"It's Just Been So Long": Marina Squerciati Talks How Burgess Wants to Rise in Chicago PD and What Still Needs to Change

Chicago PD returns to the TV program after a week's break in autumn 2024, and the new episode on November 6th will be a big event for Burgess. After more than a decade of watching the police drama One Chicago as a CPD officer, she's on her way to becoming a detective… assuming all goes well despite the politics ahead, and that's never a guarantee. Marina Squerciati spoke to CinemaBlend about what to expect, including why the plot took so long to arrive and what still needs to change for Burgess.

The next episode of Chicago PD is called “Pawns” and the promo reveals that Burgess will be one final step away from becoming a detective. Burgess, Ruzek and Atwater were all officers from the start and the intelligence unit lost its two main detectives when Halstead left the CPD and Upton moved on. That's why I asked Marina Squerciati if she had any idea ahead of Season 12 that Burgess might be next in line to try out for the promotion. The actress said:

I mean, one of us had to give in, right? It's just been so long. I knew it was one of us. I didn't care which one. (laughs) I just wanted one of us to make it… There was a vacancy. A few (openings), so it's time.

Even if it seemed that way at first Chicago PD had hired a new detective for season 12 instead of promoting someone, Martel was quickly killed off, and newcomer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner) is another officer. While Atwater previously seemed like a contender to be the next detective, it was anyone's guess. Whether Burgess gets what she hopes for in Pawns remains to be seen, but what has stopped her from pursuing a promotion all these years? Squerciati explained:

She is a new mother trying to create stability for her daughter who has been through a traumatic event. I think it's harder to be ambitious when you have a family. It's doable. I am definitely an ambitious woman and have a family. It just takes a little longer to learn and find the space for yourself in the in-between moment. She was a mother and had a family and a husband or fiancé. It took a minute, but now she's ready.

Stability can be in short supply Chicago PD Even under the best of circumstances, Burgess had to invest a lot of love, time and effort into building a home for Makayla. Luckily, once she and Ruzek got back together and formed one bond after another, they seemed to have a stable family unit with their daughter. Giving a preview of how Ruzek would react to Burgess making this big career attempt at becoming a detective, Squerciati said:

I think it is (wrong) to expect less from him than to support him. He's not some stupid jerk who can't support his more powerful fiancée. He is an incredible partner. A best friend of mine in life too, but he supports me and wants it for me because I want it for myself. So I think that's great.

Luckily for fans of the good ship Burzek, showrunner Gwen Sigan's comments about a smooth ride in Season 12 this fall seem to hold true! She also confirmed ahead of the premiere (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription) that a promotion was definitely “in store” and that they had been trying to make it happen for “so many years.”

However, that doesn't mean the journey will be easy. I asked Marina Squerciati how the title of November 6's episode – “Pawns” – applies to Burgess and the case as she is put to the test, and the actress offered some insight into how her character must change:

She tries to avoid politics, but she doesn't succeed. You can try to move up in any job, but politics is part of it. God, what a day to talk about this, right? It just permeates everything and she tried to avoid it and it still found her. I think that's really interesting and I think she needs to be smarter about it in the future. She doesn't have to play the game in its entirety every moment, but she does have to recognize that it's there and understand it a little better.

Only time will tell how long it will take for Burgess to understand the political side of the game a little better, but it should be an interesting ride. The promo for the episode also gives a taste of the politics Burgess will face in her attempt to be promoted to detective:

Chicago PD 12×06 Promo “Pawns” (HD) – YouTube
Chicago PD 12x06 Promo

Keep looking

Be sure to tune in to the “Pawns” episode of Wednesday, November 6th at 10pm ET on NBC Chicago PD As always, the exploits of the intelligence unit follow Chicago fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET, all on NBC. You can also rewatch previous episodes of all three shows now, streaming on Peacock, and don't forget to check out CinemaBlend for more from Marina Squerciati.

“It's Just Been So Long”: Marina Squerciati Talks How Burgess Wants to Rise in Chicago PD and What Still Needs to Change

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