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Why Marina Squerciati Was Actually Missing During Chicago P.D. Season 12
The truth finally comes out about why Burgess was really absent during Chicago P.D.'s first 2 episodes.
One of the biggest mysteries from the beginning of Chicago P.D. Season 12 has finally been solved.
Once Season 12 kicked off, fans were curious about the absence of Marina Squerciati's Kim Burgess. As one of the series' tentpole characters, Burgess not appearing in the first two episodes of the new season naturally raised some questions.
Here's everything you need to know about the circumstances that caused the star to miss those pivotal Season 12 episodes!
How was Kim Burgess' absence on Chicago P.D. explained?
Here's how the show explained Burgess not being around the Intelligence Unit office during the first two episodes of Season 12 via an exchange with her better half, Patrick John Flueger's Adam Ruzek!
Viewers get an answer early on in the season premiere, "Ten Ninety-Nine," when Ruzek is speaking to LaRoyce Hawkins' Kevin Atwater after getting off the phone with Burgess.
"She said the conference is good, learning a lot," he told Atwater. "She's disturbed by her case though, thinking about coming home early."
Burgess had been tirelessly working toward officially becoming a full-fledged detective, and thankfully, Burgess' commitment to the CPD paid off a short time later when she was finally promoted in Episode 6, "Pawns."
However, there's way more to this story. Thanks to a timely social media post on New Year's Day, the real-life reason for Squerciati's early-season absence has finally been revealed!
What happened to Marina Squerciati during the first two episodes of Chicago P.D. Season 12?
As it turns out, the plot thread of "Burgess is at a conference for a few weeks" was the writers' way of covering for Squerciati as she went through a significant life event: The birth of her second child! That's right, the 40-year-old had to be temporarily written off the show because of the newest addition to her family.
Squerciati broke the news herself in a suitably epic New Year's Day Instagram post, showing off her baby bump and explaining the "real" reason she missed those episodes:
While Squierciati and her real-life hubby, Eli Kay-Oliphant, are over the moon with their second child, One Chicago fans are looking forward to the wedding everyone has been waiting for in 2025!
Will Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek get married in 2025?
Will their third engagement be the one that finally sticks for "Burzek" — their latest adorable proposal occurred in Season 11 — or are they destined to continue their rollercoaster relationship until the end of time?
Fortunately for fans Burgess and Ruzek, it looks like a wedding is finally in the cards for the star-crossed couple!
"The bait and switch for Ruzek and Burgess are over," Squerciati assured NBC Insider in early 2024. "They'll go through stuff, but they're together now. They're the couple that we rely on... They're each going to go through things as one does in life and in marriage. But we're safe. I think we're safe."
While those are encouraging words for fans of Burzek, it's what showrunner Gwen Sigan revealed to TV Insider in October 2024 that has fans very excited — the wedding is officially on!
"[It's] definitely going to happen," Sigan explained. "In our minds, it's just been fun to sort of imagine the planning process and what the heck they're talking about at home that we don't get to see. So we do have some snippets of that coming up in a future episode that you'll get in their heads about what they're thinking about the wedding and how they're planning it and how it's all going."
Who knows when the big day will finally arrive on Chicago P.D., but with the Burzek wedding scheduled for sometime in 2025, the new year is already shaping up to be one of the best for One Chicago fans. It couldn't have happened to a better on-screen couple!
