Chicago Fire teased a death, and it delivered. The episode "Too Close" saw the tragic demise of Monica Pascal (KaDee Strickland) in a vicious car accident. Mouch (Christian Stolte) was the first on the scene, and he was the one who had to call Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) and tell him the bad news regarding his wife.
It's not a position anybody would want to be in. It was the culmination of a tense episode for Mouch and Chief Pascal, and the straw that might've broken the camel's back with regard to Mouch's future. Things don't look good for the veteran character, and we're here to unpack why.
Chief Pascal attempted to transfer Mouch
Chief Pascal called Mouch into his office earlier in the episode and urged him to move to another firehouse in order to take up a leadership role. Mouch recently passed his exam, and Pascal felt the veteran was ready to take the next step in his career. He viewed it as a good thing. Mouch did not.
The character balked at the idea of transferring to another firehouse. He rejected Pascal's idea and told the Chief that he wants to stay at Firehouse 51 in order to remain close to his friends. Pascal did not care for Mouch's decision or his tone. The discussion ended abruptly, and the two men did not get a chance to revisit it before Monica's death. Naturally, they had an argument toward the finale of the episode.
Pascal already wanted Mouch out of Firehouse 51. Now, the Chief is forever going to associate Mouch with the night his wife died. It's a tough spot for both men, and one that has us a bit worried about Mouch's future. We could be looking at an instance in which Chief Pascal offloads him simply because he doesn't want to be reminded of what happened in "Too Close."
Pascal and Mouch now have workplace tension
To be clear, we don't think Chicago Fire would axe one of its most beloved characters by forcing him to become a leader at another firehouse. It would not only be unpopular among fans, it would be a bit underwhelming of a resolution. We do, however, think that the Mouch and Pascal conflict will continue for the rest of season 13.
It's been confirmed that Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) is returning to Chicago Fire to conduct an investigation, and we're hoping that perhaps Boden could step in and provide some clarity between the two men. If anybody could sort out the conflict, and ensure that both sides are happy, it would be him. He definitely has the power, being Deputy Fire Commissioner and all.