Hiiiii. I've talked this with a few people but here is my theory for the finale and why I think we're losing an OG to a line of duty death. 😓😩
Disclaimer: I'm doing this on my phone at lunch so excuse the many spelling/grammatical errors. I'll try and clean those up later. It's a lengthy one.
So what if i said I think Joe Cruz may be bones after the upcoming finale. You'd probably say well how did you come to that thought. This is where I ask you to walk with me.
A. The uptick in storylines that inserted Cruz into them when realistically it could/should have been someone else more specifically Stella. What do I mean by this...
1. Van Meter arson investigation. I remember getting so annoyed because they literally had Stella & Isaiah come back from Cleveland but then failed to use Stella to be the one to help Kelly when he was investigating. There was a scene where Stella asked Kelly if she could help him with the case and he said no he had it just for Cruz to come later and ask Kelly if he needed help and Kelly accepted the help.
2. Cruz role in the crossover with Macy. Cruz saw Macy die and he had a scene where he said that if he died to tell Chloe and the kids he loved them. Then there's the scene with Chloe and the kids. Which was a welcomed suprise because we haven't seen baby Otis since S11. I always thought it was a waste in a sense because we never got a scene of them being reunited once he was cleared. Anyway Stella was the one to comfort the Cruz family when they got to the hospital and were scared. Hold onto this detail.
3. Post crossover, we find out Cruz and Chloe are pregnant. We're happy for them but it's fair to say everyone thought it was random as hell and just a dig at Stellarides journey and kisses. Life why did they need to be pregnant when we rarely see them. Anyway in that same episode he has a sl with Javi.
4. Then he had the sl with Holt in last week's episode. During that sit down at the diner Cruz mentioned Otis dying and how the house helped him through it. Again I thought with Macy's connection to Stella it would be Stella and Holtb talking but when it was Cruz I was like hmm okay.
5. Last week Stella told Kelly that they would work the case with Hopkins together but then she's missing from this week's episode and guess who is there to step in (again) in her place. Help support Kelly with the investigation but also be like a level headed voice of reason. Cruz even said with Stella not being here i feel like i need to...
6. Which then just leads me to the reality that overall this season Joe has sort of had this shift in what he's brought to the house. This undercurrent of his presence sort of playing in the background. Reminding you he's there watching waiting willing to lend a supporting hand or word.
B. Now let's talk about the lore of it all. Something Andrea does well is haunting the narrative when she wants to inflict some pain. Think about why it was Macy that died in the crossover and not Holt. They killed Macy because of her connection to Stella but also because of that one little scene from S11 when Macy graduated the academy. So what happens when we reach back and tap into that lore but for Cruz and Chloe.
1. Cruz meets Chloe on the job in S7. Otis died at the top of S8 & Cruz also proposed in S8. Chloe broke up with Cruz before he could though. When we find out later on why, she discloses that she got scared of losing him because she saw how heavy Otis death weighed on Lily. They talk that out get engaged and everything goes smooth sailing until Cruz's next really big brush with death.
2. 10x01 happens. Chloe is pregnant atp, Cruz gets hurt on the job but also Kelly pushed himself to the limit to save him which always impacted Cruz. Kelly was willing to almost die himself to save him because he couldn't come back without Cruz and face a pregnant Chloe. Anyway Cruz struggles and starts freezing up on the job prompting Kelly to step in. They overcome that baby Otis is born and things go pretty dormant for Cruz & family. Then 11x22 happens.
3. 11x22 had no direct impact to Cruz but we come to find out in S12 that Mouch getting shot on the job did have some indirect impacts because of Chloe's fears resurfacing. S12 we hear that they are having some marital issues. Cruz gets injured on the job again and they have another hospital scene 12x12. We learn that Chloe was essentially thrown back into that same feeling from S8 but this time it's with seeing how devastated Trudy was when Mouch almost died in S11 finale. Again they work through those and we have that scene with Chloe at the firehouse meeting a victim Cruz saved.
4. It goes dormant again until S14 with the crossover... yet another close call but this time Chloe is unexpectedly pregnant again and now we know it's twins. They're so happy and excited we can see that much from the promo... we all know on Newmans playground happiness always come with a gut punch and dose of "realism".
C. Okay so I know that was a lot but I need you to go back to point A and grab onto that part where Stella was the one comforting the Cruz family and telling them Joe was a fighter. Something that Andrea said many times but never explored through Stellaride at least is the implications of being parents in these high stakes jobs and the toll it can take when you have a child waiting for you at home. I started to wonder what if she's using Chloe & Cruz as the vessel to tell or showcase that reality. If this happens it would have huge ripple effects for Stellaride as a couple but also as individuals and how they view what it looks like moving forward for them if they decide to start trying for a baby...
It impacts Kelly on a level so deep because canonically this would be his first line of duty death for squad as he just becomes captain but also his career. It impacts Stella because now she has to look at Chloe her friend and see the grief of being a widow but also a widow to 4 kids (i couldn't imagine). It impacts Stellaride because they're forced to confront a looming reality that they're both running into the same fires and how does that work if they do expand their family. These are questions they'd be faced with presumably as Kelly has to make a decision on where he'll be captain. Will he stay at 51 or does he take the road he's resisted and go to OFI in hopes for a little bit more safety & security for the family they want to build and grow with each other. It sets some major plays in motion for S15 for Stellaride for sure.
D. Cost perspective. I think one of the main reasons Fire is hit so hard for budget restraints is because out of the 3 they have the most legacy or OG cast members plus with the stunts and calls it becomes so expensive. Tayranda, Joe, David, Christian and even Tony/Randy have all essentially been there since S1 or for Miranda S4 but is considered a lead. Whereas the other shows don't have that many legacy casts to have to pay. So when I think of how do you free up some more capital yea you can keep firing the newer cast members but long term you'd need to look at your legacy bench.
I thought maybe Hermann or Mouch would retire last year but they haven't mentioned it recently. I thought with Mouch writing this memoir maybe he would be the one but again I just don't know. With everything they've been doing with Joe all my senses are tingling and pointing me in that direction.
I don't want this to happen and I'm hoping I'm wrong. Hoping maybe Cruz will have to medicallyb retire or maybe he steps away altogether.
With that in mind though what do you think about my theory? Am I crazy?
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