Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 2 ‘Ride the Blade‘ is a good, if not spectacular episode that establishes where the season is going to go and which of the chess pieces on the board are actually needed for whatever the show is planning. If the hour is to be believed Damon is very much not on the show’s long-term plans. Pascal and his wife, however, are clearly going to be the drama for the rest of Season 13.
Other than the conflict the hour is mostly about what this Firehouse looks like with a new Chief and the answer is: nothing we really like. So let us discuss as we review Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 2 ‘Ride the Blade’:
NO ONE EVER REALLY KNOWS DOM PASCAL
Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 2 ‘Ride the Blade’ continues to drop little hints of who Dom Pascal is without coming close to revealing to full picture. It makes sense, of course, this is only the second episode of the season. They can’t give us everything right away. And yet, what they’ve given us paints a picture of a guy that doesn’t seem to fit in at Firehouse 51, and that at the same time, will probably give us some pretty interesting storylines.
He and his wife Monica were separated at some point, for long enough that other people have heard about it, but now they’re back together and they’re not exactly doing better than ever, but they seem to be doing good enough. Something happened in Miami, something that was big enough that it seemed to have played a role in Pascal’s move back to Chicago. And that guy who came to subtly remind Pascal that he knew about it last episode? Well, considering the well-delivered punch to the gut at the end of the episode and the warning about staying away from Monica, there’s history there. And not the good kind.
Other than that, he seems like a capable Chief, even if he’s a control freak, and clearly has some anger issues he needs to work on. And there’s the fact that even someone who seems to have known him for years can casually throw a sentiment like “no one ever really knows Dom Pascal” around.
What is it all adding up to? Drama. Clearly. And in some ways, that’s not great, but in others …if Chicago Fire was going to bring in some drama, isn’t it better it come from a new character?
MORE: What did we think of the premiere of Chicago Fire Season 13? Our review!
NOW WHAT?
When Damon realizes that Severide caught onto the fact that he knowingly disobeyed Stella he looks his brother in the eye and asks that question, both begging him not to and daring him to tell his wife about what he did. Because if he does, then Stella might report him and he might end up on another station. And you can see on Severide’s face that he knows telling Stella is the right call. That he should tell her. But he doesn’t. He keeps quiet because Damon is his brother.
Later, after Cruz talks some sense into him, however, Severide comes clean with his wife. Stella is obviously upset, and she has every right to be. She is, of course, upset with Damon, who lied to her and who is supposed to be her guy, but she is upset in a very different way with Kelly, who is her husband.
That is why Severide tells Damon at the end of the episode that the two of them cannot work at the same firehouse. He clearly cares about his brother and wants to have a relationship with him. But he cannot do that if he’s going to be put in the middle like he was in this episode, and if being put in the middle is going to cause him to make decisions to protect Damon that he wouldn’t otherwise make. That’s not good for Severide the Lieutenant, much less Severide the husband.
Of course, it’s not good in any way, shape, or form that Severide lied to Stella by omission, but it is a good thing that he realized his mistake and came clean on his own. The mistake is the mistake, the fact that he set out his priorities and made them clear both to Stella and to Damon by the end of the episode is important too. Now, how that develops going forward …well, we know what the unbreakable relationship here is, and it’s not the one between Severide and the brother who just showed up two seconds ago.
MORE: Which of the things we wanted from Chicago Fire Season 13 have come true?
Things I think I think:
- Ok, but I cannot get invested in Pascal and his wife because I’m still not sure about him, so get on that first Chicago Fire.
- So, someone Carver has known since high school.
- I somehow don’t think Severide doesn’t want to run drills against Truck because of the reason Stella gave. It’s a no-win situation for him, honestly. I wouldn’t want to do it either.
- Damon, you don’t run the opposite way of what your Lieutenant is telling you. That’s basic.
- Novak and Herrmann double-teaming that guy was kinda cool.
- We all knew you weren’t sick for the Captain’s test, Herrmann. But I’m glad you’re talking it over with Mouch!
- Both rugs are hideous.
- “Kidd’s had it out for me from the start,” hey, hey kid, take it down three notches. You might be Kelly’s brother, but you got here 0.2 seconds ago, you’re trying to come between this man and his wife.
- How long is Severide gonna hold out without telling Stella? It’s not looking good for him.
- Every time Herrmann gets the C+ plot of the episode and it’s something like this scent storyline I’m reminded how hilarious David Eigenberg is.
- THE LOOK between Violet and Carver as she said “I trust you.”
- Yeah, Cruz is right to be like why is the kid training with us, not gonna lie.
- Stella wanted Damon to push himself by training with Squad, and that makes sense.
- Cruz coming in clutch with the good advice for Severide.
- Okay, okay, starting to feel like I can have some hope about this Carver and Violet thing.
- “She’s pissed, she has every right to be.”
- “We can’t work at the same Firehouse” is right.
- Who cheated, then? What’s the over/under?
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 13, Episode 2 ‘Ride the Blade’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
I agree with a lot of what you have said. I wonder about Damon though. He came into 51 as a floater, but not a candidate. Maybe his impulsiveness and failure to follow orders kept him from getting a permanent placement in a firehouse. He hears about Severide and asking the right questions, hears about Benny as well. The only evidence that Damon is Severide’s half brother is Damon’s word that he is. Damon has shown himself to be manipulative and a liar. Would not surprise me if he is not Severide’s brother and made up this story so that he could weasel his way into 51 and get a permanent assignment. Benny was many things, but someone who was abusive never came up before and struck me as an odd direction to go. I am glad that they haven’t done anything with Damon and Novak, I really like Novak. I can’t stand Damon.
I like how they have introduced Pascal. He is his own man and he is very different from Chief Boden. Time will tell if he is truly a control freak or not. This is the early stage of his time at 51 and it makes sense that he behaves as he does to get to know the people at 51 and how everyone operates. Hopefully he will ease up over time, but we will have to see.