Pascal’s last hours at his Firehouse 51 post were chaotic and emotional as the rug was torn beneath him.
etween drama and blazing rescues, Season 14 of Chicago Fire has been firing off on all cylinders, and the Firehouse 51 crew all became pretty heated after learning their cherished Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) had his position shockingly revoked.
Pascal landed on the chopping block during the chaotic events of the One Chicago crossover event when Pascal deliberately disobeyed a Federal Agent’s order to stand down while collecting evidence at a house fire. Aware of the urgent nature of that evidence, Pascal prioritized saving the day over a federal agent’s order, but resulted in Pascal landing in handcuffs. Pascal’s arrest was an upset to the entire fleet of first responders, but luckily, with some friends in pretty high places at City Hall, the federal charges against Pascal were dropped. Pascal’s position as a Chief in the CFD, however, remained in jeopardy.
It was an emotional rollercoaster as the Firehouse 51 heroes prepared for the worst as Pascal faced a high-stakes disciplinary hearing. Here’s what happened:
Pascal’s “last day” at Firehouse 51 was a whirlwind
Chief Dom Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) appear in Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 17.
Photo: George Burns Jr/NBC
Chicago Fire‘s “Hit and Run” began on a bittersweet note as Lt. Mouch McHolland (Christian Stolte) made his triumphant return to Firehouse 51 after his recent decommission and relocation. Herrmann (David Eigenberg) was elated to welcome back his buddy, but the reasoning was somber: Mouch only returned thanks to City Hall hotshot Annette Davis (Annabeth Gish) giving Pascal a “final favor” amid his legal hurdles. Mouch and Herrmann admitted that they didn’t have much hope for Pascal returning to his post anytime soon, as the charges against him seemed too immense for the CFD to sweep under a rug.
Pascal seemed downright hopeless while waiting for his discretionary hearing, likely echoing his colleague’s hopelessness while being ushered before the CFD board. Upon returning to Firehouse 51, Pascal delivered the heartbreaking ruling: rather than giving him a few weeks to encourage a steady transition, today would be his last shift at Firehouse 51. It was a blow to the entire Firehouse 51 family, who held on hope for one final miracle to materialize.
Pascal left Severide at the helm of Firehouse 51: Could he return?
Pascal felt it was time to retire from firefighting altogether, but then admitted that he had a former colleague in Phoenix who’d heard about his situation and offered to connect Pascal with a firehouse in Arizona. Pascal remained dubious about his next chapter during his final hours at Firehouse 51, thinking he should retire once and for all.
“He’s been on the ropes,” Fire showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider. “[The arrest] puts him in a situation, it’s kind of a journey for him from the beginning, where he really wasn’t connected to 51 as closely as the Chiefs obviously we’ve seen in the past, like Boden. So he makes the ultimate sacrifice for his team, for all the teams really in this episode, and it sends him in a totally different and new direction at the end here. And he’s gonna have to figure out if he’s going to fight and claw to get back to 51, or if he’s now going to be on a new path altogether.”
While drafting the final report about the call that landed Pascal in trouble, Mouch highlighted Pascal’s heroism on the job. While Pascal opted to ditch an emotional send-off for an Irish exit from Firehouse 51, Mouch flagged him down to give him the report in hopes of highlighting how valiant his efforts in the CFD had been. Back home, Pascal grew emotional while reading Mouch’s kind words about his service within the CFD, which was hallmarked by an infallible commitment to saving lives, even if that fell outside the lines of protocol. Emboldened by the heartwarming gesture, Pascal texted his friend in Arizona after all, wanting to learn more about the potential position.
Meanwhile, back at Firehouse on 51, Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was shocked to discover from Lucy that Pascal had left his office to him, as well as a copy of the Captain Handbook as a silent nudge for 51’s interim commanding officer. Firehouse 51 is in great hands, but Chihards everywhere are sad to see Pascal go. Whether he’s gone for good remains to be seen.
