Why This Chicago Fire Plot Has Some Fans Furious

Summary

  • Chicago Fire
    It has so many fantastic stories and others that have pushed fans to the limit.
  • Joe and Chloe have become a near-perfect couple, beloved by fans.
  • While the rift that developed in their relationship seems logical, fans felt it was unnecessary given their history.



from NBC Chicago Firestarted in 2012, is known for its intense fires, big explosions and daring rescues. The show also tells powerful stories about finding a family, overcoming obstacles and falling in love. It's the love stories that fans tend to gravitate towards, and Chicago Fire has had a lot of really great storylines, from paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) and fire captain Matt Casey (Jesse Spencer) finally getting together to firefighter Randall “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte) finding love later in life with Trudy Platt (Amy Morton), a police sergeant Chicago Police Department — so it's always tough when a fan-favorite couple starts causing problems in their relationship.


Chicago Fire concluded its 12th season on May 22, 2024. Cut short due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, the season ran for just thirteen episodes. In that short time, viewers saw cast members come and go and watched characters face obstacles both professionally and personally that pushed them out of their comfort zones. Most of what happened in season 12 was well received by viewers, but when Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) and his wife Chloe (Kristen Gutoskie) began having marital problems, fans really struggled with it.


Who is Joe Cruz in Chicago Fire?

  • Joe Cruz isn't the only one who met his wife thanks to Firehouse 51. Joe Miñoso, the actor who plays Cruz, met his wife, a makeup artist, on the set of Chicago FireThey got married in 2016.

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When Chicago Fire In the beginning, Joe Cruz was the driver of Ladder Truck 81 under the leadership of Matt Casey. Eventually, after completing additional training, he was transferred from the truck to Squad 3, where he is part of the team of heavy-duty rescue experts led by Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney). In season 11, when Severide went to Atlanta for arson investigation training because Kinney was taking a break from the show, Cruz became the temporary lieutenant of Squad 3 and impressed everyone with his leadership skills.

In the early seasons of Chicago FireCruz dated Zoya (Larissa Polanski), the barista cousin of Cruz's best friend Brian “Otis” Zvonecek (Yuriy Sardarov), and even offered to marry her so he could stay in the country. He also briefly dated Sylvie Brett, though they decided they were much better as friends. In season 7, episode 2, “Going to War,” Cruz met Chloe Allen at an apartment building fire. After saving her life, Chloe went to the firehouse with some cake pops she had made for Joe, and he asked her out on a date. The rest, as they say, is history.


Joe Cruz and Chloe Cruz had a beautiful relationship

  • Out of Chicago FireKristen Gutoskie appeared in Beaver Falls, Containment, the Vampire Diariesand Hulu The Handmaid's TaleGutoskie is also a talented singer and is working on her first album.

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Once Chloe and Joe started dating, things seemed to be going well for both of them, but in Season 8, Episode 5, “Buckle Up,” just as Joe was about to propose, Chloe ended the relationship. After Otis' death earlier in the season, Chloe watched her friend and Otis' girlfriend Lily struggle with his death and began to worry that she wouldn't be able to handle dating a firefighter. A conversation with Sylvie Brett changes her mind, and by the end of the episode, Joe and Chloe are engaged. They get married in Season 8, Episode 19, “Light Things Up,” with most of Station 51 in the audience or standing at the altar with them.

While Joe and Chloe hit a bump in the road early in their relationship, much of the rest of it was perfect. After their beautiful wedding in “Light Things Up,” Chloe got pregnant in season 9 and gave birth to their son, Brian “Otis” Leon Cruz, in season 10, episode 5, “Two Hundred.” It was one of the few births on Firehouse 51 that didn’t have any complications, which surprised both the characters and fans. Then, in season 10, episode 16, “Hot and Fast,” Joe builds a bond with Javi (Carlos S. Sanchez), an orphan he meets at a fire who comes to stay with Joe and Chloe. In season 10, episode 9, “Nemesis,” Joe and Chloe are finally able to adopt Javi, officially making him part of the family.


What happened in Chicago Fire season 12?

Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz turns away from the camera while talking to Kristen Gutoskie as Chloe Cruz in Chicago Fire

  • Chicago FireSeason 12 saw the return of Taylor Kinney from her hiatus at the end of season 11, which excited fans. It also saw the departure of two fan favorites: Kara Killmer, whose character Sylvie Brett married Matt Casey and moved to Portland, and Eamonn Walker, whose character Wallace Boden was appointed to a higher-level position, making it impossible for him to remain at Firehouse 51 any longer.

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Although viewers didn't see Chloe until Season 12, Episode 12, “Under Pressure,” she's a topic of conversation for Joe and Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) all season. Cruz reveals to Herrmann that he's taking fewer shifts because Chloe is traveling for work and wanted him to spend more time at home, and that they're talking about couples therapy. Herrmann tells him to seek therapy to save his marriage, and Joe does, but things come to a head in “Under Pressure” when Joe is taken to the hospital after collapsing at the scene of a fire. Although he's doing fine, the trip to the hospital scares Chloe, who finally admits that she's been struggling with the risks he takes at work and has distanced herself from Joe and the firehouse.


While some fans found their relationship issues believable, many struggled with the episode because of the return of Chloe's old fear that had seemingly been resolved before they got married. The episode's promotion led fans to believe that Cruz might leave, which certainly didn't help, nor did Chloe and Joe's many relationship issues that were happening off-screen. Perhaps if fans had seen Joe and Chloe having problems at home or even attending couples therapy, it would have felt different, but instead, their marital conflict felt abstract and unnecessary, and centering an episode around it felt forced. Joe and Chloe have long been a solid couple, and fans didn't want the writers to do anything to change that.

What does the future hold for Joe and Chloe?

Joe Miñoso as Joe Cruz stands behind Kristen Gutoskie as Chloe Cruz while working on the computer in Chicago Fire


  • Filming for Chicago FireThe 13th season of is already underway and the show is expected to have 22 episodes. It will return, along with Chicago Med AND Chicago Police DepartmentSeptember 25th.

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At the end of Season 12, Episode 12, “Under Pressure,” two good things happened for Chloe and Joe. First, Chloe made an effort to show up at Firehouse 51 to say hello to Joe's coworkers. Joe was excited to see her because it meant she was willing to meet him halfway when it came to his job. The second thing that happened was that Chloe ended up talking to the woman Joe had saved from a fire before he collapsed earlier in the episode. She had brought a thank-you gift for Joe, a sketch of him in his firefighter helmet, and she shared with Chloe how grateful she was. It was a moment that obviously reminded Chloe how important Joe's job is, and it seemed to help her understand why he does what he does a little better.


With season 13 on the horizon, there is a lot that Joe and Chloe could be dealing with, and it is likely that they will continue to overcome this obstacle in their marriage. Joe and Chloe's time away from the firehouse will likely include their two boys, Javi and Otis. While fans don't yet know what the future holds for the Cruz family, there is a lot of potential ahead. After leading Squad 3 while Severide was out, Joe knows what it feels like to take on a leadership role, which could continue to change the way he does his job at Firehouse 51. While he chose not to take the lieutenant's exam in season 12, that could change in season 13 as well. Fans are hoping that Joe and Chloe's marital woes won't continue and that they will get to see them return to the happy couple they were, and maybe even get to see Chloe be around the firehouse more. Joe and Chloe's relationship has always been strong, and fans are hoping that continues in the upcoming season.


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