Chicago Fire has done a great job of incorporating newcomers Lyla Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) and Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney). It was initially unclear how either of them would acclimate among the Firehouse 51 staff, but both of them have been embraced by fans with open arms.
Novak's friendship with Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith) has done wonders for her standing with fans, while Pascal's tough but fair approach in the field has earned him the respect of veterans like Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Mouch (Christian Stolte). Here's the thing: Chicago Fire keeps teasing a possible romance with Novak and Pascal, and we don't need it.
Novak and Chief Pascal have flirted with each other
As we just stated, we don't have anything against either character. Novak and Pascal are solid additions who are bringing out different aspects of established Fire characters. The push to get them together is understandable, but it runs the risk of flattening their dimension. Both Novak and Pascal have proven to be compelling on their own terms.
Novak's tragic childhood has only been hinted at, but the season 13 fall finale made it clear that she has a lot of trauma to contend with in both her personal and professional life. Her bond with Violet has been a saving grace, and fans have responded accordingly.
Novak's arc has fans engaged without having to rely on romance. We'd love to see her eventually strike up a relationship with someone, of course, but doing so during her first full season as a cast member could diminish the very qualities that have made her interesting thus far.
Then there's Pascal's messy relationship status. The new chief is separated, but still technically married to Monica (KaDee Strickland). We know this because the two characters are constantly bickering whenever the latter is onscreen.
Chief Pascal's marriage is still a mess
There's obviously still love between the Pascals, but the dysfunction is deep rooted. The amount of time the writers have spent on their disintegrating marriage leads us to believe there's going to be a payoff, or at least an impactful resolution.
Pairing Chief Pascal with Novak, a superior with a medic, would diminish the time that's been dedicated to Monica, while at the same time opening up discomforting questions about the power dynamic between Chief Pascal and Novak. There's the rank discrepancy and the age discrepancy, and truth be told, it's hard to imagine a world in which these two make a relationship work.
To be clear, nothing has been clearly articulated by either Pascal and Novak. All the flirtation between them has been unspoken, but it's unmistakable. We're curious to see what the writers have in store, and we hope the characters get the chance to continuing developing on their own.