Chicago Fire
Season 10 M-Net (*101) 19:30 Action
Fans can breathe a sigh of relief after the horrific season 9 finale of action series Chicago Fire that saw Squad 3’s firefighters trapped underwater while on a rescue mission. Season 10 makes it clear that they’ve all survived the ordeal, but that doesn’t mean they’ve come out unscathed. “Firefighter Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso, Hector in the comedy series
Get Shorty) is facing some serious PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) issues.
Upon returning to work and as season 10 progresses, Cruz is noticeably not himself and he even freezes twice while looking at his facepiece – once at the firehouse and once on a call. “We are going to be watching Cruz deal with psychological trauma after the events of that capsized boat,” says Joe. “That trauma will still exist. If anything, it adds pressure to the situation for Cruz because his lieutenant Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney, Mason Lockwood in the fantasy series The Vampire Diaries) almost sacrificed his own life to save Cruz.”
The disconnect between Cruz’s difficult professional life and his personal life with his fiancée Chloe (Kristen Gutoskie, Dani in drama series Narcos: Mexico, Tuesdays on SABC3 at 21:00) is also going to cause conflict. “Chloe is carrying Cruz’s child and when she questions his behaviour and state of mind, he lies to put her mind at ease.” Eventually Cruz will have to come out with the truth, but is the damage done maybe too much to fix?
Joe and the Chicago Fire showrunners reveal that they’re proud of this storyline-arch. “We hope that viewers will be encouraged to get help if they find themselves suffering with PTSD. It’s okay to ask for help,” says Joe.