Season 13 of the firefighting show saw some other members of Firehouse 51 set out to advance their careers. After a number of previous attempts, this season saw Herrmann (David Eigenberg) pass the captain’s test. We have also had the joy of seeing Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte) pass his own test as well. Cruz had previously opted against taking the lieutenant’s test, and there is a chance for him to do so this season. Is it an opportunity the firefighter is likely to take? Speaking with ScreenRant in an interview, Miñoso revealed that recently becoming a father is likely to hamper that career move, saying:
“I think, especially after becoming a father and now really having a taste for leadership, he’s been the acting lieutenant on Squad 3 for a couple of years now, that’s always in the back of his mind, especially as a father who has to take care of two kids who will hopefully end up going to college one day. Money is always a thing he’s thinking about, but I think, right now, there was some great stuff between Severide and Cruz early on in the season that I think brought them closer together.”
Cruz Can’t Be Separated From Family
As previously stated, family is a big factor for Cruz, and wherever he finds it, the experienced firefighter is more than happy to stay. Taking the lieutenant test and passing will likely see Cruz departing Firehouse 51, and with how Cruz views the members of his firehouse, he won’t easily separate from his family. Miñoso explains, saying:
“I think Cruz just wanted to feel in that moment when he was talking about taking the test and leaving the firehouse. I think he just wanted to feel needed or wanted. He felt a little bit like he was disrespected for the work that he did when Severide wasn’t around. He feels that those wounds have mended between him and Severide. Right now, he’s, I think, happy to stay. He’s a family guy. He loves his family, he loves to be around his family, and 51 is, without a doubt, his family.”
Cruz’s Season 1 decision to let Flaco perish in a blaze was unearthed when the gang leader’s cousin, Junior (Richard Cabral), was released from prison. With his attempt to try and cover his tracks blowing up in his face, Cruz is worried about keeping his secret from his friend, Taylor Kinney‘s Lieutenant Severide. “And that is the worst idea that he could have had because he works with a fire cop,” Miñoso says of Severide. “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.”
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays on NBC. Stream past episodes on Peacock.
