Will Adam Ruzek be OK? When Chicago P.D. fans last saw the officer, he was clinging to life after being shot during an undercover mission. His fate was left up in the air when the credits rolled on season 10 of the NBC drama. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer to get answers about what happens to Ruzek. After a months-long delay due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Chicago P.D. Season 11 is set to premiere Jan. 17 on NBC.
What happened to Adam Ruzek in ‘Chicago P.D.’ Season 10?
In the 10th season of the Dick Wolf police procedural, Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) went deep undercover to investigate a gang of homegrown terrorists led by Richard Beck (Lee Tergesen). In the season finale, Ruzek caught Richard’s daughter Samantha (Caitlin Mehner) preparing to leave town with her young son Callum (Graham Harvey) after her dad moved up the attack date.
Ruzek, who was desperate to discover the details of the planned attack, revealed his true identity to Samantha. The police brought her in, and she was offered immunity in exchange for her cooperation. She reluctantly agreed to give up her dad. As the police prepared to take down Beck and his collaborators, Ruzek took Samantha and Callum home to pack for what they told Callum was a camping trip. (In reality, the plan was to take them to a safe house.)
The police raid on Beck’s hideout turned up a huge stockpile of drugs and explosives, but no terrorists. Meanwhile, Ruzek found Callum on the phone with his grandfather. After he hung up the phone, the boy pointed a gun at Ruzek.
“He says I can’t go camping, not without him… He said that you’re trying to trick us,” Callum said.
Ruzek tried to reason with Cal, but the boy shot him. Samantha discovered the injured officer bleeding out on the floor, but rather than attempting to save him, she left the gravely injured Ruzek and fled with her son. Ruzek managed to call Burgess (Marina Squerciati) for help on his cell. The paramedics arrived and rushed him to the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
Meanwhile, Burgess and Voight (Jason Beghe) tracked down Samantha and Callum in a parking lot. Richard arrived and a shootout ensued, during which Richard attempted to use his grandson as a human shield. Fortunately, Atwater (LeRoyce Hawkins) showed up and fired a fatal shot, taking down the drug kingpin and white supremacist. Meanwhile, Ruzek went into emergency surgery, and his fate was unknown as the episode ended.
Is Patrick Flueger leaving ‘Chicago P.D.’?
Could season 10’s dramatic ending be setting the stage for Flueger’s Chicago P.D. exit? Anything is possible. However, fans worried about Ruzek’s fate can take comfort in knowing that neither Flueger nor NBC have announced his departure from the show. (Tracy Spridakos, who plays Hailey Upton, will be leaving Chicago P.D. after season 11, however.) In a May 2023 Instagram post promoting the show’s season 10 finale, Flueger also hinted that he would be returning for season 11.
“Till we meet again y’all,” the actor wrote.
If Ruzek doesn’t survive his injuries, it would be devastating not only for Chi-Hards, but also for Burgess. The on-again, off-again couple rekindled their romance in season 10. And Burgess was by Ruzek’s side as he was whisked into surgery. If he didn’t make it, it would be devastating for her, especially since it seemed like their relationship was finally back on solid ground.
In a 2023 interview with NBC Insider, Flueger said he was ready for “Burzek” to get a happily ever after.
“[Marina and I] have definitely both told the writers—and we can tell them anything we want, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to listen—that if they break us up again, please, let’s not try this again because it’s too much,” he said. “But I think it’s in a good place.”
Hopefully, we’ll get answers about Ruzek’s fate when Chicago P.D. Season 11 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
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