Mouch (Christian Stolte) has always been a reliable presence on Chicago Fire. He's comic relief, he's a sage advice giver, and paired with Herrmann (David Eigenberg), he's part of the most beloved duo in the entire One Chicago franchise.
Mouch's close brush with death a while back, however, has changed his outlook. The veteran firefighter has ditched the laziness and generally laid back lifestyle that defined him for decades, and moved towards a more active (and proactive) approach. He wants to exercise, he wants to be the first one to try something.
Mouch's promotion could mean a transfer
CHICAGO FIRE — "Ride the Blade" Episode 13002 — Pictured: (l-r) Christian Stolte as Randy "Mouch" McHolland, David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC) /
This is great for Mouch as an overall character, and it's a welcome change of pace given that he has more or less been the same guy for a decade. It does, however, pose some possible issues in terms of space. Firehouse 51 only has room for two lieutenants at a time, and the roles are currently being filled by Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney).
Mouch, however, decided to close out the Chicago Fire mid-season finale by taking the lieutenant exam with Herrmann. These two men are due in terms of a promotion, but if they pass, and wish to move up in terms of their career, then it's going to bring about some decidedly unfortunate talks regarding transfers.
The character could serve as a 51 back up
CHICAGO FIRE — "Birds of Prey" Episode 1306 — Pictured: (l-r) Jake Lockett as Sam Carver, Miranda Rae Mayo as Stella Kidd /
Assuming Mouch passes the exam (which, we won't know for sure until January), then he has a couple different directions he can go in. One, he can decided to pursue a career as a lieutenant, which would likely mean that he would get transferred to another firehouse. Needless to say, this would be a huge bummer for everybody who watches Chicago Fire. Less Mouch means less fun.
There simply isn't enough room to promote everybody and keep everybody at Firehouse 51. The same goes for Herrmann, who previously shyed away from taking the exam. There is good news, though. If we are to assume that Mouch simply wanted to prove himself by passing the exam, and wants to merely serve as a back up lieutenant, then everybody can effectively stay put.
Stella Kidd has been circling the idea of having kids, and if she were to get pregnant in the near future, she could need someone to fill in during her absence. This could be a narrative instance of the show having its cake and eating it too. With Kidd briefly MIA, and Mouch filling it, proving he can do the job well, then the characters and the fans will be happy. We're curious to see which path the writers take.
