Chicago Fire season 13 episode 9 recap: Cruz's past comes back to haunt him

The firefighter was forced to confront a dark secret.

CHICAGO FIRE -- "A Favor" Episode 13009 -- Pictured: Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz
CHICAGO FIRE -- "A Favor" Episode 13009 -- Pictured: Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz

Chicago Fire has a lot of story to play with. The show has been on NBC for 13 seasons, and cycled through so many subplots and characters that it's anybody's guess where the writers will take things next. Case in point: the fall finale's decision to bring back a storyline from season one as a means of testing poor Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso).

The winter premiere, "A Favor," was destined to be a Cruz affair from the moment the midseason finale wrapped up. The character was confronted by Junior Polanco (Richard Cabral), the cousin of the late Insane Kings gang leader Flaco (Jose Antonio Garcia). Flaco tried to force Cruz's brother to remain a member of the gang, and Cruz responded by letting Flaco die in a building fire.

The problem is, Junior witnessed this less-than-moral act. He has dirt on Cruz, who is now married with two children, and he intends to use it. This is where "A Favor" picks up. Junior blackmails Cruz with the knowledge he has, and demands that the firefighter use the resources available to him to commit a crime. He even threatened Cruz's family if he didn't play ball. Naturally, Cruz agreed.

Chicago Fire episode 1309 spoilers ahead

Chicago Fire - Season 13
CHICAGO FIRE -- "A Favor" Episode 13009 -- Pictured: Richard Cabral as Junior Polanco

There was a brief respite for the character (and the audience) when he went back to Firehouse 51 and learned that Mouch (Christian Stolte) and Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) had passed their lieutenant exams! It was a nice moment, albeit one that was interrupted by an incoming call. The 51 team answered a call regarding a building fire, but when they arrived, they discovered that the man inadvertently responsible for the fire had been dead for days.

Cruz did not have time to reflect on this bizarre and somewhat sad discovery. He learned that Junior had gone to OFI, or Office of Fire Investigation, and asked that the case involving his cousin Flaco be given a second look. To make matters, worse, Cruz's buddy Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) was put in charge of the investigation. Not ideal.

Cruz agreed to team up with Junior and dress him up as firefighters in order to steal back a stash of money that the latter had put away before his prison stint. He ultimately changed his mind, though, after stealing equipment from 51. He confronted Junior and told him he refused to go through with the robbery. Unfortunately, Junior pulled a gun on him, and forced him to help anyway.

Cruz gets shot in the episode's final moments

Chicago Fire - Season 13
CHICAGO FIRE -- "Ride the Blade" Episode 13002 -- Pictured: Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz -- (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)

The two men entered the suspected location of the cash, but it turned out to be a set up by one of Junior's old cronies. A firefight ensued, and Cruz was hit amidst all the chaos. He managed to get away, but he left an absolute mess in his wake. He was bleeding from the arm, his fingerprints were littered throughout the crime scene, and he had no alibi.

The episode ended, shockingly, with little fanfare. Cruz sat in his car, and began to tear up, before the credits kicked in. No promo! There were a few stray details that occured throughout "A Favor," like the fun Mouch and Herrmann scenes, and the fact that Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) was MIA, but this was the Cruz show, and boy did it deliver. We can't wait to see how he navigates next week's episode.