deliver the news of Monica’s passing to Chief Boden’s replacement as he rushed inside the emergency room. Unfortunately, while she was still alive on the way to Gaffney Medical, Dr. Archer couldn’t do anything to save her from bleeding internally.
That said, it’s a little weird to see Violet really emotional about it. As a paramedic, she’s used to these kinds of tragedies. Not saying that she is numb and desensitized to them, but she has seen worse in her years as Firehouse 51’s Ambo 61 member. Beyond that, she also didn’t really have any kind of personal relationship with Monica, because most of her scenes were opposite her husband. Characters like Ritter and Kidd, who had encounters with Chief Pascal’s wife, were more composed than she is, raising questions if she’s secretly going through something in Chicago Fire season 13.
Violet Was The Last Firehouse 51 Member To Lose A Significant Other In Chicago Fire
Ambo 61’s PIC Knows What It’s Like To Suddenly Lose A Partner
Violet’s emotions running high after Monica dies likely has something to do with her own experience of unexpectedly losing a loved one. In Chicago Fire season 10, her romantic partner, Chief Evan Hawkins, suddenly died during a freak accident while responding to a case. It may have already been few years now, with Violet already moving on, but it shouldn’t be underestimated how grief can come back in waves. Knowing that Chief Pascal is about to undergo a similar pain triggers Violet’s past trauma, resulting in her reaction.
Chief Evans’ death was one of the most jaw-dropping losses in recent years of One Chicago, even though he wasn’t technically a member of the first responder procedural’s core cast. To make things worse, he and Violet were just in the process of stabilizing their relationship following a series of personal and professional issues that stemmed from him being her boss. Chicago Fire also didn’t even hint that a devastating loss was upon Firehouse 51. It happened in a random episode in the middle of the year.
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean that Violet cannot be in a healthy relationship. As previously noted, she has been in a couple of partnerships since Chief Evans died — the most notable one was with Sam Carver. However, the pair’s brewing affair was cut short after he suspected that she was still hung up on her late ex, while she assumed that he was in love with Kidd — something that may have been true in his earliest days at Firehouse 51, but clearly, not anymore. Still, one would assume that seeing a similar tragedy could bring the trauma back to the surface for Violet.
Why It’s Important For Chicago Fire To Regularly Explore Its Characters’ Trauma
Firehouse 51 Is Exposed To All Kinds Of Tragedies All The Time
While Hank Voight’s Intelligence team also go through various missions where they risk their lives, as they deal with criminals, the people at Firehouse 51 have been the closest to danger whenever they are on-shift out of all the squads in One Chicago. They run towards collapsing buildings and save people from precarious situations. Granted that Chicago Fire season 13, episode 15’s latest casualty is not a member of Chief Pascal’s respond team, Mouch, Kidd, and the rest responding to a freak accident where someone is killed still highlights how much they are exposed to trauma.
Violet being very emotional upon Monica’s death may seem like an inconsequential element, but it’s a great way to really emphasize the emotional toll that this job brings on them without bogging the show down. Granted that watching Monica die is making her relive memories of Chief Evans’ final moment, it shouldn’t also be forgotten how that’s compounded with so many other tragedies that she has seen firsthand. It’s curious if this is something that Chicago Fire season 13 will explore in future episodes, especially if Violet wants to rekindle her romance with Carver.
How Monica’s Death Can Result In A Special Bond Between Violet & Chief Pascal
Violet Can Offer Pascal Her Support During This Time
Chicago Fire season 13 is approaching its final stretch, which means that it will already be a full year since Chief Pascal took over Firehouse 51 from Chief Boden. Despite that, people at Firehouse 51 and the audience still barely know him. Admittedly, time is needed for him to establish the same rapport as his predecessor had had with his subordinates, but NBC and Wolf Entertainment would be better to start connecting him with his people. As tragic as it is, Monica’s death could bring him closer to the people at Firehouse 51.
That said, the incident could result in a special bond with Violet. It’s unlikely that Chief Pascal is aware of Ambo 61 PIC’s loss, since Chief Evans’ death happened a couple of years before he moved back to Chicago. That said, this could be an opportunity for Violet to offer unique support, since she has a good idea of what his boss feels right now. Kelly Severide did this for her on the heels of Chief Evans’ demise in Chicago Fire. Now, she can do it for Chief Pascal.
