Firehouse 51 is called out to a suspicious car accident, and that brings OFI on the scene. Meanwhile, Kidd bonds with Natalie. Chicago Fire season 13, episode 21 is full of excitement and tension.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Chicago Fire season 13, episode 21.
The penultimate episode of Chicago Fire season 13 takes us back to a previous heartbreaking storyline. It's all about the Pascal family. When the man who was involved in the same accident that killed Monica Pascal is involved in another car accident that may have involved a tampered fuel line, all eyes are on Chief Pascal.
Of course, OFI and Severide will want to get to the bottom of this, especially since he knows that Pascal may have a history of this type of tampering. Join us on the journey to find out how it all plays out.
Kidd struggles to deal with the failed adoption in Chicago Fire
The episode picks up off the back of the previous episode, when Kidd and Severide just lost out on adopting a baby. Kidd doesn't blame the birth mom for wanting to be a mom, but that doesn't mean she doesn't hurt. Severide always has the right words, as he tells that "makes me sure we're doing the right thing" when it comes to the feeling of how bad it hurts.
At the firehouse brings the relationship drama, though, as Ritter shares that his date didn't happen. The guy he was meant to be going on a date with had the "perfect parking spot" outside of his building. I guess that's the guy version of "I need to wash my hair."
At the same time, it turns out that Herrmann has a bit of a roadblock to take the chief exam. A firefighter needs to get a recommendation from the battalion chief, which is going to be difficult to get for Herrmann, considering he wants to replace his own battalion chief. Herrmann should have just asked, because Pascal had already heard about it at HQ and already wrote the reference for him.
The first call of the shift brings us the big call of the night. It's a car accident that involves a car on fire. Firehouse 51 manages to get the victim out, which is when they realize they're dealing with the man involved in the death of Monica Pascal.
Natalie turns to Kidd for help in Chicago Fire
Meanwhile, Severide is still at the site of the accident. The witnesses say that the fire started before the crash, so he wants to check it out, and that means he calls Van Meter in. Sure enough, there's a spot on the road with gasoline on it, and that means the car had a fuel leak. It doesn't take long for Severide to find a hole in the fuel line. Photos help to prove the hole was deliberate placed there, and that would have caused fuel to spray on the catalytic converter, leading to the fire. This was attempted murder.
Severide knows that he has to see Pascal about this. In some good news, Severide didn't tell Van Meter about the connection to Pascal, and he won't if Pascal has an alibi. The problem for Pascal is that he says he was home all night, and he was alone. He claims he has nothing to do with it, but the evidence is already against him. It's no secret that Pascal has motive.
Violet gets some local fame
Back at the station, Damon brings up the article about Violet in the local paper. While Carver is away getting the help he needs, he sees the piece and texts Violet about it. I wish I could see this working out, but we know that Jake Lockett won't be in the next season. Flynn also turns up at the firehouse, sharing that there's a medical examiner that works with the law firm who wants to talk with Violet. Duty calls, though, but she will chat with the doc.
Natalie also returns, sharing that she lied about her sister because both her sister and the sister's boyfriend want her out of the house. Natalie wants to get back to her mom in St. Louis, who is doing better and can support her. That's something Kidd can help with, and it looks like there's a road trip coming up.
Van Meter finds something else in the car that could have punctured the fuel line. Sure enough, it's a tool that belonged to the Chicago Fire Department. This tells Van Meter that the perp is one of their own, and with that Chicago PD needs to be called in. Naturally, Kidd suspects that it's Pascal, but Severide isn't ready to accept that. Could someone else have set him up? Severide knows a guy with a grudge that would do that.
Severide wants to get answers about a man with a grudge
Novak and Violet are called out to a patient in a park. It turns out he ran full pelt into a water fountain, leading to some serious abdominal and chest injuries. Once again, Violet proves how damn good she is at her job. After that, Violet talks to the doc, who isn't recruiting Violet to be an expert witness. Instead, it's to recruit her for a medical program, but that's not someting Violet is interested in. Does Flynn know that? It sounds like he expect Violet to be someone she isn't, which isn't all too surprising.
Meanwhile, Severide heads to prison to talk to the man with a grudge. Finally, everything in Miami starts to come up, something that was mentioned at the start of Chicago Fire season 13. It turns out that Pascal isn't as squeaky clean as he allows people to believe, but I think we all knew that, didn't we? There is certainly plenty of damning evidence in reports.
On the road trip, Natalie thinks back to the fire when she and Kidd met. All Natalie remembers is the smoke, grabbing a picture, and running to the closet to get away from the smoke. Kidd saved her, and that's what drew Natalie to Kidd to the firehouse again. If Kidd saved her once, she'll do it again.
After Kidd pulls up to the apartment, Natalie makes it clear she doesn't want Kidd to come in with her. Naturally, Kidd is worried. Natalie texts Kidd to say that she got in, but if you ask me, that text came way too quickly. Yet, Kidd believes it and drives off. This is sure to come up again.
Violet questions Flynn's actions in setting up the interview, and that's when it all comes out. He thinks she would make an amazing doctor, and while that's certainly true, Violet has never wanted that. She's always been pushed into the doctor route, but she wants to be a paramedic. The minute Flynn said he thought Violet could be so much more, Violet realizes who he is. He doesn't see her for who she really is, and she ends things. As Flynn leaves, she also admits that she's in love with someone else. I get a sense that Flynn is going to turn into the bad guy he doesn't want to be viewed as.
At Pascal's place, Severide pays his chief a visit. It turns out that Hendricks, who Pascal used to work for, had been fixing things for the mob. Pascal knew all about it, and all he can say is "I did it all for Monica." What exactly happened in Miami? We're about to get some answers.
It turns out that Pascal bailed on his investigation, because Monica was terrified of Hendricks and what he would do. With someone working with the mob, that's not surprising, and of course Monica was going to move back to Chicago. We get a great flashback, which brings Monica back to the story, as she finds out that Pascal was trying to bring Hendricks down. The problem now is that it looks like Pascal worked with Hendricks, and that makes him a risk in this case. There may be one person who could tell the same story.
It turns out Lieutenant Vale may have the information. He still says that his relationship with Monica was just a friendship, and she did confide in him about what happened in Miami. Well, Vale is honest and praises Pascal. He didn't do anything fishy.
The end of the episode sees Kidd still in St. Louis, as she couldn't quite leave. it's a good thing, too. Natalie comes out of the apartment building crying. Kidd doesn't need to talk about it right now. All she wants to know is that Natalie is safe. Well, Natalie shares what happened. Her mom doesn't live there, with the neighbors saying she may have moved to Florida. Now Natalie has nobody.
Or does she? I still think Kidd and Severide should take her in during the Chicago Fire season 13 finale.
Back at the firehouse, Pascal is being taken in by the police. Van Meter is clearly not happy that Severide kept information from him, but will this take Severide down as well? And what will happen ot Firehouse 51 with all this? What a way to go into the Chicago Fire season 13 finale!
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
