Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) did not end the penultimate episode of Chicago Fire season 13 on a high note. The 51 chief was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder, and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was tasked with clearing his name. Whether or not Severide will be successful remains to be seen, but we think Pascal will be done at 51 regardless of the legal outcome.
"The Bad Guy" was an important episode in multiple regards. It laid the groundwork for the finale, and allowed Severide to wield arson investigation skills that have been tucked away for the majority of the season. The biggest takeaway of the episode, however, was Pascal's backstory. We were introduced to the character as someone with a controversial reputation in Miami, but we got through almost the entire season without an explanation as to why. "The Bad Guy" finally gave us the answer.
Pascal used to work for a man named Hendricks, who regularly did business with the mob. He knew about the Miami chief's crimes and continued working under him, which led to problems with his wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland), who feared for her safety. It turned out that Pascal was actually collecting evidence to take Hendricks down, but he abandoned his case when Monica relocated to Chicago.
Pascal's 51 tenure reached a breaking point
Pascal followed, and Hendricks was picked up by federal agents soon after. No problem, right? Well, tangling with the mob is not the safest line of work, and without someone to vouch for his activities in Miami, it looks like he was also a criminal. These tricky dynamics are going to be a doozy for Severide to contend with as he tries to save Pascal's career (as well as his own).
Here's the thing, though: Pascal has already proven to be a guy who packs up and leaves a place when things go sideways. The character decided to move to the Windy City to get a fresh start with his late wife, and given the scandal that he's brought upon Firehouse 51, we could see him making the decision to walk away.
Severide is a capable investigator, and given that his future at 51 is dependent on exonerating his chief, we think Pascal will ultimately be cleared of criminal charges. All signs point to Pascal being set up, and we know, based on the flashback scene between him and Monica, that he's telling the truth about his undercover work with Hendricks.
Herrmann is angling to become 51's new chief
We just find it hard to believe that Pascal will resume his position at 51 chief following such a tense and revealing ordeal. It's not the sort of thing one just sweeps under the rug, especially after being handcuffed and accused of attempted murder in front of his subordinates. It's as good a reason as any to leave.
There's also the drama surrounding the chief position. Herrmann (David Eigenberg) wants to usurp Pascal as the leader of Firehouse 51, and "The Bad Guy" revealed that the firefighter would need a recommendation from Pascal before he took the chief's exam. If Pascal decides that his days at 51 are over, it could make for a relatively smooth transition to a new chief and a new era.
It never seemed like Pascal was going to stick around. The character was too mysterious and too troubled, and Dermot Mulroney was too big a star to keep indefinitely. The season 13 finale is going to be significant in that it will mark the end of the line for at least two firefighters, Ritter (Daniel Kyri) and Carver (Jake Lockett), but we suspect that Pascal will be following them out the door.
Chicago Fire airs its season 12 finale May 21 on NBC.