Chicago Police celebrated its milestone 200th episode, and while it was a standout installment that put Burgess (Marina Squerciatti) at the forefront of dealing with her lingering trauma and PTSD, I felt it should have been more of a team effort .
Stand-alone episodes are fine for any other day, but when you’re celebrating 200 episodes on television, the moment deserves to be a celebration between the cast that made it and continues to make it every day.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to present a case where everyone played a part and where their camaraderie as a team contributed to their success.
Instead, almost everyone stayed in the background, with only Ruzek serving as Burgess’s support during the case and as she dealt with any shooting scares that surfaced.
CHICAGO PD — “Trapped” Episode 1014 — Pictured: Marina Squerciatti as Kim Burgess — (Photo: Laurie Allen/NBC)
This is not #Burzek’s time, so while it would have been sweet for them to take a moment with each other to celebrate the milestone, this episode made it clear that Burgess really needs to work on coming out the other side before she can to be the kind of mother, partner, and cop she wants to be.
Burgess is trapped. She never came face to face with her near death experience, burying it deep inside herself hoping it would just go away so she wouldn’t have to deal with it. She also never wanted to burden Ruzek with this, despite all his pleas to just let him in so he could help her.
But as the therapist wisely noted, this kind of PTSD has a way of creeping up on you. It’s always there, influencing your life in small ways you don’t notice. Burgess denied this, but it affected her life, preventing her from having a real relationship with Ruzek. She made her life small, her decisions were based on fear, and she pushed people away from her for self-preservation. This is really no way to live and it had to catch up with her.
Although it is difficult to purposefully face this type of trauma, it is essential to work through it so that it no longer lingers.
When Burgess heard a car being shot back, all those emotions and fears came rushing back as she was transported to the moment she was shot. Post-traumatic stress disorder has taken hold several other times, including when she was dealing with a shooting incident on the “L” train. This impaired Burgess’s ability to do her job, which not only put her in more danger, but prevented her from being the kind of cop she should be. It made her a liability. And after those few scenarios, she was so panicked she couldn’t move to realize she needed help. This is a huge and necessary step.
The good news is that Ruzek has made it clear he’ll be there for her every step of the way. He may have done some terrible things in the past, but he’s proven time and time again that he’s willing to do anything for her. He is her rock whenever she needs him.
Despite everything, Burgess was still doing a damn good police job. Burgess has a huge heart – it’s one of her best qualities, so even though she was dealing with a lot of personal problems, she still managed to protect the victims who relied on her. She may have dealt with anxiety, but she didn’t let it cripple her.
On the CTA train, Burgess stayed with Jamie the entire time, keeping him calm and reassuring him that he wasn’t alone. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, but Burgess paid attention to all the things he told her in his final moments, and when they tracked down the assailant, Aaron, Jamie’s cousin, she realized the Minnesota native was asking her to save his younger cousin. , who was abused by Aaron and his wife Marlene.
Burgess found evidence of the abuse when he tore down the garage, revealing a nook behind the wall where the boy was being held, along with some blood. Luckily, they were able to find Aaron’s pickup truck in a nearby forest preserve, and she was able to find the child before anything serious happened to him.
My biggest concern — and this happens a lot with Burgess-centric episodes — is that she went in there with almost no backup. Where was everyone?
Almost immediately after descending into the well to save Lucas, Aaron fired a shot – which could have ended very badly – and then closed the opening, trapping them inside.
CHICAGO PD — “Trapped” Episode 1014 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo: Laurie Allen/NBC)
Lucas was honestly the sweetest little thing and I’m a little bummed that we never got to know why Aaron and Marlene mistreat him. There was some mention of him “leaving to live with his family in California” after another baby was born, but no actual reason was given as to why the father wanted to leave him dead at the bottom of the well. Either way, Aaron was a heartless and cruel monster, because who could do such a thing?! Burgess, an adult and a cop who has seen things, was horrified, so just imagine how a young lad must have felt after being betrayed by the very people who should love and care for him .
Fortunately, both Burgess and Lucas were brought to safety.
This was a really emotional episode, with Squerciati doing a phenomenal job translating all of those emotions to the screen.
Again, I just wish the team was more engaged and integrated into the plot! Torres wasn’t even there because of the mandatory practice that was in bad weather. And the typical heart-to-heart between the characters wasn’t present either, although the ending could have really used it. It would also be nice to see Kim get some support from someone other than Ruzek. She’s good friends with Tracy Spiridakos in real life, so why aren’t the only two women in intelligence rooting for each other and supporting each other as they deal with really tough personal issues?
What did you think of the episode?