Chicago Fire season 7 character review: Joe Cruz

What it means

Given that Cruz is mostly utilized in comic relief subplots on Chicago Fire, it was an interesting change to see that his biggest stories this season were a lot more serious.

Giving him the central role in the second crossover, in particular, was a different and fun choice. That’s something that another show might have passed off to a higher-profile character, but instead the Fire writers used it to provide more of a spotlight to Cruz. They even remembered his brother’s past with the police department—or maybe that’s part of why they chose him for this story.

However it came together, it was a wonderful opportunity for Joe Minoso to show off a broader range of his talent, and certainly great to see him reunited with Jeff Lima (though too bad it was only for one scene; there’s so much more that could’ve been done there).

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While his personal story was a little bit flawed—it felt slightly weird that in the middle of a fire was the time Chicago Fire chose to introduce his love interest—Cruz and Chloe quickly became this season’s Otis and Lily. They’re cute, charming and while their relationship doesn’t get a lot of development, they make a good match.

If nothing else, it was good to see Joe move on after last season had him awkwardly hung up on ex Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). Where will Cruz go next, though? That part’s a little harder to figure out since he seems to have everything neatly tied up now.