[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Chicago P.D. Season 12 finale “Vows.”]
Contemplating the episode title, it’s shocking that within the Chicago P.D. finale, we don’t see Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) change theirs.
Don’t fear, although, as a result of they’re married when Season 13 begins. What’s much less sure? The standing of Intelligence. In spite of everything, Reid (Shawn Hatosy) did open up investigations into their actions, and sure, he was soiled. That’s now clear, due to Voight’s (Jason Beghe) actions, together with shifting the items into place for the son of the drug seller Reid had killed to fatally shoot the deputy chief, however any fallout stays up within the air.
Under, govt producer Gwen Sigan breaks down the finale, explains why we didn’t see extra of the Burzek marriage ceremony, and teases what’s to come back.
Will we see the components of Burgess and Ruzek’s marriage ceremony we didn’t?
Gwen Sigan: Most likely not, no. I imply there’s a model of this, yeah, positive, the place we might leap again into the marriage, however I doubt it.
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With the episode titled “Vows,” why not present the vows and have been any written?
We thought lots about writing the vows for positive. I feel as we have been going by way of the method of kind of placing all these storylines collectively, you could have this very high-stake scenario for Voight, for the complete staff. In so some ways, that is actually a Voight episode, and so to additionally wish to marry it with this marriage ceremony was difficult, and we wished the proper tone. We wished to juxtapose the perfect we might this actually emotional ending in Chapman [Sara Bues] and Voight and this price, after which even have this happiness and the promise of extra to come back and the explanation why Voight took the actions he took, to see all of that happiness and on the identical time, you’re seeing this heartbreak. So the vows themselves are so candy that it simply felt prefer it wasn’t the proper juxtaposition. It felt prefer it was a bit too jarring. In order that’s sort of why we ended up going on this route that we selected to essentially lean extra into this dialog between Chapman and Voight.
So these vows, might we presumably see them in some unspecified time in the future in some capability?
Yeah, I imply, who is aware of. They’re positively not shot. We positively didn’t shoot something. So yeah, they’re not simply hanging out for us to place on the market, however who is aware of? You by no means know, I suppose, the place we might take the following season.
Was there any plan to convey again any previous characters for the marriage and that didn’t work out for any motive, or did you not go that route due to all the pieces you simply talked about?
Yeah, I imply, I feel there was a second the place we have been like, “Oh my gosh, what if we might convey again all people and have Upton [Tracy Spiridakos] and Halstead [Jesse Lee Soffer] present up?” It finally ends up simply turning into about manufacturing on the finish of the day. We’d’ve liked that, however to have these large actors come again for what quantities to essentially one scene doesn’t make sense. However we positively considered it. I feel there’s a model of that marriage ceremony the place all people in a single Chicago would’ve been there throughout all three exhibits. It might’ve been cool.
What are you taking a look at doing subsequent season with Burgess and Ruzek now that they’re lastly married?
We’re not within the room but, so I feel all the pieces’s an possibility at this second, however I feel it’ll be actually enjoyable to write down a married couple. We haven’t had a married couple on the present, actually, since Halstead and Upton have been married, however their marriage was very fraught. So this may really feel a bit bit completely different. And yeah, I feel it’ll be a problem, and I feel it will likely be simply an attention-grabbing dynamic to see play out at residence, but additionally at work and kind of what they may very well be pushed into as a result of they’ve that stability at residence, sort of taking dangers at work may very well be actually enjoyable and completely different.
Lori Allen / NBC
Why kill off Reid and in the way in which that you simply did with Voight arranging it?
I feel we kind of all the time knew that when Shawn signed on that it’d be a one-year factor, and what we actually envisioned that character as was this funhouse mirror to Voight as a result of that’s actually what we wished him to be. And the concept was he was going to be testing Voight at each single flip and kind of testing, has Voight modified? Has he developed? Who’s he now? And to sort of actually take a look at that, we wanted to take it kind of as darkish as we might make it and make the stakes as excessive as we might, which you see within the penultimate. That is the primary time that we’re mainly kicked out of our places of work and are instructed that it’s all going to be taken aside and mainly stripped for items. So it introduced Voight to that place, and it felt like we wished to get him to his darkest place and see if he would take the bait and clearly his character did.
