Chicago P.D. has thrown a lot of challenges at Kim Burgess throughout Season 8, and the ride certainly isn't over yet. In the next episode, Burgess will have another tough decision to make, and the recent big fight between Burgess and Ruzek raises the question of whether or not she'll have him in her corner for whatever comes next. Fortunately, Marina Squerciati spoke with CinemaBlend about the Burzek relationship status in the aftermath of their fight, and whether their relationship can be salvaged to what it was before.
The confrontation between Burgess and Ruzek happened only a couple of episodes ago, when Burgess asked the wrong kind of question (at least in Ruzek's mind) about Ruzek after he shot and killed a man. The man's death did help Ruzek and nobody had witnessed it, so Burgess wondering if he crossed a line when his family was involved wasn't unreasonable, but Ruzek took it hard, and there have been no signs since that they reconciled. Marina Squerciati chatted with CinemaBlend (seen above) ahead of the next episode about where Burzek stand:
If you'll note, there's little things that we as actors, like, when we did the pilot of the show, the director said to us, the camera isn't always on you, but you need to create this work life that makes sense to you. So there's little things that maybe the audience won't notice, or the camera doesn't see, but that really help inform us. Like Paddy [John Flueger]'s character never makes eye contact with me right now. There's a, I think two episodes ago, there was an episode about serial killer. And we had a conversation and he never looked at me. So it's just like little things, like we're trying to be professional, but we're still like in a snit.
The last couple of episodes have been centered on Upton (with more than a dash of Upstead) and then Voight, so the new post-fight status quo between Burgess and Ruzek has been in the background. And, as Marina Squerciati shared, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that they weren't exactly at their friendliest, and even the prospect of catching a serial killer wasn't enough for some eye contact from Ruzek. The fight hasn't affected the quality of their work, but I think it's safe to say that there haven't been any movie nights recently!
Of course, Burgess and Ruzek have run into plenty of bumps in the road before and still found ways to come back to each other, as friends and as more, so viewers should probably never fully count a reconciliation out. That said, Marina Squerciati weighed in on whether they can go back to what they were at the beginning of Season 8 before the fight, or even before Season 8, and it seems the good ship Burzek (whether romantic or otherwise) is unlikely to return to the exact same course. Asked if the relationship can be salvaged back to what it was before, the actress explained:
No, but I think that's really good in that Burgess and Ruzek have been through so much that they never sort of go back to the same place, which I think is really realistic. It's impossible after something happens to you for you to like, go back to stasis... Which makes it interesting as an actor. They're always at a new place to like, figure out, see if like, 'Okay, Is this the place where we can be together? Is this the place where we can be together?' I don't know. It's interesting.
Let it not be said that Burgess and Ruzek reset back to where they started every time they hit a rough patch! Chicago P.D. had explored what Burgess' pregnancy and the aftermath of her miscarriage meant for both of their characters, and this latest fight hasn't been swept under the rug. As of this point in Season 8, Burgess has Makayla in her life, and her daughter has to be a priority. So, what will Burgess and Ruzek's relationship look like in the future after they move past this latest hurdle? Or will they not be able to move past the hurdle at all and viewers will have to wait until Season 9 to see more of the Burzek dynamic?
Find out with the next new episode of Chicago P.D., which will be a big Burgess episode and air on Wednesday, May 5 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. If you need to catch up on Season 8 so far, you can find all the episodes streaming on Peacock now, and be sure to check back with CinemaBlend for more on One Chicago.
