Spoilers ahead for Episode 17 of Chicago Fire Season 10, called "Keep You Safe."
Chicago Fire returned with a big episode for Cruz and Chloe as they adjusted to their new normal of raising a ten-year-old boy as well as their infant. A blood relative possibly turning up meant that Javi’s time with them might have been limited, but by the end of the hour, they found out that they’d be able to keep him in their little family unit. Longtime fans probably couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Cruz and Chloe’s situation with Javi and Dawson and Casey’s situation with Louie back in Season 5. Joe Minoso spoke with CinemaBlend about the episode, and weighed in on why this story could get a happier ending than Dawsey’s.
Just like Dawson and Casey with the Louie storyline – which actually started in Season 4 and lasted until they gave him up in Season 5 – Cruz and Chloe took in a little boy after he was saved from a fire and formed an attachment to his rescuer. And just like with Dawson and Casey, there was no guarantee that they’d get to keep him no matter how much they fell in love with him. Dawsey got some good news before ultimately having to give him up, so Cruz and Chloe getting this win is no guarantee that things will keep going well, but Joe Minoso explained why fans can be optimistic.
When I asked for his thoughts on how the Cruz/Chloe situation with Javi compares to the Dawson/Casey situation with Louie back in the day, Minoso responded:
[The stories are] incredibly similar, but I want to say at this point, [Dawson and Casey] actually had not been officially married yet. One of the reasons they did it, I think, was in order to get this kid adopted officially. I think in our situation, there is no foreseeable family member in this kid's future. It seems pretty obvious that he is alone and in need of a home. So I think that that in itself is different. That's one hurdle that they won't hopefully have to overcome, but in general I just I think that they are primed to be parents. And I think that there was a lot more conflict in terms of [Dawson and Casey's] work relationship and their personal lives. That just made it a tougher call for them. So hopefully, what I think I'm saying there, is that this is more of a happy ending than the Dawson and Casey of it all.
Even though Dawsey was the original big Chicago Fire relationship going back to the first season, Cruz and Chloe are actually on much more solid ground at this point in Season 10 than Dawson and Casey were when Dawson decided to take in Louie. (If you want a refresher on their struggle, you can find the earlier seasons streaming with a Peacock subscription.) They’re already married, and even already parents, so they have some advantages already.
Admittedly, raising baby Otis – who was of course named for Cruz’s dearly departed best friend – is a far cry from a boy in fourth grade, but Cruz and Chloe have a strong enough foundation without also working together that they could get the happy ending with Javi that Dawson and Casey didn’t get with Louie.
Plus, “Keep You Safe” specifically took care of the potential complication of a blood relative emerging from the woodwork to try and claim custody, so maybe there really won’t be any heartbreak this time around. When asked what he can preview about how they’ll handle keeping Javi, Joe Minoso opened up about what he envisions for Cruz and Chloe’s future with him:
I wish that I could give you more than what we know from this episode. As of right now, you know, storylines as they go on Chicago Fire, this one is sort of taking a little bit of a sideline for a second. I can only assume that they are dealing with it as best they possibly can, and there are going to be many kinds of ups and downs and crazy moments. But one thing that I feel like we know just based upon this episode, is that Cruz and Chloe are going to be phenomenal parents and just really invested in the kids' lives in every way they possibly can be. I think and I hope we get to see more and more of that on the show.
Whether or not fans will get to see more of Javi in Season 10 remains to be seen. When we spoke shortly before “Keep You Safe” debuted on NBC, Joe Minoso revealed that the show was currently in production on Episode 19. The tenth season of Chicago Fire will run for 22 episodes, so it’s entirely possible that the show will circle back to this storyline before the end of the finale.
Chicago Fire has already been renewed for Season 11 as well, so the show could always revisit the storyline down the line if there’s not time for it before the end of Season 10. For now, you can look forward to new episodes of Chicago Fire on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Chicago Med (which just brought back Hannah to replace another character) at 8 p.m. and Chicago P.D. (which continues embracing its “home” theme) at 10 p.m. in the 2022 TV schedule.
