‘Chicago Fire’ Midseason Premiere: Cruz Meets With Junior, News for Herrmann and Mouch? (PHOTOS)

A conversation coming up in the Chicago Fire midseason premiere, as teased in the new photos NBC has released, on top of the episode’s title has us worried about what it means for Cruz (Joe Minoso).

The drama returns on January 8 with “A Favor,” in which Cruz’s past comes back to haunt him, Severide (Taylor Kinney) prepares to teach an arson class at the academy, and Mouch (Christian Stolte) searches for a victim’s next of kin. The photos, which you can see below, also may tease some good news for Mouch and Herrmann (David Eigenberg).

In the midseason finale in November, Cruz found a pendant urn shaped like a bullet (inside which were cremated remains) in his locker, then learned that Flaco’s cousin — the firefighter left the gang leader to die in a fire in Season 1 — was out of prison. Junior (Richard Cabral) tracked down Cruz at the end of the episode to let him know he knew what he did to Flaco and wanted to talk. Could the episode’s title refer to what Junior wants to stay quiet?

In happier news, Herrmann and Mouch are looking to their futures, with both taking tests (captain’s and lieutenant’s, respectively) to advance in their careers. Could they be celebrating both passing in the photos? And if that’s the case, and Herrmann then takes and passes the chief’s test, could he take the position that Boden (Eamonn Walker) had wanted him to when he left at the end of Season 12? Pascal (Dermot Mulroney) is chief, so would he be willing to transfer? Could the season be building up to that?