Chicago Fire Season 15's Brutal Opening Sets Up Original Character's Exit

All summer, Chicago Fire viewers have been left with one major question. They've needed to know what would happen to Firehouse 51 members after that building fire that put almost all lives on the line. With the news that Joe Minoso was being written out of the One Chicago show after 14 seasons, eyes were on whether he would die. After all, it's not unusual for Chicago Fire to shock viewers with a death.

The show wasted no time in getting into the details, picking right back up with the building fire to give everyone the outcome. As Severide and others helped to get Mouch out from where he was trapped, Cruz and Herrmann worked on getting other victims out who were trapped in another room. As the fire blazed out of control and collapsed, the scene cut to three months later to give us all the details.

In some good news, Cruz is still alive, and it makes up for the lie in the Chicago Fire season 15 poster. However, he has been injured severely, and this sets up his entire exit arc. There is no coming back from this, and Chicago Fire has a chance to highlight a very real and scary prospect for firefighters. While so many people will focus on the risk of death, there is also the risk of injury that leads to them no longer being able to perform their duties.

The One Chicago show now has a duty to focus on this arc. This is a series that has delivered miracles in the past, so as not to lose series regulars. However, with Minoso coming out of the show, there's a strong chance that one major mistake can be avoided to craft one of the most poignant and emotional exits Chicago Fire has ever delivered.

How Chicago Fire Handled the Building Fire

The Chicago Fire season 15 premiere opened with the building fire that had everyone talking about all summer. There were plenty of questions about who would live and who would die, and when both Minoso and Mulroney were confirmed to be leaving, eyes were on them.

In the end, neither of them died and that was expected after Minoso seemingly shared some Chicago Fire season 15 spoilers during the summer, but that didn't mean they made it through unharmed. Joe Cruz was caught out as the building collapsed on his back as he made his way through a hole he created in a wall. It was the only way to get to people trapped inside the fire, but he couldn't get to the two victims in time.

Cut to three months later, and Chicago Fire season 15 made it clear that the show was not going to take the easy way out with this arc. Cruz had been left paralyzed, and while there is some hope that he could get feeling back and walk again, it doesn't look like he'll ever be a firefighter again.

While Cruz dealt with what his injury would mean, Herrmann avoided the hospital and Cruz's home as much as possible. He was there when the building collapsed, and felt guilty for not being the one to crawl through the hole. The series creates a survivor guilt type arc for one of the eldest members of the firehouse.

What This Means for Cruz Moving Forward

While many feared that someone would die, Chicago Fire has brought a much more powerful storyline by paralyzing Cruz. This sets up his exit perfectly, making it clear that he has to deal with a lot more than fear of how the job may take him from his family. Firefighting has been his whole life, and he has routinely put himself in harm's way to save victims. This isn't the first brush with death he's had, with many fearing the worst when the Chicago Fire season 9 finale left Severide, Cruz, Capp, and Tony trapped in a sinking boat.

Now, the One Chicago series has a chance to showcase what it's like to have a career ripped from a firefighter. At the end of the Chicago Fire season 15 premiere, Cruz made it clear that while he may be able to walk again, there's a likelihood that he won't be able to return to the job that he loves. Even if he gets out of the wheelchair, he has to come to terms with the fact that he won't heal enough to pass medicals and fitness tests.

He has to figure out who he is when he's not a proud member of the Chicago Fire Department. At the same time, he needs to learn to lean on a family that he has always looked out for. Growing up, he has been the one to protect the people around him, starting with his younger brother and now with Chloe and their growing family. Chicago Fire opens up a major arc that it's never fully showcased before with a main character.

The 1 Mistake Chicago Fire Needs to Avoid

To set up Cruz's meaningful exit, Chicago Fire season 15 needs to avoid a major mistake: creating a miracle. Time and time again, the series has offered the opportunity to transform the story and showcase what it means when a firefighter can no longer do their job. Toward the end of Chicago Fire season 8, Capp was injured after a gas explosion, almost causing him to go blind. There was a powerful moment as he feared what he would do with the rest of his life, but the series quickly changed tactics by having him fully recover.

The closest the series has gotten to having a permanent injury was during season 14, as Van Meter suffered from smoke inhalation. Although he had to leave his career, Severide found a way for him to stay part of the job he loved through consulting. There was the opportunity to showcase the grief and depression a firefighter can go through, but this wasn't with a main character. Nor was it a character who was part of the elite squad.

This is going to hit harder for Cruz, especially if he doesn't regain the ability to walk. It affects every part of his life, and Chicago Fire needs to remain realistic when it comes to recovery. He has options outside of firefighting, such as continuing his Slamigan business. With Minoso definitely being written out, there's no need for Chicago Fire to deliver some sort of miracle, and it has some time to show acceptance and figuring out a path forward with his family.