One Chicago crossover: The 5 most valuable characters
By Kari Highman
Chicago Fire‘s Joe Cruz
Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) may have had a rough season so far, but he’s next on our list of standout One Chicago crossover characters. While he didn’t have a lot of scenes compared to other Chicago Fire‘s characters, the ones he did have involved significant character development. Even if it wasn’t the development he wanted.
Cruz got the crossover’s semi-romantic subplot, with his girlfriend Chloe (recurring guest star Kristen Gutoskie) showing up at Firehouse 51 talking about going to the Oktoberfest parade. What she didn’t know, and what was quickly sussed out by his colleagues including ex-girlfriend Brett, was that Cruz had decided to ask Chloe to marry him!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. By the end of “Infection,” Chloe had returned to the firehouse in a much less happy mood. She had discovered Cruz’s plans to take her to a very expensive restaurant, and rather than be excited, she was now second-guessing their entire relationship. She told Joe they had rushed into dating, and broke things off with him without ever knowing he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
That was terrible for Cruz, especially with him still mourning the loss of his best friend, but that immediately became one of the One Chicago crossover scenes we won’t forget. It was meaningful because not only were our hearts breaking for him, but it showed that the usually freewheeling Joe Cruz was ready to grow up and settle down.
Elsewhere, he was present for a number of action scenes throughout the night, including helping Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) break into the panic bunker in David Seldon’s house so Chicago PD could question Seldon’s ex-wife. That ultimately led to information that proved valuable in catching Seldon, and Cruz was also the one who handed Upton the rifle she used to save Jay Halstead’s life.