What will Chicago Fire season 8 have in store for Joe Cruz? Look ahead as we preview Chicago Fire’s new season for Joe Minoso’s character.
With Chicago Fire season 8 coming in just a few weeks, it’s time once again to preview the new season for each character and look ahead to fresh episodes.
Where did your favorite character leave off when we saw them last? What are the big facts that fans need to remember before the season premiere? Where should they go next in season 8 for the best outcome? And is that where they’ll actually end up, or what direction is the show likely to take them in based on what we know so far?
Check out our detailed character preview, and let us know your thoughts on where you’d like to see each character go and why in the comments.
In this article, we’re profiling Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso).
Where we left off
Joe Cruz has always been part of the supporting ensemble on Chicago Fire, so it’s no surprise that he didn’t have a huge amount of plot points during the seventh season. But when he was actually in the spotlight, it was massive for him.
The second One Chicago crossover last season featured Cruz in a key role, as he was asked by the Intelligence Unit from Chicago PD to go undercover at another firehouse. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) believed that a firefighter was involved in their latest investigation, and enlisted a skeptical Cruz to search for the truth. Unfortunately for Joe, they turned out to be right.
After the situation worsened, with the firefighter being killed, Cruz was frustrated and even a little angry with Voight and company in the second part of the crossover.
The crossover was also important for Cruz on a personal level as Chicago Fire brought back Leon (Jeff Lima), his brother, to give Joe a heart-to-heart about undercover work. It was only one scene and didn’t really get as deep as it could, but it was still meaningful to not only see Leon back, but have him in a position where he was helping Joe instead of the other way around.
What should happen
Though Cruz’s biggest episode was the crossover, that storyline could still be mined for character growth as he heads into Chicago Fire season 8. He’s seen how firefighters can do bad things, even if they think they’re for good reasons; maybe he could develop some cynicism or self-doubt about the job, and have to find his passion for it again?
Leon Cruz’s guest appearance also reminded us how the relationship between the brothers still has a lot of life left in it. Aside from Leon’s early troubles with gangs, he hasn’t really been seen since, and that’s something that ought to change. There aren’t a lot of prominent sibling bonds in the One Chicago universe, except for the Halstead brothers.
The other brothers and sisters fans know about generally have been written out or faded away (see: Chicago Med‘s Noah Sexton or even Christie Casey). So why not bring Leon back more? He doesn’t have to be a prominent presence, but especially now that he’s turned his life around, it could be incredibly cool to see him around—especially if he’s supporting Joe through a rough patch like the aforementioned crisis of faith.
Then there’s Cruz’s friendship with Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney). Severide was outspoken last season about how valuable Cruz was to his team, but also fought with him, too. How about a bit more of them together?
Joe Cruz may not be the show’s biggest character, but Chicago Fire season 8 can still do a lot with him, if it wants to. Which leads us to one big logistical hurdle the writers may have to face.
What will happen
It’s a bit tricky to predict Joe Cruz’s future, because of one big off-screen development: Joe Minoso has another TV series. News broke recently that Minoso has a recurring role in the upcoming third season of EPIX‘s Get Shorty, which drops in October. That’s left everyone asking what that means for his time on Chicago Fire.
It’ll be impossible to tell—we don’t know when Minoso filmed/is filming his episodes, and being recurring could mean for as few as two or three Get Shorty episodes. So it could mean time away from Fire, and less screen time for Joe Cruz, or it could not. But if fans see less of him this season, there’s the probable reason why.
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Don’t get too down yet, though. The good part about Cruz not being a major character on Chicago Fire is that it provides Joe Minoso with a lot more schedule flexibility. It’s easier for the writers to work around him if necessary. So viewers might not even notice anything different, or if they do, it might be something as simple as “Cruz took a sick day” or “Cruz went on vacation with Leon.” It’s not that hard at all.
Given those two things, expect Joe Cruz to continue to be a supporting character this season, and be mostly used for comic relief. He has a ton of potential, but logistically, this wouldn’t seem to be his breakout year; that might have to wait a little while longer.
For the latest Chicago Fire season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago Fire category at One Chicago Center.