The Chicago P.D. cast got a bit smaller to start its unconventional eighth season, and the first handful of episodes have seen some very big developments in more than one relationship. That said, there is one dynamic that remains pretty much unexplored, even after these two characters have spent years working in the same unit at CPD. Fortunately, Chicago P.D.'s Marina Squerciati recently spoke with CinemaBlend, and I had to get her thoughts on the dynamic between the two women of the Intelligence Unit.
By this point, Marina Squerciati's Burgess and Tracy Spiridakos' Upton have both been series regulars on Chicago P.D. since Season 5, and the only two women in Intelligence for that whole span of time with the exception of Season 7 and Lisseth Chavez's Rojas. That said, they haven't shared much one-on-one screentime or even meaningful scenes together, especially compared to other duos within Intelligence.
Burgess has shared some stellar scenes with Patrick Flueger as Ruzek in Season 8 so far, and even had some smaller but poignant moments with LaRoyce Hawkins' Atwater in the latest episode, but nothing notable for Burgess has been up with Upton, who has mostly been paired with Jesse Lee Soffer's Halstead. Speaking with Marina Squerciati about Chicago P.D. Season 8, I asked if the relationship dynamic between Burgess and Upton is something that viewers might see more of, and she shared:
To be honest, I wish. I wish. I don't understand why the two females don't have more of a relationship. I wish we did. I will say that Upton's character is really closed off and has had a lot of trauma. So I do chalk it up to that. She doesn't really have a relationship with anyone aside from Halstead, really. But, you know, we had a scene recently where she put her arm around my back and was just like, 'good job.' And it's like, I want to explore this more. I feel like there's more here.
As Marina Squerciati noted, Burgess isn't the only character by far who doesn't have much of a relationship with Upton, with partner-turned-friend-turned-love interest Halstead as the only character Upton has really opened up to. And if the latest couple of episodes are any indication, Upton's trauma definitely isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and Burgess now has to take young Makayla into account in the calculus of her life. At least there's one small scene on the way for Burgess and Upton!
All the same, Burgess and Upton have been part of the same unit for several seasons now, and arguably their biggest shared episode had a fair amount of their interactions complicated by their connections to Ruzek. And that was two seasons ago! A new character is on the way to join Intelligence to fill the gap left behind by Rojas, whose absence remains a mystery, so it's possible that the overall status quo within the unit is going to be shaken up even beyond the latest developments for both Upton and Burgess.
As much as Chicago P.D. isn't a show about relationships -- romantic or platonic -- the Upton/Burgess dynamic is one that could definitely be explored, especially in a season that has to be somehat smaller in scale with relation to the big crossovers that can't happen at this point. Why not feature the women of Intelligence at least talking to each other a little more often? As a female P.D. fan, I know that I would 100% be on board.
Do you want to see more of Burgess and Upton interacting on Chicago P.D.? Be sure to weigh in our poll below, and check out NBC on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of P.D., following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, and check back with CinemaBlend for more on the One Chicago front, including from Marina Squerciati.
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