Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 14 of Chicago P.D. Season 13 in the 2026 TV schedule, called “Meant to Be” and available streaming with a Peacock subscription.
One Chicago was back to tackling separate cases in the wake of the massive three-part crossover event, but fans of Chicago P.D. still had something big to celebrate even though the reunion with Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos was brief. Patrick John Flueger returned from his leave of absence in "Meant to Be" with Ruzek’s first on-screen appearance since a key Atwater episode in 2025. This meant Burzek finally appearing on screen together, and their story was solid enough to make it a little less sad that he missed the reunion.
That’s not to say I won’t be at least a little bit bummed for the foreseeable future that Ruzek wasn’t on hand to reunite with Halstead and Upton. The two former P.D. stars technically got more screentime in the crossover than most of the current P.D. stars, but each of the long-timers got at least a couple of moments with the returnees. In fact, Halstead acknowledging Burgess’ promotion by pointedly calling her “Detective” was one of my favorite small moments from the entire death-defying crossover.
Article continues belowOf the three One Chicago shows, P.D. has held onto the same core group for the longest without expanding to as large an ensemble as Chicago Fire and Chicago Med, so it would have been nice to get Ruzek along with Burgess, Atwater, Voight, and even Torres for the Upstead reunion. (Torres is a newer addition to the show compared to the others other than Imani.)
Still, it was great to get Ruzek back just one week after the crossover, and I really loved that P.D. didn’t acknowledge his absence other than establishing that he’s been busy off-screen with his dad. The good ship Burzek has been sailing just fine even while Burgess was the only one working cases with the Intelligence Unit. With as much as these two characters have been through together and separately, it was a relief that his absence and return weren’t treated as huge, dramatic events.
The story could focus on their little family unit instead of anybody making amends, which was particularly welcome after part of the crossover had to dedicate time to redeeming Halstead for his actions after Jesse Lee Soffer stepped away. Sure, the payoff was great with the ending Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos wanted, but Upstead's downfall on P.D. was pretty painful at the time. Burzek avoiding anything along those lines was what they deserved.
Ruzek’s unceremonious return was perfect for Burzek, as far as I’m concerned, because I was far more interested in getting glimpses of their home life and the hurdles they’re encountering as Makayla’s parents than I would have been in any relationship drama. Besides, the promo for the next case indicates that we’re going to get a lot more action out of Ruzek in his second episode back. Take a look:
Welcome back, Patrick John Flueger! Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 p.m. ET for the next new episode of Chicago P.D., following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET. You can also revisit any and all earlier episodes streaming on Peacock.
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