For months, speculation has circulated that Yuri Sardarov could be returning in the Chicago Fire 300th episode as part of the show’s planned sendoff for Joe Minoso.
It all began when a casting call was put out for a stand-in for the character of “Otis,” with the show reportedly looking for an actor whose build matched that of Sardarov’s. The casting call went out the same day a casting call was put out for stand-in roles for Archer and Javi, two characters who had been confirmed to appear in the episode, thus indicating that the Otis stand-in was set to appear in the same episode of the show.
In the weeks that followed, reports circulated that the 300th episode would feature a surprise return. While sources opted not to reveal the identity of the actor seen on set filming for the episode, the timing of the report aligned with the casting call, which seemed to further hint that an Otis cameo was in the works. Then Minoso began stirring the pot by sharing a number of fan-edited videos celebrating Otis and Cruz’s friendship on his Instagram account out of the blue right around the time he was filming his final episode.
The evidence speaks for itself and suggests that we could very well see Sardarov back for his first appearance as Otis since season 8, but thus far nothing has been confirmed by the actual creative team. In fact, Chicago Fire’s showrunner has even stated that there are no guest cameos coming in the episode.
While we’ll have to wait to see if Chicago Fire actually manages to sneak in a cameo from Sardarov somewhere in the 300th episode of the show, it seems that Otis will be a part of the milestone celebration, even if not via an on-screen return for the character.
In the official promo for Minoso’s final episode, there is a moment early on in which Cruz joins his Firehouse 51 colleagues outside of the firehouse as they come together to take a group photo. Given that everyone is wearing their dress blues, it’s clear this scene comes after some sort of formal ceremony at the firehouse, and the photo is taken to commemorate the event.
As eagle-eyed fans might have noticed, in this clip we see Cruz standing on his own following his accident and using a cane to get around now; however, it’s not some random cane that Cruz is using in that particular moment. While photos from the episode (such as the one above) see Cruz using a standard-issue silver medical cane in several scenes, the cane he’s using in the clip where the group photo is being taken is the one that belonged to his late friend, Otis.
Fans will recall that back in season 6, Otis was shot during a call, leaving him temporarily paralyzed and facing an intensive recovery. As he regained the ability to walk, he relied on his cane to help him get around, and when he finally was able to hang the cane up, his family at Firehouse 51 marked the occasion by mounting the cane and displaying it at 51 as a reminder of his strength and resilience.
In Chicago Fire season 15, episode 3, Herrmann gifted the cane to Cruz in an effort to help break him out of his rut and encourage him to keep fighting, just as Otis had those years ago. Herrmann’s efforts gave Cruz the kick he needed to get back into therapy, and his hard work has now paid off, as evidenced by Cruz regaining the ability to walk with the assistance of the cane.
Seeing Cruz bring out Otis’s cane for the group photo is such a small yet powerful gesture, one that serves as a beautiful reminder that while Otis might no longer be physically present at Firehouse 51, his memory and legacy will always be a part of the family.
Chicago Fire's 300th episode airs Wednesday, November 4, at 9/8c on NBC!
Add us as a preferred source on Google