Chicago PD season 5 by character: Kim Burgess

How was Chicago PD season 5 for your favorite character? In this retrospective profile, we look at how Chicago PD treated Kim Burgess this season.

As we continue to look back on Chicago PD season 5, we’re breaking down the season for each of the show’s characters.

Did your favorite character have a good season or a bad season? What were their strong points and were there any weaknesses? Was the character affected by the show’s writing, or vice versa? Where could they go from here?

Check out our detailed character breakdown, and let us know your thoughts on how this season was for each character in the comments.

In this profile, we’re looking at Chicago PD‘s ambitious and big-hearted Kim Burgess, played by Marina Squerciati.

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MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS:

With the departure of Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), Kim Burgess became the most prominent female character this season. But while she got more screen time, there weren’t a lot of game-changing moments for her, either.

Burgess’s love life was a focus of her season. She was dating an attorney (played by guest star Zach Appelman), only for him to dump her after Burgess sided with the Intelligence Unit on a case.

She subsequently had a one-night stand with her former fiance Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), but their relationship wasn’t really cleared up after that.

Professionally, she did get one of the season’s best episodes in “The Thing About Heroes” where she tried unsuccessfully to clear the name of a patrol cop that she had trained. More of that would have been welcome.

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ANALYSIS:

At the start of Chicago PD‘s fifth season, we had posited that this could be a major season for Kim Burgess. It was, but more in quantity than quality.

The absence of Sophia Bush meant somebody had to become the show’s new female lead, and it was a given that it would be Marina Squerciati, since Tracy Spiridakos was in her first season as a regular and Amy Morton‘s character is limited behind the sergeant’s desk. And from an acting standpoint, Squerciati rose to the occasion. She gets better and better every season.

The writing, however, could have served her a little better. While it’s great that Chicago PD addressed the Burzek relationship after their kiss in season 4, having them hook up for a one-night fling didn’t actually accomplish anything or offer any clarity for fans.

And the episode “Sisterhood” wanted to follow up on last season’s spectacular “Last Minute Resistance” but wound up being a misfire. “The Thing About Heroes” was Burgess’s high point and she deserves a lot more of those.

PROGNOSIS:

We’re leaving Kim Burgess after Chicago PD season 5 generally in the same place that we left her last season. She’s still refining her craft in the Intelligence Unit and still doesn’t know what she is getting out of her personal life. And while last season gave us the contrasting partnership for Kim and Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas), the show didn’t pursue that this season.

What would be great to see next is something fans have been campaigning about for a while: to get more scenes between Burgess and her former partner Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins). It would be great to see them work a case or two together, perhaps to see how their partnership is different in Intelligence than it was on patrol.

And Chicago PD either needs to commit to reigniting Burzek, or move on—let’s not turn them into another Brettonio.

There’s no reason Kim can’t become the right hand of Intelligence like Lindsay was before her, if she gets more experience and more of a chance to grow. Marina Squerciati is doing all she can in that respect; there just ought to be more for her to work with next season.

What did you think of Chicago PD season 5 as it relates to Kim Burgess? Let us know how you’d evaluate her season in the comments.

Chicago PD returns to NBC on Sept. 26.