Chicago P.D. is returning to NBC in the 2025 TV schedule after taking a week off, with one normal episode left before what one star describes as the "One Chicago version of Avengers: Endgame" crossover. A "normal" episode of P.D. doesn't mean an easy episode, though, and Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) is about to go through the wringer with a case that involves an unidentified young girl surrounded by a lot of deaths.
He will have Burgess (Marina Squerciati) to hopefully lean on in the new episode, called "Zoe," on January 22, and I looked back at how showrunner Gwen Sigan's comments about Burzek compare to Flueger's ahead of what could be a difficult night of primetime for his longtime character.
First things first!
What Gwen Sigan Said About Burzek
I spoke with Gwen Sigan ahead of Chicago P.D.'s winter premiere (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription now) about the Voight vs. Reid conflict, shortly before the first episode of 2025 to focus on Adam Ruzek. The good ship Burzek has had surprisingly smooth sailing since getting the duo got engaged in Season 11 after ten years of ups and downs. The showrunner addressed why P.D. has finally given Burzek a well-deserved break, saying:
We wanted to! The thing is with the two of them, they've had so much in the past as far as will we/won't we, and I think once they made that decision that 'We're doing this, we're in it together,' it was now just the day-to-day work of being a couple, and making that choice every day to be together and to face life together. There's a lot of drama in that, and there's a lot of interesting things in that, so that's what we've tried to steer more into this year.
The two had to build a stable life together for the sake of Makayla, and the result is a family unit that's as settled as one could hope for with two parents in Voight's Intelligence Unit. So far so good since Ruzek proposed, and it sounds like that's not going to change when it comes to the relationship. But what about as separate characters? Sigan went on:
And also their lives as individual people, not necessarily only tied to their relationship. So it has been a bit of smooth sailing, but I think they're navigating. Especially in the second half of the season, you'll see they have these individual stories that certainly they navigate now together, so we get to see that relationship and how it grows, and it obviously is a challenge to deal with family and just the regular things that everyone goes through in life that are difficult, but we do it together as opposed to alone now.
As members of the Chicago P.D. team going back to the very beginning, neither Burgess nor Ruzek have had much time for a personal life. Now that they're engaged to be married, do these One Chicago characters even have time to plan a wedding? I asked the showrunner that very question, and she responded:
There's not a lot of it. We actually have a story that we'll get to see a little bit of that, and that it's not easy to plan a wedding when they also have a lot of other things going on. You know, they've got Makayla, they've got some other stories that come up this year. They're juggling quite a bit. [laughs] So we'll see that difficulty. I think [many] women know it's pretty difficult to plan a wedding, and then when you have a job like Burgess does, it's like, how? We have a little fun with that this year.
Based on the promo for "Zoe," the next episode might not be packed full of fun unless there's some early on before the plot thickens for Ruzek. Still, when I spoke with Patrick John Flueger about what's next, I needed to get his take on Burzek to compare with what Gwen Sigan previewed.
What Patrick John Flueger Shared
Ruzek seems to be in for a rough ride in the new episode on January 22, with the description from NBC revealing that his life with Burgess will be disrupted by an unexpected visitor while the investigation of the week has higher emotional stakes than usual due to the involvement of a young girl. Fans will have to tune in for all the details, but I needed to know: what has it been like for Patrick John Flueger to play Ruzek with a content home life and stable relationship so far in Season 12? He weighed in:
See, I like that. We spent, what, ten, eleven years watching Burgess and Ruzek go through turmoil, relationship turmoil, and back and forths and ups and downs, and that's all interesting. It's fascinating. But I honestly think that the audience likes it. I think that they like seeing these two people actually settled in with each other, supporting each other, not battling with each other so hard. I really like it. I think it's offered up an entirely different way to tell our storyline, that these two people are simpatico now, that they're not battling with each other and how each other police or how each other react to situations personally so much anymore.
I think it's safe to say that the actor is correct that fans like how Burgess and Ruzek have moved past their years of relationship turmoil, and it's certainly an upgrade from the sad story of what happened to end Upstead after Jesse Lee Soffer's departure as Jay Halstead. Flueger went on:
They understand each other as they always have, but they don't fight against each other so much. Now they have time to band together and fight against or fight for the things that they believe in, collectively or individually. And I think that's really cool. It's easy to have relationship turmoil on TV. I think it's harder, from a writing standpoint, storytelling standpoint, to have two people actually simpatico and continue to create drama between those two folks.
Parenthood has done a lot to motivate the characters to settle down and create stability for Makayla, and scenes with Burzek at home have given a glimpse of the routines that they've built with each other and their daughter. I noted to Flueger that it's hard to imagine Ruzek embracing so much domesticity ten years ago, and he responded:
I think it's like art imitates life on some level, because I agree. I agree, but I think maybe he's settled into it in a surprising way for him. I think he's surprised with how much he settled into it. That's the better way to put it, and how comfortable it is. I think he's a contentious individual. I think they're both strong-willed, but again, rather than fighting against each other so hard, they take that energy and they push and fight for and against the things that they believe in or believe should be changed.
Of course, this is still Chicago P.D. we're talking about, so the characters are going to run into some kind of strife even if it's not with each other. While it remains to be seen who the "unexpected visitor" is who causes some trouble for Burgess and Ruzek, the case with a young girl in need of help is going to hit close to home for the Intelligence officer. I asked Patrick John Flueger how high the stakes are for the case of "Zoe," and he shared:
That's such an interesting question. I don't know if I could give it a one through ten. I mean, I think it's more important to Ruzek just because he's the first point of contact with this kid and he meets her in such unfortunate and surprising circumstances that I just think he really takes it on in a way that not all of us can take it on. There's gotta be some people that are a little more grounded. He's not the most grounded out of the team, but obviously with a baby, and there's also other dead children involved, other dead family members, everyone's very driven. But the manner in which he meets this child is so jarring that looking in her eyes for the first time is probably something that he'll think about before he goes to sleep for a long time, whether the case gets resolved or not.
While crimes involving tender age kids are always difficult for the Intelligence Unit, Ruzek will feel connected to the little girl from the very beginning. It does sound like a great episode for the actor, if not necessarily for the character's peace of mind as Season 12 continues! Check out the promo below for a taste of what to expect:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, January 22 at 10 p.m. ET for the "Zoe" episode of Chicago P.D. Patrick John Flueger also only had high praise for the young actress playing the titular character, so you can find out why quite soon. As always, P.D. airs directly after Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET. You can also find every episode of One Chicago so far streaming on Peacock ahead of the crossover event on January 29.
