Chicago PD Season 12 Death and How It Impacts Everyone Explained by Showrunner

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 1!Chicago PD Showrunner Gwen Sigan explained the shocking death of season 12, revealing how the character’s death will affect others on the team moving forward. in Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 1, Detective Martel (Victoria Cartagena) is introduced as the latest member of the team. However, while driving with Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) at the end of the episode, she winds up being shot and killed. This shocking moment serves as the end of the premiere, setting the stage for the rest of the season.

Talk to TV InsiderCigan revealed Chicago PD Season 12 killed Martel so quickly to establish how Voight (Jason Beghe) is struggling with his mortality After a near-death experience in season 11. The showrunner explains how the new detective reflects the fears of her early death, especially because of the character development she received. Cigan also explains how death can happen without drama, an important theme established for the season:

We knew in that room that the story we wanted to tell was really dealing with Voight and how he was affected by the events of last year and especially, I think, two pieces, which is that Upton is gone, and then also that He has this near death experience and he remembers a lot of it and he remembers what it felt like, and he remembers that it’s all just going to be gone, right? He was just going to be gone, and that would have been the end of it. And I think for him, it kind of triggered this almost introspective thing – he doesn’t know that, we just see him deal with it in a voiced way of, “I’ve got to move, I’ve got to move, I’ve got to move.”

But he deals with the idea that you don’t get much time and you won’t know when it’s over, and what do you do with that time and how do you make it worth something? And so when we knew that’s what the episode was about, we also wanted to tell the story through another character, who ended up being martyred. And it felt fresh. It felt different for us to introduce a member of the unit so that we get to see her just a month in and she’s already accepted and she’s already found her footing. She has the past that deals with the same issues where we know that she is coming from a mental leave and that she took some time off because her partner died.

And so it, for us, felt like it was all the perfect pieces and then to end in a way where you emphasize that this is how death happens, that it can happen instantly, it can happen without you having any time to prepare For him and without being able to tie loose ends or say goodbye or figure out what your life is worth, that it could just be gone. And so for us, it felt thematically like the perfect story and that it would also trigger all the themes that we want to tell this year, which are kind of identity and self and crisis of self and transformation and all the things that you think about A lot when you think about your own mortality.

Along with Martel’s quick death, the showrunner teased how Season 12, episode 2 would follow this, presenting a real-time situation with Ruzek Immediately after the shot rang out. She also explains how this will affect the rest of the season, revealing the extent of violence and how quickly it can change lives. Check out what Sigan had to say below:

Episode 2 is really just an adrenaline ride, and I think you’re in for a shock the whole episode. Our hope was that you almost as an audience member felt the same anxiety as Ruzek felt. It’s a real-time episode, so you’re like 42 minutes into being in the moment with Ruzek and feeling what it feels like to have just seen it happen.

And as it affects the rest of the season, there’s almost always this undercurrent. I think that every time you have a police show and you remind yourself as a writer and also the audience that they are police and that they walk in doors every day, that they don’t know what’s on the other side, and there’s always A threat of danger and violence and a threat to your life, it keeps that reality to it and that authenticity. And so it’s going to be something that I think all of our characters are affected in some way, but it’s also a story that in a nice way, I think, triggers different stories, if that makes sense.

What Martel’s Death Means for Chicago PD Season 12

The tone was quickly established

Season 11 of the police procedural ended not only with Voight having a near-death experience, but also with Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) leaving Chicago PDThe character is looking for a new job at a federal agency. While it appeared Martel was going to be her replacement, the end of The season 12 premiere shockingly killed her unceremoniously. This will not only affect Ruzek, who witnessed her sudden death, but also the leader of the team as he continues to wrestle with his mortality after such a close call.

With the death of Martels, the tone of the new episodes was also established, with the characters in Chicago PD Having to deal with such a sudden loss to their team. She was established as she was with them for a monthMeaning many connections were likely formed during her short stint. Dealing with the fallout of her death will also come with the arrival of officer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner), whose debut in season 12, episode 2 will coincide with Ruzek dealing with the aftermath of his partner’s death in real time.

Our take on Martel’s death in Chicago PD’s premiere

This season could be the darkest yet

The fallout from Martel’s death is expected to tie into the theme of mortality, something Cigan indicated will be prevalent throughout season 12. This could mean Chicago PD Will be the show’s darkest season yet, dealing with death in a more direct way than any of the previous seasons. Although there is still a lot of mystery surrounding what happens next, it is clear that the detective’s death will have wide ramifications for the team when new episodes arrive.

Source: TV Insider