Eamonn Walker has really make a ruckus when it comes to his impending Chicago Fire return. The actor already had eyes on him, due to the fact that he hasn't appeared on the show in a year, but his recent Deadline interview has drummed up lots of excitement (and concern) about the episode "Post Mortem."
We knew Walker's character, Wallace Boden, would be all business coming back to Firehouse 51, and would be forced to contend with a dire situation, but the actor made it clear that the stakes are higher than we initially thought. Especially when it comes to the future of Chief Pascal (Dermot Mulroney).
Eamonn Walker claimed "heads will roll"
Pascal has taken over Boden's role at 51, but he may cross the line in "Post Mortem." We've already seen the Chief struggle to keep his professionalism in check following the death of his wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland), but the upcoming episode will see him preside over an incident in which one of his firefighters' lives is put in danger.
It's the sort of thing that could end a Chief's career, or at least their tenure at a given firehouse, and Eamonn Walker mentioned the possibility of there being a personnel change. "Deputy Commissioner Bowden has to turn up at Firehouse 51," he explained. "And let all officers and the chief know they are being investigated, and we have to prep just in case we lose this person. Possibly, a head will roll."
A head rolling is no small development, especially for a show that has recently seen a major shift in power. Dom Pascal was introduced in the season 13 premiere, but the way he's been spiraling over the last few episodes has us deeply concerned about the chances of him sticking around. We had some initial theories that Pascal may be a placeholder Chief until Herrmann is ready to take over at the top of the season.
Pascal has been spiraling in recent episodes
We did not anticipate, however, that something as severe as the death of a partner would be coupled with a very serious work accident before the end of the season. Pascal has proven to be a worthwhile replacement for Boden over the last fifteen episodes, but things are going downhill fast, and if a head rolls as a result of a firefighter's (near) death, then all signs point to the head being Pascal's.
We can only hope that the threat of death that hangs over "Post Mortem" is a fake out, and that we get to keep all of our favorite Chicago Fire characters above ground.