Spoilers ahead for Episode 13 of Chicago P.D. Season 8, called "Trouble Dolls."
Chicago P.D. delivered one of its darkest episodes of Season 8 that started with the murder of a pregnant woman and only got more grisly from there, but it also delivered some lighter and deeply layered moments courtesy of Burgess and her bond with Makayla. That's not to say that this was an easy episode for Burgess as she really faced her own mortality and what her death would mean for her daughter. Luckily, Marina Squerciati opened up about Burgess' decision about Ruzek, the coming Season 8 finale, and more.
Marina Squerciati spoke with CinemaBlend, and she shared whether Burgess would have had any misgivings about choosing Ruzek:
Sure, I think she might have felt like it made her look weak. You know, they aren't in a good place. And I think it's hard. It was a hard ask, you know, but ultimately, I think that's a mom, right? You do things maybe you don't want to do for your kid. ... As simple as staying home from someone's party because your kid wants to play Legos or something, just from the mundane to the like, really big. That's what it's about: sacrifice.
Ruzek agreed to be Makayla's guardian, but this doesn't immediately fix all of the issues that arose within the Burzek dynamic in Season 8. That said, it's also clear that the bond between them is still strong, even if it's buried at the moment, and it's permanent now that he's Makayla's guardian. When asked if this means that Chicago P.D. could feature some scenes involving Ruzek with Burgess and Makayla, Marina Squerciati previewed a "dirty" finale:
You might see a scene or two in the season finale. The season finale is pretty, pretty dirty. So it's no place for a child.
This being Chicago P.D., fans might not want to expect that Marina Squerciati is talking about a "dirty" finale that's going to be full of fun and games for Intelligence. Still, P.D. found a way to lighten up one of the darker episodes of the season by including scenes of Burgess and Makayla having some make-believe adventures at home and more. Marina Squerciati weighed in on Burgess and Makayla bringing some lightness to a dark episode, saying:
I don't think of it like that, especially for me when I'm working. I really do put away my home life. And I think that's what Burgess did until it was no longer possible, right. And that's the whole point of the episode. Like, she was able to bifurcate her life until she couldn't. And then by naming the guardian, she was able to do it again to be a good mom and the kind of cop she needs to be. So I think one didn't intrude into the other until it did.
Once her role as a mom began to bleed into her dangerous life as a cop, Burgess began to see things differently, and even froze up in a deadly situation because she was afraid of leaving Makayla alone. At the same time, this episode proved that Burgess really is capable of doing it all as a mom, cracking the case while also helping Makayla in a difficult time. Marina Squerciati shared her thoughts on showing more sides of Burgess with this episode:
It was really important not to just be sweet in every moment, like the car scene dropping her off at school. It seems so small, but it was really important to me that I didn't get out of the car and be like, 'Are we okay? Are you okay?' It's just like, you reach back, you throw 'em their lunchbox, get out of the car, Mama's got to go to work. And then [Makayla] is scared and can't and then having to take a breath, go back into mom mode, get out of the car, go back, turn on the radio, get into cop mode. So just really just sort of cleaving it in two.
Those two sides bled together in "Trouble Dolls," but Burgess naming Ruzek as Makayla's guardian may enable her to separate them again as Chicago P.D. moves forward toward the "dirty" finale. The trailer for next week's episode reveals that Voight is finally going to find out what's up with Upstead, and he seemingly isn't going to take the news very well.
Burgess' adoption of Makayla was moving forward in "Trouble Dolls," but she had to choose an alternate guardian for Makayla in the event of her death. After she spent the hour with her worlds as Makayla's mom and Detective Kim Burgess colliding, she had to face what Makayla has known all along: her future would be uncertain if something happens to Burgess. Somewhat surprisingly, after a near-death experience and some hard truths, Burgess decided to name Ruzek as Makayla's guardian despite all of their struggles this season.
Find out what's next for Intelligence with the final few episodes of Chicago P.D. Season 8 on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. The finale of P.D. (as well as Chicago Fire and Chicago Med) is fast-approaching, so don't miss an episode as the shows prepare to head into another hiatus.
