Chicago Fire said goodbye to Dermot Mulroney. But is he gone for good?
The March 11 episode of Chicago Fire began with the news that Chief Dom Pascal had been terminated.
Too many times, Pascal had bucked authority. And the brass was ready to move on.
Pascal got arrested during the crossover event. He impeded a federal investigation, giving his superiors one more thing to hold against him.
Much of the new episode focused on Pascal wrapping up his duties. That included key moments with most of the other main characters.
But the episode also ended with a ray of hope. Did Mouch convince Pascal he should keep trying to be a firefighter?
Is Dermot Mulroney leaving Chicago Fire for good?
“He’s been on the ropes,” Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider about Dom Pascal.
“[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,” she continued.
“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,” she also teased.
The door appears open for Mulroney to return as Pascal. But it won’t be soon. Instead, Rob Morgan joins the Chicago Fire cast as Battalion Chief Hopkins.
Hopkins will make his presence felt at Firehouse 51 soon, and that will likely last until the current season’s finale.
Regarding Mulroney, he is also starring on The Hunting Wives as Jed Banks. His character is married to Margo Banks, played by Malin Akerman. He had to step away from Chicago Fire for a bit to film the other show.
For now, we will consider Mulroney’s absence from the Chicago Fire cast to be temporary. Characters frequently leave Chicago only to return later. This could all work toward a dramatic return in the spring season finale – much like how Patrick John Flueger just returned as Officer Adam Ruzek on Chicago P.D.
But it’s also possible we have seen the last of Pascal at Firehouse 51. That would be a sad turn of events, but such is the life of someone working for an ensemble cast.
More from the One Chicago shows
Previous Chicago Fire episodes featuring Dermot Mulroney as Chief Dom Pascal are streaming on Peacock.
Older episodes of Med and P.D. are also available on Peacock.
