‘We’ve taken it to the next level’: Chicago PD’s Patrick John Flueger explains what fans probably missed after Ruzek’s big episode without Burgess

Spoilers from the second episode ahead Chicago Police Season 12, titled “Blood Bleeds Blue”.

Life is never easy for Ruzek when Patrick John Flueger is in the spotlight Chicago Policeand that was certainly the case with “Blood Bleeds Blue” on the 2024 TV schedule. After the shocking season 12 premiere where Ruzek was only allowed to watch after Detective Martel was shot in the head, the second episode revealed how he dealt with her death when he literally had blood on his hands for the better part of an hour even though he wasn’t guilty .

Actor Patrick John Flueger talked to CinemaBlend about the episode and shared what might have changed if Burgess had been there, as well as what fans probably didn’t know that added to the excitement.

Would Ruzek do better against Burgess?

Although Marina Squerciati is certainly still a part Chicago Policecast, was absent from the first two episodes of season 12 due to Burgess’s attendance at the NAWLEE conference. (The out-of-universe reason may be due to the budget.) Ruzek was doing quite well on the job with Martel on board, but everything changed when she was shot and he spent almost the entire next episode upset.

When I talked to star Patrick John Flueger about the premiere twist and how he wanted Ruzek’s story to end, I also asked if Ruzek would have handled the aftermath of Martel’s death differently if Burgess had been present, and he said:

He could have. His ego might have made him try harder to get through it, just because his fiancé was watching him and boys did things like that. “I have to be a man!” But no, it’s just that we’re on track to race the minute it happens, the entire episode will be in real time. I don’t think there is time to stop and think or stop and feel as much as someone would like.

Ruzek spent most of the episode, quite coincidentally, in the company of Officer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner’s regular role on the new series), who was nearby when Martel was shot. Cook gave enough details about her past for Ruzek to realize there was a story behind why she was on patrol, but he also had more pressing matters on his mind.

How Chicago PD ‘Leveled Up’ With Episode 2

There’s a reason why “Blood Bleeds Blue” not only flowed quite smoothly from the end of the premiere, but also hit Ruzek’s emotions perfectly. And there is absolutely no reason why fans would notice this simply by watching the episode.

I asked Patrick John Flueger if he recorded from the end of the Season 12 premiere (currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription) to the beginning of Episode 2, and he confirmed:

We shot the scene where she gets shot and the sequel was shot in one day.

Of course it makes sense to film both halves of a scene on the same day, but Chicago Police is typically a fairly procedural show with a rotation of directors, which includes hiring former star Jesse Lee Soffer to direct seasons 10 and 11. Flueger explained that there were indeed two different directors from the season 12 premiere to the episode that began immediately after, saying:

It was Chad Saxton, our directing producer, who directed episode 1 and then Victor Macias directed (episode 2), so the movie continued, and both of those guys are incredibly talented. Vic is an emotional director. I feel it. He comes home and has trouble sleeping. That’s our camera operator A… and we have a lot of different directors, so when I finish a scene or they move on, I’ll say, “Vic, hey, contact this guy.” .’ Because he knows me better than any of these directors.

What better way to kick off the season with a two-parter directed by Chad Saxton, the executive producer who also directed the series’ landmark 200th episode Chicago Police – and then Victor Macias, who knows the cast so well? These were definitely two episodes that needed to capture the emotion of what Ruzek was going through, which was a task for both them and Flueger. The actor continued:

He is full of emotion when he operates the camera. It’s wild. I couldn’t have asked for a better pairing of Chad and him. And Chad, everyone thinks Chad is a robot, but he’s not. He has the biggest heart and they both have cinematic eyes. I feel like these first episodes are really cinematic. They look great, they look great and I just feel like we’ve taken it to the next level.

It’s hard to argue with that Chicago Police the premiere had a more “cinematic” feel than usual, as the two-part nature made the story run closer to a feature film than a regular procedural. As for what comes next, the focus will be on Atwater. Check out the preview of the upcoming episode:

Chicago PD Promotion 12×03 “The Breaker” (HD) – YouTube

Keep watching

Keep listening Chicago Police on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET in new episodes with Ruzek and company. As always, cop drama ensues Chicago fire at 9 p.m. ET i Chicago Medicine at 8 p.m. ET, all on NBC. If you’d like to revisit past episodes of any or all three series, you can find them on Peacock.