Chicago Fire: Everything to know about KaDee Strickland’s character and storyline

When KaDee Strickland first showed up in Season 13 of Chicago Fire, long-time fans weren’t entirely sure what to expect. Neither was she a firefighter joining the team, nor a short-term patient-of-the-week.

Instead, Strickland played Monica Pascal, the estranged wife of the newly introduced Firehouse 51 chief, Dom Pascal (played by Dermot Mulroney). She entered the show with quiet intensity and, within just a few episodes, made a bigger emotional impact than some characters who’ve been around for seasons.

Monica’s story wasn’t about sirens or explosions - it was about love, resentment, reconnection, and ultimately, loss. She brought something new to Chicago Fire - a deeply personal look at the emotional toll this line of work can have on families and marriages.

And while her screen time was short, her presence was heavy. If you blinked, you might’ve missed just how important she was to the story of Chicago Fire Season 13, as well as Dom’s character moving forward.

Let’s walk through Monica Pascal’s role, her history with Dom, and why her departure left such a lasting impact on Firehouse 51.

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KaDee Strickland’s character and storyline in Chicago Fire

1) The first time we meet Monica

Monica is first introduced to the audience, not at the firehouse, but in Dom’s personal life. She’s his estranged wife - already living in Chicago, and clearly, not thrilled to see him when he follows her there.

From the jump, it is apparent that their relationship is strained. Dom tries to pick up the broken pieces of their leftover relationship, but Monica, feeling extremely unwanted, even ended up changing the locks to their home. The subtext is loud: this isn’t just a couple going through a rough patch, but two people far too gone in their separate ways to mend their relationship.

Chicago Fire doesn't spoon-feed us exposition. Instead, you piece together what’s happened through glances, awkward silences, and short conversations that say a lot without spelling much out. Monica doesn’t yell, she doesn’t make a scene - she just...keeps her distance.

And that’s what makes her so interesting - she doesn’t play into the trope of the "nagging wife" or the "clingy partner". She's layered, she’s evidently hurt, and she’s trying to protect herself.

2) What went wrong between Monica and Dom?

Through their first few interactions in Chicago Fire, we get a glimpse into why things fell apart. Dom spent years working in Miami, clocking in endless hours, prioritizing his job over everything else, including Monica. Over time, it wore her down.

Monica eventually moved back to Chicago to be closer to her family, needing space and maybe hoping for a reset. But Dom’s decision to take a job in the same city, whether to patch things up or simply chase his career, threw everything into limbo.

They’re not quite separated...not quite together. Monica seems caught between wanting to move on and wondering if there’s still something worth saving. It’s a deeply relatable tension: how do you forgive someone who’s not a bad person, just a consistently absent one?

3) Building toward a reconnection

Over the next several episodes, Monica and Dom start talking more. Nothing dramatic, just cautious steps...a dinner here, a conversation there. Dom is trying, really making an effort, for the first time in a long while. And Monica, while hesitant, doesn’t slam the door in his face.

There are flickers of warmth - moments where you can tell they used to really love each other. They joke, they reminisce, you start to root for them - even if a tiny part of you wonders whether Monica is too good to go back to someone who took this long to show up emotionally.

But right when it seems like they might finally have a shot at starting over...tragedy hits.

4) The accident that changed everything

In Episode 15, titled “Too Close,” Monica gets into a car accident. It happens on the anniversary of her and Dom’s wedding, adding another gut punch to an already tragic moment.

At first, it doesn’t seem that bad. She’s alive, talking, and conscious - Dom rushes to her side, still wearing hope like armor. But then the doctors deliver the news: internal bleeding...and she doesn’t survive.

Her death is quiet - no dramatic music, no final monologue, just a man sitting beside the woman he didn’t get the chance to love and appreciate properly until it was too late.

5) How does Monica’s death hit Dom and everyone around him?

Monica’s passing absolutely wrecks Dom in Chicago Fire. He doesn’t fall apart immediately, but the change is noticeable. His focus shifts, and he becomes more introspective. You start seeing those cracks in his usual stern expression - just brief flickers of pain that say more than words could.

For a character who’d come off as tough, even distant, it’s a deeply humanizing moment. He’s grieving, but he’s also reckoning with guilt and regret - the sense that he got a second chance and wasted it by being just a little too slow to act.

Even Firehouse 51 feels it - the crew might not have known Monica well, but they know what Dom is going through. And for the first time, he stops being just “the new guy in charge” and becomes someone they understand and feel for.

6) Why Monica’s arc was so powerful

TV shows often struggle to portray realistic relationships, especially ones that are falling apart, but Monica and Dom’s story felt heartbreakingly authentic.

It wasn’t explosive or flashy - it was quiet, painful, and brimming with all the complicated feelings that entail an almost, but not quite broken relationship. Especially when one knows that they could have been better, someone whom their partner could have leaned on in times of need, but did not show up.

And Monica’s death didn’t just serve as emotional shock value; it became the defining moment of Dom’s first season on Chicago Fire. Her story wasn’t a subplot - it was the heart of his.

7) Will Monica return in flashbacks or memories?

While Monica is gone, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of her...the emotional weight of her character still lingers over Dom’s every move. There’s plenty of room for flashbacks - scenes that show what they were like before things fell apart, or even dream sequences where Dom replays conversations he never got to finish.

Whether or not she physically appears again, Monica’s presence will continue to shape who Dom is as a leader in Chicago Fire - and as a man.

Conclusion

Monica Pascal may not have spent much time on screen, but she changed the emotional fabric of Chicago Fire Season 13. KaDee Strickland brought grace, warmth, and quiet heartbreak to the role - and gave us a character who reminded us that the biggest tragedies aren’t always the loudest.

She didn’t just leave Dom behind in Chicago Fire, she left the audience holding its breath - and feeling a little more.