Tonight on NBC Chicago Fire returns with an all-new Wednesday, May 21, 2025, season 13 episode 22 called, “It Had To End This Way” and we have your Chicago Fire recap below.
In tonight’s Chicago Fire season 13 episode 22 as per the NBC synopsis, “Severide puts his job on the line to help out one of their own. Kidd navigates Natalie’s complicated relationship with her sister. Herrmann prepares to take the Chief test.”
Tonight’s Chicago Fire season 13 episode 22 looks like it is going to be great and you won’t want to miss it. While you’re waiting for our recap, check out all our Chicago Fire recaps, news, spoilers & more, right here!
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In tonight’s Chicago Fire episode, Chief Pascal was detained for the attempted murder of Robert Franklin. Franklin was involved in a car accident that killed Pascal’s wife, Monica. Pascal pushed for charges that never materialized. The car accident was ruled accidental and Franklin was allowed to return to his normal life.
Something that Pascal resented. Pascal was still angry at the guy when Franklin got into a second car accident. This time it was less accidental and more deliberate. His car was tampered with. The person that did it had used a Chicago Fire Department issued screwdriver.
Naturally, the chief suspect was Pascal. He had means, motive, and opportunity. He’s been stalking Franklin since his wife died. He knew where he lived. He also knew he parked his car. The parking lot had no security cameras. Pascal could have easily have tampered with that car.
The only thing that stood out was the screwdriver. Pascal was a smart man and he would know not to use a screwdriver with CFD on it. He could have bought one. He could have stolen one. The screwdriver only makes sense if he either wanted to be caught or if someone was framing him for the crime.
Pascal crossed some dangerous people. He made enemies in both Chicago as well as Miami. What happened in Miami might also be used against him. Pascal went to work with a dirty firefighter.
He was secretly investigating Chief Hendricks and Hendrick got caught by another department before Pascal could reveal his evidence. It was an undercover mission. Pascal only told his wife. Monica told a firefighter buddy in Chicago about it. This buddy can corroborate that Pascal wasn’t working with Hendricks for cutbacks. He was doing it to take him down.
Hendricks was another suspect. He could have found out about Pascal investigating him. It doesn’t matter if it didn’t amount to anything. It just mattered that Pascal was willing to betray him.
This whole thing with Franklin could have been put into motion by Hendricks from behind bars. Pascal wasn’t sure if he wanted to open that door again and he has to now that Severide is involved. Van Meter found out about Pascal’s connection to Franklin. He was furious with Severide for not saying something upfront about it. He even threatened to charge Severide in connection.
Van Meter said Severide withheld evidence. He could be charged with accessory after the fact. He also lost some credibility with OFI because of this. It didn’t matter that Severide brought the case to OFI to begin with.
There could still be a case made saying that he wanted to know the truth in order to cover it up. Pascal was his boss. They weren’t buddies like he was with his last boss. Only Severide was loyal to the bone. He talked to Pascal. Pascal said this wasn’t him and Severide was willing to believe him. He was also going to bat for him.
Severide visited Bishop again. Bishop was in prison for being a dirty official himself. He knew about the Hendricks connection because he ran Hendrick’s side-business in Chicago for him. Pascal was released. He returned to the firehouse. They pulled off a daring rescue with a newly returned Damon and Carver.
Carver was done with outpatient treatment. He was back and being his old self. Violet mistook that as him being distant because she felt closer to him after the letter. She wrote a letter to him saying everything she wanted to say and couldn’t. And then she didn’t mail it.
She never gave Carver the letter. She got to say everything. She simply didn’t give him the chance to reply. After talking to her friends tonight, she decided to be brave. She left her letter on Carver’s windshield. She finally told him what she felt. He just never replied. He didn’t call or text.
He waited until the next morning on shift to tell her that he made a decision last week. He put in for a transfer to the Denver Fire Department. It would give him a fresh start away from all the temptations. He felt he couldn’t stay in Chicago nor did he ask Violet to come with him.
It said a lot without saying it out loud. They still worked together afterwards. There was a guy whose ceiling beam collapsed on him while he was fixing up the basement. Violet worked with Carver to save that man’s life. They wouldn’t let their feelings get in the way of the job. Severide also might be deluding himself about Pascal.
Severide had a friend in the State Police Department look into Hendricks’s connections in Chicago. Seven were in prison. Three were ruled out. Hendricks hasn’t called anyone in two months because he was dying from pancreatic cancer.
There was no point in Hendricks wanting revenge. Bishop may have implied differently because he was hoping for a lighter sentence. Hedricks’s wife however might be upset. She was good friends with Monica. She revealed information to Monica that she shouldn’t have.
There was probably a part of her that questioned if Monica betrayed that trust and Monica could have still been in contact with her. Pascal was chasing that lead when Natalie got some good news. Natalie has been staying with Kidd and Severide because she thought her sister didn’t want her.
Which wasn’t true. Julia does want Natalie. She had no idea her boyfriend was telling her sister she was unwanted or that Natalie tried to go live with their mom. Julia loves her. She kicked out the boyfriend. She talked to Kidd. She was going to work on her relationship with her sister and that was enough.
Pascal meanwhile looked through his late wife’s cell phone. He found out that Monica’s buddy earlier became obsessed with her. She told him to stop. Her husband told him to stay away. The guy was a firefighter and loved Monica enough to want to kill Franklin to avenge her.
Pascal figured it out the same time as Severide did. Severide calling the cops on Lieutenant Stephen Vale probably saved Pascal’s career. Vale didn’t hide the evidence. The cops had enough to charge him. Vale was facing a long sentence for a premediated crime. Severide returned home to see Natalie getting on better with her sister.
Kidd also had some good news to share. She was pregnant. They didn’t think they could get pregnant naturally. They looked into adoption and it fell through. And so this meant the world to the couple.
Herrmann also retired. He gave up his job so that Mouch becomes a lieutenant at Firehouse 51. He did it without telling anyone beforehand and his friendship with Mouch was so pure and good. Mouch couldn’t even be angry at him. Hermann could have gone after Pascal’s job when Pascal nearly lost everything, but he didn’t. He wasn’t that guy. He was the last of the great ones.
Carver later regretted his actions with Violet. He tracked her down. He told her he loved her. She told him she loved him and they finally kissed after months of anger and missed signals.
THE END!
