Another season of Chicago Fire comes to an end on May 21 in the 2025 TV schedule, and the stakes for Firehouse 51 are as high as they've been at any point in Season 13. The penultimate episode (available streaming now with a Peacock subscription) ended with Pascal being marched out of the firehouse by the CPD, and that's not the only plot that needs to be addressed before summer hiatus kicks off. Fortunately, showrunner Andrea Newman spoke with CinemaBlend to shed some light on what's on the way.
The Season 13 finale is somewhat forebodingly titled "It Had To End This Way," and something tells me that the "End" isn't just going to refer to the current One Chicago season. Per NBC, Severide will put his job on the line to help Pascal, while Herrmann gets set for the Chief's test that could also affect Pascal's future – or lack thereof – at 51. Plus, even though Chicago Fire has been renewed for Season 14, this will be the last episode for both Jake Lockett and Daniel Kyri!
The most imminent crisis is almost certainly Pascal's situation, as he has been taken into police custody as the evidence mounted up that he's the one responsible for the attempted murder of the man who killed his wife. When I spoke with the showrunner, I noted that the writing seems to be on the wall for Dermot Mulroney as Chief Pascal, and she shared what kind of ally Severide will be for Boden's replacement in desperate circumstances of the Season 13 finale:
That Severide/Pascal relationship was one of our favorites of the season, because it started in a place where they bonded over the Bishop story, but it became clear to Severide that something shady might have gone on, that Pascal might have crossed some lines there. And that really, Monica is Pascal's Achilles heel. Somebody flirted with her, somebody messed with her, somebody shows up at her house, and Pascal maybe loses his mind, loses his judgment. Severide knows that very well.
While it took some time for Pascal and Kidd to find a groove with each other at 51, the new chief and Severide were on good terms from the start of Season 13 before bonding, as Andrea Newman noted, over the Bishop issue. The mess just got messier with the death of Monica.
Severide is familiar with having a loved one as an Achille's heel, however, so he can see where Pascal is coming from... to a certain extent. The showrunner went on:
And he has faith in Pascal, and he's trying to help him, but there's a nagging question underneath. Did Pascal do this thing and blow up this car? So he's struggling with that, while he also is doing his best and to get to the bottom of it. What the result is, is going to impact that relationship forever going forward.
The previous episode didn't exactly end with Van Meter thrilled with Severide, so it'll be interesting to see how welcoming the OFI team is to the Squad 3 lieutenant if he continues trying to investigate. It also remains to be seen just how long "forever" means when it comes to Severide and Pascal's relationship on Fire. After all, Pascal has crossed lines even if he didn't blow up the car, and Herrmann still seems to be in the running for the Chief gig at 51.
Then, of course, there's the question of how Chicago Fire will set up the departures of Carver and Ritter, with the looming exits of Jake Lockett and Daniel Kyri. Carver's exit is easier to speculate about, even without accounting for Lockett's message about the "honor" of working on Fire. The Truck firefighter has been through the wringer throughout Season 12 and Season 13, to the point of taking a long break.
Ritter, on the other hand, seems settled into his life in the Windy City at this point, complete with Novak as a new roommate. So, how will the long-running drama say goodbye? The showrunner of course didn't spoil exactly what's coming, but she did preview giving them endings that they "deserve" after their time at 51. She said:
There's so many mysteries to be played out with both those characters. How they're going to leave, and for how long, and are these things permanent? Are they temporary? Are they explosive-type endings, as we've tended to do? Or are they more emotionally centered endings? So those are all the questions, and we love these actors. We love Jake and Daniel with a passion, so we will do whatever we can to see them as often as we can, and to give them the big endings they deserve.
Many Chicago Fire characters are lucky enough to leave alive and well as their stories take them elsewhere, but there are cases like Shay and Otis who were killed off in explosive incidents. Should we be worried about Carver and/or Ritter in what may be their final episode of One Chicago? Well, the preview for the finale doesn't give away any details about either character, but it does give a taste of what's coming for Pascal. Take a look:
Check out NBC on Wednesday, May 21 at 9 p.m. ET for the Season 13 finale of Chicago Fire, between the Season 10 finale of Chicago Med with a "powerhouse" performance from Oliver Platt at 8 p.m. ET and the Season 12 finale of Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows will return to their usual Wednesday time slots when NBC's fall schedule picks up later this year.
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