Chicago Fire season 8 character review: Joe Cruz
How was Chicago Fire season 8 for Joe Cruz? We’re looking back at how Chicago Fire’s latest season went for Joe Minoso’s character.
As we continue to look back on Chicago Fire season 8, we’re breaking down the season for each of the show’s characters.
Did your favorite character have a good season or a bad season? What were their strong points and were there any weaknesses? Was the character affected by the show’s writing, or vice versa? Where could they go from here?
Check out our detailed character breakdown, and let us know your thoughts on how this season was for each character in the comments.
In this article, we’re profiling Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso).
What happened in Chicago Fire season 8 for Joe Cruz
Joe Cruz’s world changed completely this season, thanks to some incredible highs as well as some devastating lows. Most notably, Cruz was crushed by the death of his best friend Otis (Yuri Sardarov) in the season premiere “Sacred Ground.” The duo had been inseparable for the entire run of the show, so much of Cruz’s arc for the first part of the season had to do with Joe trying to deal with the loss.
Audience also saw the ripple effect that Otis’s passing had on the rest of Cruz’s life. He almost moved out of his apartment, but instead wound up finding a new roommate in paramedic Emily Foster (Annie Ilonzeh); Foster wound up clashing with Cruz when she took the place over for a party.
Cruz’s girlfriend Chloe (recurring guest star Kristen Gutoskie) even dumped him before he could propose to her, scared by Otis’s death and worried that she could lose Joe the same way. It took a conversation with Cruz’s friend and ex-girlfriend Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) to reassure her. After that, Chloe convinced Joe to propose again and accepted. The two tied the knot in the season’s penultimate episode “Light Things Up.”
And business-wise, Cruz hit a speed bump when he took the Slamigan to a convention, only to see a very similar product on the market. With some help from the Firehouse 51 crew, Cruz crashed the other company’s presentation and proved that his product was far superior. But even in that, he had a little bit of stress before he got to the happy ending.