Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger on the Dramatic 200th 'Chicago P.D.' Episode
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‘Chicago P.D.’ turns 200 and Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger talk about hitting the milestone.
It was party time on the set of Chicago P.D. when the hit NBC Dick Wolf series filmed the “Trapped” episode and what made it a special occasion—worthy of a cake—is that the show marked its 200th episode.
“We all have good days and bad days, just like any human,” Marina Squerciati, who plays Kim Burgess, told Parade when asked what it’s like on set at this point in time. “But it really is we show up for each other. We love each other very much. To be at 200 and still have that kind of rapport with your friends… I see them more than I see my family. You are with these people 14 hours a day and the fact that, yeah, we get annoyed with each other but it’s all petty squabbles. We’re a family.”
Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC
The “Trapped” episode also reflects that sentiment of showing up for each other. In it, Burgess and Ruzek become trapped aboard a busy “L” train after following a possible victim onboard after a brutal shooting. Then Burgess’ proximity to the violence results in flashbacks to her own shooting and renders her helpless as PTSD hits hard.
Related: Chicago P.D. Star Marina Squerciati on Burgess’ Brutual Recovery After Being Beaten and Shot
“I did a ton of research,” Squerciati said. “That’s something that I have not experienced and have not seen. It was an interesting road because I feel like it’s like claustrophobia in a way in that you’re living a normal life and all of a sudden, you’re besieged by this anxiety of being in a small space. You’re not constantly living in this state of high anxiety with PTSD, but it can come on you like a tsunami.”
The tsunami affects more than just Burgess in this instance. It also affects those around her, especially Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) and her adopted daughter Makayla (Ramona Edith Williams), who are both witnesses to its results.
“I think up until this point it has been something that belongs to her,” Ruzek says of discovering how much Burgess is affected in this episode. “Burgess has kept him at bay to a certain degree up until this point. I think that it’s hard for him to conceive of pushing her too hard, even though it's coming from a place of caring and wanting to help. He’s got a lot of respect for her. She’s a very capable adult and I don’t think he wants to come across like he’s pushing her.”
That said, how are Burzek doing? Their on-again, off-again relationship seems to be on again, despite the breakup after the episode in which Makayla was kidnapped and the two didn’t agree on how to handle the situation. But then, Ruzek offered Burgess his father’s home to keep them safe, gave her enough space, and things seem to be looking good again.
Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC
“They’re together,” Flueger says. “They certainly are co-parenting. I think they love each other madly. I think that they’re so busy that romance outside of what they’ve got going on right now is not possible. That’s not to suggest that they’ve got one going on. I don’t think that they do. But I think that they love each other deeply and I think from Adam’s perspective, he’d be hard pressed to believe that somebody could come in and be more important to him than Kim is. And then on top of that Kim and Makayla, those two combined I can’t imagine.”
And Squerciati says it’s time for fans of the show to stop putting the blame on Ruzek for their difficulties. True in Seasons 1 through 5, he did often disappoint her, but since Season 6, he’s shown up.
“He was a jerk and now he’s not,” she said. “He’s totally been an upstanding gentleman and Kim has been the one who hasn’t been there. Everyone sort of puts it on him still and it bugs him.”
“I try so hard,” Flueger chimed in.
“I think that Kim is so sort of numb and scared to reach out that I think she hopes Adam will see someone and that the decision is no longer hers,” Squerciati added. “In a sort of perverse way, it takes the onus off of her because there’s work she needs to do to get to a place where she can let him in. And if he’s like, ‘I’m seeing someone,’ she wouldn’t have to do that work.”
Watch the 200th episode of Chicago P.D. tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Next, It’s Crime Time! Check Out Our Guide for Season 10 of Chicago P.D.
