'We've Leveled Up': Chicago PD's Patrick John Flueger Explains What Fans Probably Missed in Ruzek's Big 'Without Burgess' Episode

Spoilers ahead for episode 2 of Chicago PD Season 12 titled “Blood Bleeds Blue.”

Ruzek never has it easy when Patrick John Flueger is in the spotlight Chicago PDand that was certainly the case with “Blood Bleeds Blue” in the 2024 TV schedule. After the shocking Season 12 premiere, which ended with Ruzek unable to watch until Detective Martel was shot in the head, the second episode revealed how he dealt with her death as he literally had blood on his hands for most of the hour even though he wasn't to blame.

Actor Patrick John Flueger spoke to CinemaBlend about the episode, including what would have been different if Burgess had been there, and what fans probably didn't know helped heighten the emotions.

Would Ruzek have gotten along better with Burgess?

While Marina Squerciati is definitely still there Chicago PDShe was missing from the cast in the first two episodes of season 12 because Burgess was attending the NAWLEE – National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives – conference. (The reason may have to do with budget.) Ruzek was doing quite well working with Martel on board, but that changed when she was shot and he spent almost the entire next episode on edge.

When I spoke with star Patrick John Flueger about the premiere's twist and how he would like Ruzek's story to end, I also asked whether Ruzek would have handled the fallout from Martel's death differently if Burgess had been present, and he told me:

He might have done it. His ego might have made him stay stronger through it all just because his fiancé is watching him and his boys do such things. “I have to be a man!” But no, we're just off to the races as soon as it happens, the whole episode playing in real time. I don't think he has time to stop and think or stop and feel as much as you'd like.

Ruzek happened to spend most of the episode with Officer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner in the new series), who was in the area when Martel was shot. Cook dropped enough details about her past that Ruzek could tell there was a story behind why she was on patrol, but he also had more pressing issues on his mind.

How Chicago Police reached their “level” with Episode 2

There's a reason why “Blood Bleeds Blue” not only played pretty seamlessly from the end of the premiere, but also tapped into Ruzek's emotions so well. And there's absolutely no reason why fans would have picked up on it just by watching the episode.

I asked Patrick John Flueger if he filmed 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 then the sequel was shot in one day.

Of course it makes sense to film both halves of the scene on the same day, but Chicago PD is usually a fairly procedural show, switching between directors. This also included bringing in former star Jesse Lee Soffer to direct seasons 10 and 11. Flueger explained that there were actually two different directors from the Season 12 premiere to the episode, which immediately took off, saying afterward:

It was Chad Saxton, our directing producer, who directed Episode 1, and then Victor Macias directed (Episode 2), so it just kept going and both guys are extremely talented. Vic is an emotional director. He feels it. He goes home and has trouble sleeping. He's our top cinematographer… and we have a lot of different directors. So when I'm done with the scene or they move on, I say, “Vic, hey, get in touch with this guy.” Because he knows me better than any of these directors ever could.

What better way to start a season than with a two-parter directed by Chad Saxton – an executive producer who also directed the 200th episode of Chicago PD – and then Victor Macias, who knows the cast so well? These were certainly two episodes that had to get to the heart of the emotions of what Ruzek was going through, which was a task for both her and Flueger. The actor continued:

He is emotional when he operates the camera. It's wild. I couldn't have asked for a better pairing, from Chad to him. And Chad, everyone thinks Chad is a robot, but he's not. He has the biggest heart and they both have cinematic eyeballs. I feel like these first few episodes are really cinematic. They look cool, they look great and I just feel like we've reached a higher level.

It's hard to argue against that Chicago PD Premiere in a more “cinematic” style than usual, as the two-part nature of the story made it more like a feature film than a standard procedural episode. What comes next, the focus shifts to the Atwater. Check out the promo for the upcoming episode:

Chicago PD 12×03 Promo “Off Switch” (HD) – YouTube
Chicago PD 12x03 Promo

Keep looking

Keep tuning in Chicago PD Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes with Ruzek and Co. As always, the cop drama follows Chicago fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, all on NBC. If you want to rewatch previous episodes of any or all three series, you can stream them on Peacock.

On October 3, 2024 By John Fenwick

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'We've Leveled Up': Chicago PD's Patrick John Flueger Explains What Fans Probably Missed in Ruzek's Big 'Without Burgess' Episode

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