It’s a new dawn in Intelligence. Change has, once more, arrived to the power structure inChicago P.D.While unit head,Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe)remains firmly in situ. This Wednesday’s episode of the police procedural drama has seen the emergence of Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) as detective, and ultimately, Voight’s deputy. Burgess will be stepping into a role that has been vacant sinceTracy Spiridakos' Hailey Upton departed the show at the end of Season 11. Burgess' promotion from officer to detective is welcome news, but it comes with its own complications.
Squerciati’s Burgess joined Intelligence as a patrol officer very early on, and alongside colleaguesAdam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger)and Kevin Atwater(LaRoyce Hawkins), are some of the unit’s longest serving members. With a promotion now secure, Burgess rises in authority and while speaking withTV Line, Squerciati explores how that might change things for her character at work and in the relationships she crafted acrossboard. “So far, it hasn’t really come to bear,” the star explained. “It’s like when you get a promotion…you don’t want to be, like, bossy all of a sudden. So it’s treating it with kid gloves, but also inhabiting your power, I guess. Like, trying to be respectful of people and not seem like, “Well, now I’m here, and everyone’s listening to me,” but also know that, like, “OK, I’m a detective. I deserve this. I earned it.”
Despite the many trials her character has faced throughout the course of many seasons onChicago P.D., Squerciati’s Burgess remains a warm, empathetic spirit. With an increase in authority, it sets her closer to Voight and will most likely see the relationship dynamic shift between the pair from where it currently stands. Speaking to that effect, Squerciati said:
“You know, it’s funny, I was asked that. I think people, as well as I, really like the Burgess-Voight dynamic. It hasn’t really come to bear yet, but I do hope that they get closer, and not in the way that… She’s not looking for a father figure. She has her home, she has her kid. But I think that she could be a good place for Voight to lean on, a healthy place.”
Intelligence’s Officer Cadre Gains Another Member
Burgess' promotion within the ranks of Intelligence comes at exactly the right time.Officer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner), who had been working closely with the Unit, has ultimately become a part of it. While the officers' cadre loses one member to the detective branch, it also gains a formidable member. Seriesshowrunner Gwen Sigan recently discussedhow Cook’s addition to Intelligence plays into Burgess' promotion, saying:
“The fact that we had Upton [Tracy Spiridakos] leave—she was the last higher-ranking officer in the unit, and so there’s sort of this vacuum of needing that thing—and then how the detective test usually works in the real world is it comes up every couple years. We’re playing that it’s come up, and also we have this vacuum. It’s needed that there’s somebody at that level and one of our officers will take the chance, give it a shot.”
Chicago P.D.airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 10 PM ET. Stream past episodes ofChicago P.D.on Peacock.
Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. is a gripping police procedural drama series that debuted in 2014, set against the backdrop of the city of Chicago. The show focuses on the officers and detectives of the 21st District, comprising two distinct units: the uniformed patrol officers and the Intelligence Unit that tackles major offenses.
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