Why Joe Miñoso Says Cruz Is "Freaking Out" Over Flaco on Chicago Fire
Miñoso told NBC Insider, "This has been probably Cruz's most controversial storyline..."
Few will deny that Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) has one of the sweetest hearts at Firehouse 51, but a darker decision from his past has recently come back to haunt him on Chicago Fire.
Fans cannot forget the shocking Season 1 moment when Cruz chose to leave gang leader Flaco Rodriguez (José Antonio García) for dead. It was an ethically grey and jaw-dropping moment, and just as Cruz believed that was all behind him, Cruz got a visit from Flaco's cousin and fellow gang member, Junior, 13 years later. Junior sought to settle the score by blackmailing Cruz with the knowledge of his role in Flaco's death, dragging the firefighter to a stash house in Season 13, Episode 9 ("A Favor") to do his bidding.
RELATED: How Flaco Rodriguez "Returned" to Chicago Fire to Haunt Cruz
By the end of Chicago Fire's midseason premiere, Cruz had narrowly escaped a brutal gang shoot-out that left Junior dead, Cruz wounded, and viewers downright gobsmacked.
Who was Flaco Rodriguez on Chicago Fire?
A ruthless gang leader and brutal criminal, Flaco was a Chicago Fire villain from Season 1. After Cruz learned his brother, Leon (Jeff Lima), was entangled with Flaco's street gang, the Insane Kings, he did everything he could to pull him out of that life. The gang's leader, Flaco, demanded an unrealistic payment from Cruz to relieve his brother, rendering Cruz helpless.
However, when Cruz later discovered Flaco fighting for his life inside a burning building, a grim opportunity presented itself to the firefighter. Instead of rushing to Flaco's side to help, Cruz announced the building was clear of civilians on his radio and shut the door behind him, leaving the gang leader to die. Cruz was left reeling by the harrowing decision, but throughout the years, he accepted it was his best bet for saving his brother.
Joe Miñoso talks about what Flaco's Chicago Fire "return" means for Cruz
By the end of Season 13, Episode 9, everyone with knowledge of Cruz's role in Flaco's death is gone, but the 51 fan favorite isn't out of the woods yet. Cruz is injured and acting erratically, and his colleagues and loved ones are beginning to notice his strange behavior.
"Season 13, for most of the characters, it's really kind of tracking ghosts..." Miñoso told NBC Insider ahead of the episode. "Everybody in their own way is sort of dealing with something from the past that is coming to haunt them."
On Flaco's "return" to Chicago Fire, Miñoso said, "I think it was such an incredible move on behalf of the writers and such a brave choice to revisit something from 13 years ago... This has been probably Cruz's most controversial storyline..."
He continued, "To be able to kind of come and revisit that has been such a joy...This is such a unique storyline for Chicago Fire... Street justice has a weird way of coming back at you, you know?"
"[Cruz is] freaking out," Miñoso explained. "He's going to be put in a position that he's gonna end up doing a lot of things that he's going to regret. And I think if you know anything about Cruz, he takes regret very hard. It's very hard for him to kind of deal with emotional demons, and so you'll get to see a lot of that unfold."
Find out what happens to Cruz next by watching Chicago Fire on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
