The heroes of Chicago Fire's Firehouse 51 sadly have not yet arrived on NBC this fall for Season 12, as the SAG-AFTRA actors strike continues even after the WGA writers strike was resolved. The network still has a One Chicago presence on Wednesday nights, however, with a rotating selection of repeats from the three shows. The most recent was Episode 17 of Fire Season 11, called "First Symptom," and my latest One Chicago rewatch left me impressed all over again by Joe Minoso's performance as Cruz... while also a little concerned about how the show could handle Severide's (presumed) return in light of it.
In "First Symptom," Severide was still off-screen for his arson investigation training to accommodate actor Taylor Kinney's leave of absence. When the episode first aired in March, there was no way of knowing that Kinney wouldn't be back as the Squad lieutenant before the end of the season, with the reveal of Severide's secret still more than a month away. At the time, Cruz's stress as he filled in as acting lieutenant was considerable, but seemed temporary. Now that I look back at how he rose to the occasion in Episode 17, I can't help but see a sticky issue when Severide comes back.
At this point, I'm going to assume that Taylor Kinney will reprise his longtime role in Chicago Fire rather than imagine the show without him permanently. At the same time, I can't imagine Cruz just returning to his previous role as part of Severide's team alongside Capp and Tony on Squad, and the natural next step in his storyline would be for him to pursue a lieutenant position.
But if Severide comes back and Cruz pursues the rank of lieutenant in Season 12, would that mean Joe Minoso would have to step back from appearing in as much of the show as he did in earlier seasons? This isn't a situation like when Stella lost out on the 51 spot to Lt. Pelham, who was an interesting addition to the firehouse... but also felt pretty temporary, with actor Brett Dalton never promoted to series regular. It felt inevitable that Stella would get the lieutenant spot on Truck 81.
The problem with a similar situation for Squad 3 is that neither Severide nor Cruz is a temporary character like Pelham, so the Stella/Pelham scenario wouldn't fit. This is the same issue that I see whenever I consider the idea of Jesse Spencer returning as Matt Casey full-time, perhaps if Brett accepts his proposal. Casey's departure is what opened up the lieutenant spot on Truck 81; if he came back to 51, either he would have to take a different role or Stella would lose her place as the officer on Truck.
The situation is more straightforward for Squad since Cruz isn't actually a ranking lieutenant at this point. Could Chicago Fire bring back Severide and then just settle Cruz back into his former role? Honestly, it's not out of the realm of possibility, as he was having a hard time being there for his kids while also juggling his new responsibilities as acting lieutenant. Still, it would feel like a waste of all of the character's work and growth (not to mention Joe Minoso's performance) if he just goes back to where he started.
On the whole, it's hard for me to decide where I want this storyline to go in Season 12, and I don't have a solution to the problem. I wouldn't want to lose Severide or Cruz, and I definitely would like to see Taylor Kinney back, but I also don't want Cruz to lose all of his development from his role as acting lieutenant of Squad. Unfortunately, the wait is still on to see what happens. Severide's status was still unknown at the end of Season 11, with Stella going off to find him as one of Chicago Fire's season finale cliffhangers.
For now, you can always join me in rewatching episodes of Chicago Fire on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, a.k.a. Chicago P.D.'s usual time slot. The next repeat, airing on October 25, will see Casey's return to Firehouse 51 and a reunion I'd been waiting for. You can also revisit Fire from the start streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
