Every now and then, we see members of Firehouse 51 absent, and it leaves us wondering what’s going on. Joe Cruz was the absent member on Chicago Fire season 14, episode 8, as the series returned from its winter break. In some good news, we learned why he was absent, and the reason was actually pretty cute.
The absent characters are for real-life reasons. The show now only offers guaranteed minimum appearances on the series for budgetary reasons, which has been going on for some time. Sometimes, though, we don’t get to find out where the characters are, so it’s always nice to get a one-line update.
Cruz was away with Chloe on Chicago Fire season 14 episode 8
The Chicago Fire season 14 winter premiere was a huge one, with Severide and Van Meter having to get Principal Cole out of his apartment due to fires set on both of the stairwells. While Severide suffered some minor burns and smoke inhalation, Van Meter took the brunt of it, leading to Severide on a mission to find out who started the fire to get justice.
Kidd returned with Isaiah to be with Severide, with Isaiah knowing that she needed to be by her husband’s side more than he needed to be near his mom, who received a positive prognosis from the staff at the new medical center. However, Cruz was absent, which would seem odd for many, considering how close Severide and Cruz are as they’re both Squad 3 members.
Kidd shared where Cruz was, making it clear that Cruz considered coming back to check in on Severide. It turned out that he was on his anniversary weekend with Chloe, and Kidd made it clear that that was where he had to be — something Severide also agreed with. Sure, Chloe might understand, but they deserve some time together.
When will Cruz return on Chicago Fire?
We will likely see Cruz back during the next episode of Chicago Fire. Usually, the characters are out for an episode and then return, but there have been times when characters have been absent for a little longer. This helps to reduce the lack of appearances later on.
For example, Herrmann was out for a couple of episodes at the start of Chicago Fire season 14, as his character faced the catastrophic loss of his house. However, it’s rare that this happens, and usually, the absence is just for an episode, so we expect to see Cruz back from his anniversary weekend on episode 9.
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on NBC.