Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 2 Review: Ride the Blade

Dom Pascal remains mysterious on Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 2, “Ride the Blade.” 

More details are revealed about his return to Chicago after all this time, having to do with a conflict involving his wife, and most likely, something involving an affair. 

It’s not hard to put those pieces together with the way Dom reacts when he hears that Monica had spoken to the same familiar face he saw on the season premiere. It’s even more obvious when Dom shows up at the guy’s front door and punches him squarely in the stomach, telling him to stay away from Monica.

Some of this remains ambiguous, though, and it’s either great storytelling or too much build up — I can’t decide which yet. 

Setting up this backstory for Dom is useful, regardless. Replacing Boden is a big deal, so bringing in a character that’s already quite well-rounded and spending the time to make sure he’s complex will go a long way in allowing the audience to become invested in him. 

There isn’t quite as much interaction with the rest of the team on this episode, but he does continue the meetings with Severide, Kidd, and Herrmann, and he’s more of a micromanager with things like wanting to listen in on calls and know where the rigs are at all times.

He hasn’t caught on to the drama with Jack Damon, though. 

Damon fully disobeys Stella on a call in favor of working alongside Severide, ultimately causing some conflict between Sevreide and Stella. It’s all less dramatic than it could have been, and it would all work better had we been given more opportunity to see Damon and Severide bond. 

Otherwise, it’s a good storyline for all of them. It’s a new type of conflict for Stella and Severide that makes the fact that they are both leaders in the firehouse that much more interesting, something the show would do well to continue to capitalize on.

Damon asking Severide to keep something from Stella on his behalf is problematic, but it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal until Stella starts praising Damon and giving him the opportunity to train with Squad. 

What happens next reveals more about Severide than anyone else. Cruz is honest with Severide about his concerns, relating to the way he looked out for his own brother once.

Severide listens, really listens, and takes this all to heart. He admits he was wrong, tells Stella the truth, and then sets a meeting to talk with his brother about what needs to happen next. 

This speaks volumes about Severide’s leadership, his ego, and his relationships — not just with Stella but with Cruz as well. Cruz is the steady voice of wisdom here, which I also really enjoy. 

Meanwhile, Violet is still hurt because of Carver, who’s acting like a real jerk in a way that’s almost not believable. Locker room conversations reveal Carver has been spending late nights out drinking with the girl from the season premiere, who he knew in high school. 

There’s still some mystery here. His six weeks away did something to change him, and somehow, it has to be related to the trauma from his childhood and how that resurfaced at the end of last season.

Novak tries to get Violet to go out, have fun, and re-enter the dating world. Her fun-loving personality really is what Violet needs right now, even though her particular ideas of what’s fun don’t quite mesh. It makes for a great dynamic.

What did you think of this episode of Chicago Fire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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