Spoilers ahead for Chicago P.D. Season 7 through Episode 6.
Chicago P.D. kicked off Season 7 with the Intelligence Unit more or less in shambles, with Ruzek behind bars, Voight keeping secrets, and Halstead not 100% trusting Voight. Fortunately for Chicago, Intelligence found its way back to a status quo, even without Antonio around and a gritty newcomer in his place. Still, the pieces are seemingly in place for Ruzek and Halstead to choose sides for or against Voight if the situation arises. Will their allegiances cause them to butt heads over their sergeant?
Voight may have guaranteed Ruzek's loyalty for the long run after pulling strings to get Ruzek out of his legal trouble and back on the job, whereas Voight and Halstead never really resolved their issues from the premiere other than to move on. After Voight crossed some lines to save Halstead when an innocent man was murdered, the situation is stickier than ever if the cops have to make a choice about supporting Voight or not.
CinemaBlend's Adrienne Jones was on hand at the mega One Chicago press event, and she spoke to Chicago P.D. showrunner Rick Eid, and actors Patrick John Flueger and Jesse Lee Soffer about whether Halstead and Ruzek could indeed butt heads over Voight. Let's start with what Eid had to say:
Love it! Yes, that's a good thought. Those are the kind of scenes and moments that we try to explore. Again, we just come at it as, everybody's their own real person with their own, honest beliefs, and everybody thinks they're right. When you look at it that way, there's always a chance for people to be in conflict without it being forced and contrived. If everybody's being honest, usually that's where you get the best drama and the most conflict.
Halstead and Ruzek have always been very different kinds of cops, and they've conflicted on issues in the past. That said, both are loyal men, and it would be interesting to see how they maneuver having to choose the best of pretty bad options, which is likely what it would come down to if there's division within Intelligence. Rick Eid's comment about situations in which "everybody thinks they're right" is particularly intriguing, in my book.
Fans saw Ruzek get himself into some trouble in Season 6 when he took the heat for Antonio killing a man while high, despite Voight specifically telling Ruzek to blame it on Voight, who would work his Voight magic to get himself out of hot water. As for Halstead, he has made some very questionable decisions himself over the years, often believing that he can handle things on his own. Still, Halstead is more likely to stick to the straight and narrow, whereas Ruzek is much more willing to bend the rules of the CPD if it's in service of solving a case... or in service of Voight.
Rick Eid didn't spill all the details of what's in store for Ruzek, Halstead, and Intelligence, but it's always safe to say that there's drama and conflict in store on Chicago P.D. Patrick John Flueger, who plays Ruzek on P.D and also dropped some interesting teases on the Burzek front, shared his thoughts as well when asked if Ruzek and Halstead would butt heads over Voight's methods:
Ultimately, Halstead really does trust Voight, to my mind. But I think that he’s probably a little noble; he’s got that real strong moral compass. So, I don’t know if we do, but I’d think that’d be interesting and fun to play.
Patrick John Flueger seems to be of the opinion that the cracks between Halstead and Voight early in Season 7 don't necessarily mean that a break has to happen, and Halstead has shown that he at least trusts Voight enough not to always question his methods.
Of course, Halstead probably didn't entirely want to know what Voight did to save his skin after Halstead arrested the wrong man, and none of the cops in Intelligence except for maybe newbie Rojas can claim that their moral compass isn't at least a little bit off when it comes to protecting the unit.
Jesse Lee Soffer, who plays Halstead, sees things a little differently. He said this with regard to the possibility of Halstead and Ruzek butting heads over Voight:
I don't know that I see it that way. I think each episode kind of stands alone. Every case is unique, and there are going to be people who see things this way and want things done a certain way over here, and there's going to be people on the other side. And it's not always going to be these specific people see it this way, and [those] specific people see it this way, I think you're going to see it get mixed up and everyone's going to have a different opinion [based on the case]. If Ruzek and Halstead butt heads in one episode, then they won't in the next. You never know; it's going to change up every week
At the end of the day, Chicago P.D. is a procedural TV show, and there's a reason why some emotional arcs really only come into play in big episodes like season (or midseason) premieres and finales.
This isn't a show that is going to carry conflicts over from episode to episode every single week of a season, which is presumably why viewers haven't gotten a Burzek update despite Burgess going home with Ruzek at the end of the "Infection" crossover, Rowater hasn't developed a whole lot despite the potential for something very different, and whatever is happening with Halstead and Upton isn't really happening on a weekly basis.
Where Chicago P.D.'s Voight Gets His Power, According To Jason Beghe
So, if Halstead and Ruzek do wind up butting heads over Voight in Season 7, fans may not have to worry that it would mark the beginning of the end of their friendship. Chicago P.D. is fundamentally about Intelligence investigating crimes, after all, and not the interpersonal conflicts of the individual cops on the team. Is the interpersonal drama a big part of the fun for a lot of fans? Definitely. I for one love it, as it humanizes the series that showcases a lot of awful subject matter. P.D. just isn't about that drama.
What's in store next for Halstead, Ruzek, Voight, and the rest? Find out with new episodes of Chicago P.D. on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
