Many spoilers lie ahead for Chicago P.D. Season 7 through Episode 2, called "Assets."
Adam Ruzek ended Season 6 of Chicago P.D. behind bars after he obstructed justice to conceal that Antonio had killed a man while high, and Season 7 started him out on bail but without any real hope of returning to his job as an officer of the CPD. Fortunately for Ruzek, Voight pulled some strings behind the scenes with the new police superintendent to get the charges dropped against Ruzek. That said, the whole ordeal won't just go away for Ruzek, and it may have guaranteed his loyalty to Voight in a season that could be dividing Intelligence.
While Voight didn't actually tell Ruzek the particulars of the deal he made, Ruzek tearfully hugged Voight and told his boss that he owes him "everything." For a while, it looked like getting the charges dropped was beyond even Voight, but all signs pointed toward Ruzek not surviving if he went to prison and not handling life without his badge well. I think Ruzek asking Voight if cops were allowed to go into general population in prison set up a very big red flag! Voight had to do something.
Chicago P.D. showrunner Rick Eid spoke with CinemaBlend about the big episode. When I asked if Ruzek's "I owe you everything" could impact the team, which could be divided if some early twists are any indication, Eid said this:
It definitely could. Ruzek's a loyal guy, and Voight in many ways saved his life. It'd be hard to imagine Ruzek not being loyal to Voight.
Of course, Ruzek's loyalty was showcased throughout Season 6 after he took the fall for Antonio, who -- as Antonio pointed out -- wasn't exactly Ruzek's best friend in Intelligence. He didn't even hesitate about taking the fall for Antonio and keeping the heat off of Voight. Admittedly, none of them really had a choice about keeping the secret once the wheels were set in motion, but Ruzek never even considering flipping. So, if he believes he owes Voight everything, then he may be firmly Team Voight in the case of a division within Intelligence.
Chicago P.D. Spoilers: Can Halstead Fill The 'Power Void' Left By Antonio?
Although fans have to wait a little bit longer to definitively learn what happened with Antonio beyond the hints in the Season 7 premiere, it's safe to say that he won't be back as a regular. There are already some signs that Halstead can't be to Voight what Antonio was, and Rick Eid teased "some tension and friction" between them. Eid also said that Halstead "would have allies" if it came down to Intelligence taking sides between him and Voight, although it would "depend on the specific issue."
Upton might be more inclined to side with Halstead, especially if their connection does indeed turn romantic in Season 7. Did the latest episode confirm that Ruzek is 100% set to side with Voight if presented with the choice? Rick Eid went on to confirm that Ruzek won't just forget his experiences when he was locked up and facing a potential long-term jail sentence. When I asked if Ruzek will be permanently changed by his time behind bars, Eid gave this response:
He's been affected. Whether he'd admit it to anybody or not, he's scared and he was nervous and he didn't know what he would do in prison and he didn't know what he'd do without being a cop. So I think he's scared. The question is can he change who he is to fit more into a safer, more conservative way of being a policeman? He's sort of a 1980s Chicago cop trying to exist in 2019. Sometimes it's hard. He's got a certain code and a certain ethos and he's gonna have to figure it out. Because I don't think he wants to go back to Cook County lockup ever again. I don't think we want him to either.
Whether or not there's division within Intelligence in Season 7, Ruzek is going to have to check himself if he still feels inclined to play more of a cowboy cop than one who follows the rules. If he wants to be confident that he won't wind up in trouble with the A.S.A. again, he'll have to stop getting rough with suspects when annoyed, and presumably take oversight into account more than ever before.
He didn't spend much time as an inmate, but it was clearly a sobering experience. I wonder at this point if Ruzek will be torn between loyalty to Voight and a reluctance to cross lines, as Voight so regularly does and Intelligence is largely okay enough with to let it slide. There's a lot up in the air at the moment.
Like the new character, Ruzek was pulled right out of the academy to join CPD as an officer, so this could be quite the learning experience for him. It would be interesting if he's an asset to Vanessa, but her story seems like to be tied up with Atwater's, and their dynamic already shows promise.
As for what's next for Voight, Ruzek, and the rest of Intelligence, they may have larger concerns than potential in-fighting in the coming weeks. The big three-show crossover between Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med is less than two weeks away, and Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas compared the event to Poseidon Adventure and Independence Day.
That's not to say that the crossover will surround a shipwreck or an alien invasion. Chicago Med showrunner Andrew Schneider explained that the crossover will instead concern a health crisis that "involves all three shows in a very deep and intertwined way" through each leg of the three-part event.
For now, you can catch new episodes of all three Chicago series on NBC Wednesday nights. The One Chicago nights begin with Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, continue with Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET, and conclude with Chicago P.D. at 10 p.m. ET. The Chicago shows technically share a universe with Law & Order: SVU, and there's the possibility of a crossover between the NBC shows and FBI over on CBS. Only time will tell.
