[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Chicago Fire Season 13 Episode 9 “A Favor.”]
Chicago Fire‘s deep cut — bringing back a Season 1 storyline — is leaving Cruz (Joe Minoso) in quite the position.
Back in those early days of the NBC drama, Cruz left gang leader Flaco (José Antonio García) to die in a fire; he did it to protect his brother Leon (Jeff Lima). Flaco’s cousin, Junior (Richard Cabral), however, knows what he did and leverages it to force Cruz to help him get money back from the person who stole it, Moreno. But that goes sideways: Junior is killed, Moreno flees, and Cruz, with a gunshot wound to his arm, quickly gets out of there.
Below, Minoso teases what’s next for Cruz in the aftermath — including trying to keep it a secret from Severide (Taylor Kinney).
It seems like Junior being dead is the best-case scenario for Cruz in a way.
Joe Minoso: Yeah, I suppose.
But Moreno is still out there.
Yes, correct.
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How is he feeling about how everything went down and where he is in terms of that now?
The last thing I think you see in that episode is a man in a car whose mind is completely reeling and you are going to learn something — What I can say is [Episode] 10 is a direct cut from nine where you see Cruz sort of after this ridiculous shootout in this paint shop that almost cost him his life and definitely cost Junior his life… I think the last thing on his mind is Moreno, frankly. I think he’s so just in a state of shock at the events that have just occurred, that his priority quickly becomes, how do I just kind of shove all of this stuff that was in the closet back in the closet as quickly as possible and pretend nothing happened to get back to work?
And that is the worst idea that he could have had because he works with a fire cop. The guy is basically an investigator who cannot stop investigating at his own peril — which is a whole other thing that I love about Taylor. I did not think that Severide would ever sort of become an arson investigator, especially because of all the stuff that happened with his dad [Treat Williams‘ Benny] and how his dad was an investigator and all that. I’m so obsessed with the weird mirroring and daddy issue storyline thing that they’ve done with him and how he can’t help but jump headfirst into this arson investigation stuff. And so, yeah, he’s definitely going to suspect something. It’s going to be up to Cruz to keep that at bay and to make sure that Severide knows nothing, but let’s not forget he’s a fire cop.
Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Mouch (Christian Stolte) both pass their tests. There was the matter of the lieutenant’s test for Cruz last season. Is that going to come up for him again as he’s seeing people passing these tests and thinking about their futures?
I know that I can say that for me as an actor who’s been playing a character for 13 years, yes, I can’t help but have those thoughts. But I think if there’s anything that Cruz is realizing, it’s like we’re starting to get too many officers in this house. We’re at a point where there’s not enough seats to fill how many officers are either about to make it or could make it. I think he’s just super thrilled for specifically Mouch. Mouch and Cruz have a really special and interesting relationship. Let’s not forget that sort of the only person that Cruz confesses to in almost a literal confession scene is Mouch in Season 1 — or at least still left. He sort of told Casey [Jesse Spencer]. And so they have a very tight-knit bond. I know that it’s just such a point of pride for Cruz to see Mouch have achieved something so huge for someone who’s wanted it so bad. So yeah, I think, yeah, pride and joy for his friends is primary because he’s got a lot of other s**t on his mind. There’s a lot of other stuff going on in his life at that moment.
Peter Gordon / NBC
Speaking of that, Jack Damon (Michael Bradway) shows up at Severide’s arson class and we all know how Cruz felt about Jack Damon. So is that something else that’s going to be piling on that he has to think about or is that really separate, which is good for Cruz right now?
I’m so happy you brought that up. There was a great scene between me and Severide early this season — I think it was the third episode — where I kind of warn him about what you are willing to do for family and you don’t see it until you’re up against it and then it may or may not be the best move. And we knew this storyline was going to be coming up when we filmed [Episode] 3. And so we really tried to flavor that dialogue and that line with sort of a hinting at what was coming down the line, and who has more experience in getting themselves into deep s**t to protect their brother than Cruz? Damon is just a tough relationship to navigate, especially as somebody who, I think, deep down inside longs for family — I feel like Severide has really always wanted a big family. He is a family man, but he’s never really known how to express that. And to see that and to sort of see his relationship kind of becoming the relationship he had with Benny, all of that crazy sins of the father stuff, is so juicy. It’s so great. I think Damon coming around is never good news for Severide, but I think it’s always just about — it’s Cruz. He always has the best interest of the people that he loves in mind.
Yeah, I love that scene. I enjoyed all the Cruz and Severide stuff we got last season. I remember when Cruz really wanted to be on Squad before he was even on Squad. And to see how that relationship has evolved…
Yeah, I remember when I joined Squad, Severide was thinking about quitting and I go to his house to basically beg him to stay on Squad because the whole reason I wanted to join was to learn from him. So, yeah, it has been an interesting dynamic over the years. Especially since the [different] rigs — truck, engine, squad, and ambo — kind of live in separate universes a lot of the time. And so in the early years when it was Truck, it was Truck, when it was Squad, it was Squad, and we interacted every once in a while, but to be able to work with Severide now and to have grown to know him, Taylor specifically for so many years, has been a real joy. It has just been really great to learn him and grow with him, and it’s been a tremendous experience.
Chicago Fire, Wednesdays, 9/8c, NBC
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