The veteran firefighters are currently on opposite paths.
Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) and Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) are on different wavelengths in season 12. They’ve been friends for the bulk of Chicago Fire, but the first couple episodes of the season saw them at each other’s throats. Cruz criticized Severide for abandoning Firehouse 51, and Severide criticized Cruz for not stepping up and doing his job as well as he should.
Things reached a boiling point when Cruz asked to be transferred to another firehouse. Things blew over, eventually, and the two men made up, but they haven’t been as buddy buddy in the episodes that have followed. There’s also been a noticeable shift in terms of how the Fire writers are framing their narratives.
CHICAGO FIRE — “Something About Her” Episode 12009 — Pictured: (l-r) Taylor Kinney as Kelly Severide, Tim Hopper as Van Meter — (Photo by: Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC) /
Severide is finally getting his momentum back after a year of being hot and cold with the rest of the firehouse. He missed several episodes, but now that he’s present on a consistent basis again, he’s resembling the character we’ve known and loved. Him and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) are on better terms, and he’s done a good job of holding the chief position down while Boden (Eamonn Walker) is on leave.
Cruz, on the other hand, is struggling. The firefighter had to contend with extortion, when a man claiming to be the uncle of his adopted son, Javi, showed up and threatened to expose him. Cruz was able to figure out that the man was a fraud, but it still traumatized him and the rest of his family. The synopsis for upcoming episodes notes that Cruz’s marriage is going to be hitting an all-time low.
CHICAGO FIRE — “Inside Man” Episode 12011 — Pictured: David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann, Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz — (Photo by: Adrian Burrows/NBC) /
Severide’s marriage is on the mend, Cruz’s marriage is on the rocks. One has been promoted, the other is struggling to balance his work and personal life. It’s encouraging to some fans to see the Cruz drama take center stage, because it means that Severide and Kidd are likely going to be on good terms for the rest of season 12.
Unfortunately, it means that Cruz may also consider leaving the firehouse and deciding to spend more time with his family. The idea of him leaving has already been teased this season, and while we hope it isn’t true, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it come to fruition.
Severide and Cruz are not as close as they once were, but it mainly stems from the different places they are in their respective lives. If Cruz sticks around, we feel confident the two men could revive their friendship in season 13.