SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses major plot points from Chicago Fire Season 15, Episode 5, “Three Hundred.”
Joe Miñoso’s Joe Cruz leaves Chicago Fire in the series’ 300th episode, ending a run that began in Season 1. After a spinal injury kept him from working, Cruz decides not to return to Firehouse 51 and instead moves with his family to Minneapolis.
The episode opens with Cruz working through physical therapy and showing progress as he relearns how to walk. When he visits the firehouse, he stands from his wheelchair in front of Capp, Tony and Severide, joking that his legs have finally “got the memo.” He says a doctor has told him about specialized recovery centers for first responders and that he hopes to be cleared to work again within a few months.
But Cruz’s plans change at home. His wife, Chloe, is heavily pregnant with twins and tells him she is struggling with the responsibilities that have fallen to her since his accident. She soon goes into labor, and the couple’s daughters, Sofia and Elena, are born at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
Dr. Archer later tells Cruz that his physical therapist considers his progress remarkable and that he may be able to return to work. Cruz, however, begins to reconsider what his family needs. He tells Severide he will not come back to 51 and that they are moving to Minneapolis, where Chloe’s mother can help with the newborns while he joins a recovery program.
Cruz also visits the memorial for his late friend Otis, promising that he will always be with him. The episode closes with Cruz surrounded by his colleagues for a final group photo.
Sources: Deadline.