We see a photograph of Voight and Olinsky when Intelligence’s stuff is packed within the packing containers, then there’s the second when Voight appears to be like at Olinsky’s badge. Would Olinsky have been in a position to discuss Voight out of what he did?
I feel, yeah, I feel he might have. I feel positively in all probability the one individual that might have. Possibly Upton. However no, I feel solely Olinsky in all probability might have.
Talking of, Reid tells Voight, “You’re worse than me,” and Voight tells Chapman, “I don’t get extra.” The place is Voight’s headspace with regards to who he’s and slipping again into outdated habits on the finish of the finale?
I feel, in my head, when he decides what he’s going to do earlier than he places this plan into motion — and there’s this good scene the place Chapman tries to cease him and he says, “I’ve to do it” — I feel in that second, he is aware of that the price goes to be her, that the price goes to be this sense of extra, this factor that he’s been speaking about since he sort of hallucinated Olinsky final season. I feel he knew that price and did it anyway. So, to me, that kind of remaining scene and the few scenes on the finish of the episode are kind of confirming that for him. I like the concept with Reid’s assertion, it’s one thing the viewers can query. It’s one thing that there’s a variety of alternative ways to take a look at it. Is it true? Is it not true? And I feel it’s going to be rattling round in Voight’s unconscious for some time. And I do assume it has one thing to do with why he is aware of, yeah, he’s received to finish this factor with Chapman. He’s received to not drag folks into this place with him as a result of it’s not a spot the place I feel he thinks anybody else belongs.
Voight guessed that with the claims in opposition to Reid, the investigation into Intelligence would disappear. Is he proper? Will Intelligence be again working prefer it was earlier than Reid when subsequent season picks up?
That’s the query. I don’t know the reply but, however I like that we’ve got a variety of choices. In order that’s the place we’ll begin within the room, I’m positive, is answering that query, however I like that it’s open proper now.
How’s Atwater’s relationship? As a result of he ignored that decision from Val…
I do know! I feel he ignored that decision due to the headspace he was in, a lot happening. However I do assume it’s indicative, proper? He’s made a lot progress, I feel, as an individual this season. With that relationship, it’s sort of grown him up in a manner. I feel he’s change into higher at speaking about his personal shortfalls, his personal flaws, and his emotions. So it’s attention-grabbing that his intuition in that second was to isolate. And so we’ll see the place that takes us sooner or later.
I do know you mentioned the room hasn’t began but, however is everybody returning in the identical capability subsequent season, like sequence regulars-wise? Is that the plan?
I don’t know all the small print but.
Is there anything you possibly can tease about subsequent season or what you wish to do? Is there something from that you simply couldn’t get to this season that you simply’re holding?
Yeah, we had a number of storylines we couldn’t get to this season that I nonetheless assume are on the market and may very well be attention-grabbing subsequent yr. I feel Torres [Benjamin Levy Aguilar] is on this actually attention-grabbing spot the place nothing has been buttoned up for him. He’s on this very emotional, weak spot, which might be actually attention-grabbing to maintain writing. I feel Voight clearly, who is aware of what this man’s going to rise up to subsequent yr. I imply, he’s positively in an attention-grabbing place and to see how the staff goes to react to that as a result of the staff has completely different relationships with him now than years in the past. So how is that going to all work out subsequent season? So there’s a variety of, I feel, attention-grabbing locations we might go and we’ll simply hopefully make it contemporary and completely different.
Due to all the pieces that’s occurred, is anybody wanting on the job in another way now from the remainder of the staff? As a result of Burgess handled having her badge stripped from her…
I feel so. I feel a variety of them are. I imply, I positively assume Burgess, such as you talked about. For her, she had lots to do with all of this, however she was actually simply attempting to have somebody’s again. She was simply attempting to have her teammates again and so to see the implications of it, I feel it should impact how she strikes ahead. And definitely Torres. I feel Torres has realized from his errors, has positively paid the implications, has seen what it might do, and I feel he’s nonetheless coping with that and coping with the emotional fallout of all of that. So positively his relationship to the job has modified.
Chicago P.D., Season 13, Fall 2025, Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC