SHOCKING REVEAL: Firehouse 51 Gets a Major Makeover for Next Season!

Episode 20 of Chicago Fire's 13th Season, "Cut Me Open," featured Firehouse 51 on a skeleton crew, with Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) on a day off, Novak (Jocelyn Hudon) and Violet (Hanako Greensmith) at a convention, and Carver (Jake Lockett) still on part-time.

It appeared very much to be a preview of what next season looks like for the series, especially with the ominous reveal that cutbacks were coming. Still, it's not like anyone was written off the show during the episode, so it was pure speculation. But then comes this week's episode, "The Bad Guy," and suddenly it looks like not only do we have an idea of what Firehouse 51 looks like for Season 14, but a more definitive idea of how it gets there.

'Chicago Fire' Episode "The Bad Guy" Points the Finger at Pascal

The Bad Guy" kicks off at the firehouse with Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) discussing how they're still grieving over last week's events that saw them come yea close to adopting a baby before the mother changed her mind, and looking to focus on work to keep their minds off of it. On the opposite side, Herrmann (David Eigenberg) would rather not have to focus on work. More accurately, he'd rather not have to approach Pascal about getting a recommendation to be able to officially take the chief's exam, given how awkward their relationship has been of late, with Pascal already assuming Herrmann's being groomed for the job.

But when a call comes in, everybody has to focus on work, and the crew of Firehouse 51 heads to the scene of a car accident, where they discover that the man behind the wheel is one Robert Franklin (Matthew Collins). Ring a bell? It should – Franklin is the man who was the other party in the accident that claimed the life of Pascal's wife, Monica (KaDee Strickland). It could just be a coincidence, or even karma, but as witnesses explain what happened, it dawns on Severide that it could be something darker. Sure enough, Severide, who calls in Fire Investigation Captain Van Meter (Tim Hopper) to assist, finds that the fuel line has been cut purposely, in the perfect position to catch sparks from the catalytic converter and ignite. Worse, it's discovered that the tool that made the cut belongs to the Chicago Fire Department.

Severide already knows what Pascal is capable of, and he also knows that Pascal has expressed a personal vendetta against Franklin, but he keeps that connection from Van Meter, believing that it's all simply too obvious for Pascal to have done it himself. Severide learns that Pascal worked in Miami with a man named Hendricks, who had connections with the mob, and approaches Pascal about it. Pascal comes clean, saying that he only did so in an effort to expose Hendricks, but abandoned his investigation and moved to Chicago when it appeared that Monica's life was in danger after having learned from Hendricks' wife about her husband's criminal activities. As a result, it's entirely possible that Pascal is being set up by Hendricks after catching up with him, but it doesn't matter. Without an alibi and the evidence strongly against him, Pascal is walked out of Firehouse 51 by the CPD and Van Meter.

'Chicago Fire' Episode "The Bad Guy" Leaves the Exit Doors Open for Severide and Kidd

That shocking turn of events potentially leaves one door wide open, the one that allows Herrmann to ascend to Chief of Firehouse 51. The only obstacle between him and the chief's test, that letter of recommendation from his current battalion chief, was already taken care of by Pascal, who had heard about the requirement at headquarters and had the letter completed. Whether he did so prior to the events of the episode, did it because he suspected that he might get blamed for Franklin's accident, or did it because he did cause Franklin's accident is unknown, but it doesn't change the fact that the chief's chair sits vacant now, with Pascal telling Herrmann on his way out that he'd better be ready, because the firehouse is going to need him now more than ever.

And if Pascal is out, he may very well be taking Severide with him. Van Meter, with nothing but a glance, made it clear that he was less than impressed that Severide kept the Pascal/Franklin connection from him, and it could mean that he pays the price for having done so. What makes that possibility fascinating is the secondary storyline in the episode, the one that involves Kidd and Natalie (Ava Torres). After driving Natalie to St. Louis to move in with her mother. She takes Natalie in after discovering that her mother left without telling her, leaving Natalie all alone. It sets up a situation where Kidd and Severide take Natalie in permanently, and if that's the case, either the three exit the show to lead lives elsewhere, or Severide is reduced to cameo appearances going forward, assuming he's no longer at Firehouse 51.

'Chicago Fire' Episode "The Bad Guy" May See Carver Take Violet Out With Him

Both Novak and Violet are back, but Carver is not, and at this point it's unlikely he'll return at all, given that he and Ritter (Daniel Kyri) are already confirmed as not returning to the series next season. The question is if he will be taking Violet with him. Violet's romance with Flynn (Steven Strait) ends after she realizes he doesn't see or value her for who she really is, and in doing so confirms that she's in love with someone else (that's what she tells Flynn, at least, but we know who she's talking about, wink wink). If Carver doesn't come back, then another exit door is potentially left open for Violet should she choose to go where he is.

As it stands now, Ritter is the only character we know is leaving, but "The Bad Guy" hasn't provided a path out for him. It's a little unsettling, actually, that the fate of the fan-favorite character is so completely unknown, meaning whatever it is, a situation that sees him move away or one that sees him do so in a box, is going to happen quickly. And with nothing being said about new characters coming in to fill these vacancies for Season 14, the skeleton crew that held the fort in "Cut Me Open" might not look quite so skeletal after all, in comparison to what Firehouse 51 looks like when Chicago Fire resumes in the fall.