Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of Chicago P.D. Season 9 on NBC, called "Rage."
Chicago P.D. moved on from the Season 8 cliffhangers to a new case in "Rage," but the aftermath of the Season 9 premiere was still very much affecting the Intelligence Unit, particularly Kim Burgess. The episode featured Burgess trying to recover from her gunshot wound while Ruzek and Voight were trying to get her back on the job. It turned out to be a case that only Burgess could crack, and Marina Squerciati chatted with CinemaBlend about what comes next with Burgess' unfinished business, the situation with Upton and Voight's big secret, and some good old-fashioned Burzek.
The episode ended with Burgess catching the rapist and getting to deliver some much-needed closure to his surviving victim, and Burgess herself seemed to get a bit of the closure she needs to go back to her work with Intelligence. But can she move on fully, with her shooter (as far as she knows) still in the wind? Marina Squerciati shared:
No, I think that you hit the nail on the head. She cannot. I think outwardly she will look fine. And I think that there's some really unfinished business in her soul that will rear its ugly head pretty soon.
"Unfinished business" may not bode well for the cops of Intelligence, with Burgess needing closure on the man who shot her while Upton and Voight are hiding the secret that he's already dead and disposed of. Voight was firm to Upton in the premiere that they need to keep Roy's death a secret, and even Halstead is in the dark (for now, according to Jesse Lee Soffer). And the mention of "pretty soon" may mean that fans don't have to wait until the back half of Season 9 to see how Burgess continues trying to deal.
The Voight/Upton situation has of course divided some fans, some of whom are on Team Voight for him going above and beyond to protect Upton and their shared secret, with others on Team Upton for Voight arguably orchestrating the whole situation. With Voight pushing hard for Burgess to return to the CPD in "Rage," the subject came up with Marina Squerciati, who shared her thoughts on Team Upton vs. Team Voight. When I noted that some fans think he manipulated Upton, the actress said:
I mean, yeah, but I think he's trying to protect Upton. I guess I'm Team Voight, because I think he's trying to protect Upton from turning them in, which I guess makes sense... Well, I really want a friendship with Upton, so maybe I should switch teams. I don't know that Voight's gonna want to come out and get a burger with me and Makayla.
Marina Squerciati has said multiple times in the past that she'd like to see the dynamic between Burgess and Upton explored more, noting that in Season 9 they both have "partners they're not really opening up to," and "Rage" just made that all the clearer on Burgess' side. Squerciati and Tracy Spiridakos did share some scenes in this episode, so maybe that's a good sign! As for Voight's methods, Squerciati shared her thoughts on whether he pushed too hard for her to return to Intelligence:
I think everybody pushed her too hard. It's only been two weeks, but I don't think they're used to seeing her like this. This is a whole different side of her. And so I think everybody, in my opinion, reacted poorly. I think she should have been on bed rest for a little longer.
As great as it was to see Burgess back in action and cracking a case that was stumping the others, the poor woman went from struggling to get the maple syrup down from the top shelf to being thrown around by a bad guy. When I mentioned that I was practically wincing every time Burgess was manhandled in "Rage," Marina Squerciati continued:
Yeah! I turned to a doctor who told me it takes like six to eight months to get to heal from these wounds. And I'm like, two weeks, and everyone's like, 'You gotta get back in.' I'm like, 'No, I don't!' ... I think she just needed to recover a bit more. But I don't know that she ever wanted a desk job.
Burgess may not have wanted a desk job, but can anybody disagree that she deserved some more time on the couch before leaping back into action? Of course, it was because of Ruzek that she was pulled back in, when Ruzek went to Platt to inquire after a desk job for Burgess, which resulted in a bit of a spat with Ruzek. They recovered from it pretty quickly, and Ruzek has clearly been there for both her and Makayla. Marina Squerciati weighed in on whether Makayla has been a good influence on their relationship:
For sure, but I honestly think that with or without Makayla, that's like me and my mom. We can scream at each other and then like two minutes later, I'm like, 'You want to go get pizza?' And I think that is the foundation of a really great strong relationship. Like they have these terrible spats, but ultimately, at the end of the day, there's no one else they want to be with. And I think that that's what makes them a pretty cool couple and really interesting to play.
Considering how many Chicago P.D. fans also seem to be longtime Burzek fans, it's safe to say that Marina Squerciati isn't the only one who thinks that the Burgess/Ruzek relationship is pretty cool and interesting. There have been some bumps in the road for them due to the complications of their jobs and some tragedies they've suffered, but they've never given up on each other. And honestly, they might not be the Chicago P.D. couple heading toward the most drama, depending on what's up with Upstead next! As for the dynamic between Burgess and Upton within Intelligence (and CPD as a whole), Squerciati said:
Yeah, I mean, women have different experiences in the police force. And that is something I'm exploring that as a mother right now. But I think that putting Upton and Burgess together for a bit, we could explore different side of that. Even off the job, two women bond differently than two men. And let's see what that looks like on the force.
Burgess becoming a mom to Makayla certainly opened up a new storyline for the character and the show to explore, but it seems only natural that Burgess and Upton would have some kind of bond, even if it's not necessarily best of friends. Besides, after Chicago Med and Chicago Fire deliver some strong dynamics between women earlier on Wednesday night, it would be fun to get some of that on P.D. as well. Whether or not Burgess and Upton get to share more scenes together, there is plenty of interesting storytelling on the way, including some new backstory.
See what happens next on Chicago P.D. with new episodes on One Chicago Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET as a major part of the Dick Wolf TV universe. That TV universe already spans two networks and eight different current shows, and the return of the original Law & Order for Season 21 will raise that number to nine! Whether or not a crossover between the One Chicago and Law & Order shows on NBC could ever cross over with the FBIs over on CBS for a nine-part crossover is best left to the imagination, but anything is possible.
