Chicago PD’s Rick Eid on Antonio’s downward spiral, Ruzek and Upton

Chicago PD showrunner Rick Eid discusses Antonio’s addiction, Ruzek and Upton’s future, and more ahead of the Chicago PD season 6 fall finale.

The Chicago PD midseason finale has a lot of decisions to be made for everyone in Intelligence, so we went to the source to get answers to some of the season’s most burning questions.

Executive producer Rick Eid spoke about how Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) became addicted to pain medication and if he was concerned about that plot being too familiar to Chicago Fire.

He also spoke about how Chicago PD decided to pair Adam Ruzek and Hailey Upton (Patrick John Flueger and Tracy Spiridakos), and which character he feels has stepped up after the death of fan favorite Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas).

Find out what he had to tell us below, then make sure you’re tuned in to the Chicago PD fall finale tomorrow!

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One Chicago Center: Antonio started this season in charge of Intelligence. Why did you decide to have him fall this far?

Rick Eid: It came from where the season started. He was in charge. He was in a position of moral authority and moral high ground, and we thought what would be an interesting place to put him at the midpoint? After some conversations we were like, what about the exact opposite position? Truthfully that’s how it came about.

OCC: Painkiller addiction was also an issue in the beginning of Chicago Fire. Were you aware of that or concerned about being too close to that story?

Rick Eid: I knew that was an issue that [Kelly] Severide (Taylor Kinney) had dealt with. Beyond that, I didn’t focus on it that much. I think you just kind of let your characters speak to a story and it evolves. And hopefully, by the time you’re doing your story, because the characters are different and the shows are different, it feels distinct.

OCC: The Chicago PD midseason finale is a great showpiece for Jon Seda. What does he mean to the series?

Rick Eid: He’s fantastic. He’s rock solid. He’s loved by fans, cast, crew, producers, so he means everything. His performance in this episode is great.

What’s interesting about [Antonio] is he represents a great counterpoint to Voight in the series, yet he’s versatile enough and real enough that you can explore this kind of dark arc for him—getting swept up in something and losing his sort of sense of self for a while. But he’s still strong enough and honest enough, as a character and actor, that when he goes back to being some version of the Antonio we know and love, it’ll still feel real.

OCC: Who’s going to get him there? Because his sister is in Puerto Rico and Brett looks like she has moved on past him.

Rick Eid: He’ll end up investing in his work family, which is Intelligence. In many ways the show is about family, and it’s dysfunctional. There’s judgement, there’s spite, there’s tension [but] at the end of the day everybody would risk their lives and their career for their family members. That’s what sort of happens here. He’ll find help and comfort in the people in Intelligence.

OCC: Let’s talk about some of the other stories in Chicago PD season 6. How serious are Ruzek and Upton, especially since he spent so long tied up with Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati)?

Rick Eid: Sometimes all it takes is the right woman or man, right? I think he has real feelings for Upton. And I think the question is, what’s Upton’s vision of Ruzek for the future? Is he long-term material or is he more of a temporary fling? How does Adam handle that? Right now, we look at it as a meaningful, casual relationship.

OCC: Ruzek has become more of a rock for Intelligence while others have had their personal issues. How has it been to write his arc this season?

Rick Eid: It’s been great. I think he’s a great character. I think [Patrick]’s a great actor. And I think with Olinsky gone, the character of Ruzek saw a bit of a void in the unit and wanted to fill it with that sort of Olinsky spirit. And he’s grown closer to Voight (Jason Beghe); they’re sort of birds of a feather a bit and that’s an interesting dynamic.

OCC: You’re now also dividing your time between Chicago PD and Dick Wolf’s other series FBI. Has running that show with Derek Haas influenced your work on Chicago PD?

Rick Eid: When you’re engaged creatively, sometimes things happen. For the most part, when I’m thinking about FBI I’m thinking about FBI, and when I’m thinking of PD I’m thinking of PD. But sometimes it bleeds into each other in a good way.

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OCC: Is there anything you want to mention about the rest of Chicago PD season 6?

Rick Eid: Hopefully the fall finale leads people to wonder what’s going to happen and they’ll come back in the new year. I think the next episode after the new year is great and answers a lot of these questions that people will have.

We’re also excited to bring back Wendell Pierce [who played Alderman Ray Price] in episode 13 and have an arc there. He’ll throw his hat into the political ring and get involved in messy Chicago politics.

For the latest Chicago PD season 6 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.