Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 5 Review: A Bittersweet Goodbye
It’s a bittersweet goodbye for Joe Cruz on Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 5, “Three Hundred.” The milestone 300th episode of Chicago Fire centers largely on Joe Cruz (Joe Miñoso) and the events that lead to his exit, while also including a glimpse at how Firehouse 51 could move forward.
The good news is that Joe’s exit isn’t tragic. It’s actually quite fitting with his character and the path he’s been on for years.
He’s recovering well from his spinal injury, and with enough rehab, he’s told he could even be back on Squad within a few months.
However, this isn’t the first time Joe has been seriously injured on the job, and the consequences are different now that he has a family. Chloe expressed concern about his profession long ago, and while they came to an understanding back then, the arrival of two new baby girls changes things.
Chloe doesn’t want Joe returning to that kind of work. She needs his help in other ways; not to mention some relief of not worrying about his life. It’s little Otis’s response to the possibility of Joe returning to Squad that seems to do him in (and that hits a perfect emotional beat for the audience). He says, “Why can’t somebody else’s dad do it?”
Well, how is Joe supposed to go back to work on Squad after that?
Severide’s reaction to the news is heartbreaking, though somehow a little off at the same time. There are more layers to that relationship and to that decision from Cruz that should be clear from the way Severide responds, but instead, his response is a bit flat.
What should make that reaction more complex, in particular, is that Severide spends a lot of this episode fighting to allow Cruz’s spot to remain open for him at Firehouse 51.
Chief Collins is throwing his power around, and he wants Severide to reinstate McCaffrey. This clearly isn’t the end of any conflict with Collins, but at least for now, Mouch does a good job of negotiating in a way that works.
Still, I don’t trust this guy. It’s a familiar type of character on Chicago Fire at this point, too.
Meanwhile, Stella continues to work with the firefighter candidates, who are already showing more promise working together with McCaffrey out of the way.
On a suspenseful call, Firehouse 51 must deal with a fire after a hostage situation, one in which the man holding his family hostage sets himself on fire. While Burke shows a level of empathy and understanding in dealing with the man’s kids that reveals a lot about his character, Hollis is traumatized by the incident.
Burke reveals even more about himself by how he helps his peer through it, offering a tip he learned l about a cold washcloth. He has past experience and knows one practical trick to help with the thoughts Hollis is having, but that also suggests a lot more about his backstory.
We’ve seen a little, in a short clip at the end of a previous episode, and Stella notices he has skills in this area that aren’t taught at the academy.
This is a unique new situation for Stella to be in as well. Part of training the candidates becomes helping them work through their emotions after difficult calls. This won’t be the first time they’ll see something traumatizing or tragic. It makes for a nice moment in her leadership and for her character.
The episode ends on a goodbye to Joe, including a group photo, which feels all too appropriate. Before that, he has a moment at Otis’s memorial and reveals he will be borrowing Otis’s cane for the photo. It’s an emotional moment that pays tribute to Otis, and it works really well.
Then ending on that group photo, which then turns to black and white, is a clear goodbye to Joe Cruz. At least Cruz gets a happy ending, and one that feels appropriate for his character. He deserves that, though not having Joe Cruz on the show is certainly a huge loss.
What did you think of Chicago Fire Season 15 Episode 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.