Who else is totally excited that 51 is back? It’s been a long wait after we were left with several big cliffhangers from last season’s finale, and Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 1 started strong. The season premiere gave us all the answers we’ve been hoping for and more. A New Chief in the House on Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 1 Tonight, we met Boden’s replacement and the new chief in charge of 51.
Played by the incredibly talented Dermot Mulroney , Chief Dom Pascal dove right in and started shaking things up. During my interview with showrunner Andrea Newman , she told me that we might be surprised to see which firefighters took to Pascal right away and which ones pushed back against their new leader. Given her relationship with Boden, I knew Stella might be slow to warm up to the new chief.
I didn’t expect her to be outright combative against Pascal, though. Kidd, Mouch, and Tony were among those who had big feelings about the changes around the house. Meanwhile, Severide was completely unbothered, which was a little shocking.
The episode addressed the fact that Herrmann was told last season that upon Boden’s departure , he wanted to see Herrmann take over. I was glad they didn’t ignore that since it was such a meaningful scene. Herrmann isn’t ready for the job, and it basically comes down to the fact that he’s not qualified yet.
In a show of loyalty to 51, Mouch has decided not to take the lieutenant’s exam until Herrmann gets promoted because he does.