Is Pascal’s Job In Jeopardy?

Chief Pascal is facing the heat in this week’s “Chicago Fire.”

51’s leader faces intense scrutiny after a member of his crew is injured during a rescue. With all the budget cuts and staffing shortages, Pascal blames the city for being short staffed, and says the building’s beams were bad; they collapsed too quickly to have been adequately constructed. Deputy District Chief Cranston, however, thinks Pascal’s to blame for making a bad call and sending his team into a dangerous environment. 

The pair share an emotional face-to-face, where Pascal begs his boss to look into the structure. He doesn’t get an answer, and Cruz worries that the district might just be looking for ways to offload people. If they decline to investigate the fire, why wouldn’t they let Pascal go while they have just cause? Isn’t that an easy way to make some much-needed extra cuts? 

Deputy District Chief Cranston later collapses on the job. He suffers a heart attack, and dies. At his funeral, Pascal learns the chief had listened to him; Cranston looked into the fire and discovered the construction was faulty. Pascal could not have anticipated the fire would be so dangerous. 

For now, Pascal’s job appears to be safe, but is Cruz on to something? We already know that Dermot Mulroney will be going on hiatus later this season; could this conflict be a catalyst for his character’s departure? Or could Cruz be foreshadowing a possible route for Pascal’s exit should he make another questionable call in the future? Only time will tell!

* Herrmann’s daughter Annabelle struggles with anxiety after their family’s house fire. She wakes up in the middle of the night smelling smoke that is not there, and she skips school due to stress. Herrmann ultimately uses his training as a firefighter to help his daughter overcome her fear, and she ends up applying to Stella’s Girls on Fire program. 

* Violet learns that Novak has a crush on Vasquez. Though she’s hooking up with “Chicago Med” doc Frost, Novak tells Violet that she isn’t against a little casual firehouse smooching on the side. Violet panics, turning to an unlikely source of advice: Annabelle. (Who better than a member of Gen Z to offer dating tips for adults?!) Violet ultimately vows to stay away from Vasquez in order to preserve her friendship. Later, Frost ends things with Novak since she’s keeping things a little bit too casual for his liking. In the end, Violet and Novak’s friendship is seemingly stronger than ever — but is either really being honest about her feelings?

What did you think of this week’s “Chicago Fire”? Do you have any predictions for why Pascal will ultimately leave 51? Sound off in the comments!