Chicago PD’s Upton and Ruzek: Should they stay or split?

Why they should stay together

There is potential for Ruzek and Upton to be a great pairing if Chicago PD is willing to take the time to develop it, and not just show One Chicago fans the couple-y moments. Both Patrick John Flueger and Tracy Spiridakos are excellent actors, and they’re capable of developing this the way it ought to be developed.

They can show us what makes these two click, if the writers give them a few more scenes to understand each character’s point of view on the relationship. Upton confessed to Burgess that she kept the pairing a secret because she’d previously had another interoffice romance go bad; so why did she take a chance on Ruzek? That hasn’t been explained convincingly.

The ship itself isn’t necessarily flawed; it’s just that all of the writing isn’t there. Instead of seeing the idea develop, and the chemistry build, we’ve mostly just seen them sleep together and be a little guilty that Burgess doesn’t know. Even though they hooked up randomly, that doesn’t mean their relationship can’t be fleshed out.

Then there’s this to consider: shipping is a major part of the One Chicago franchise. Every one of the shows has at least one ship that’s prominently featured. Chicago PD lost its biggest one when Sophia Bush left the show, and then it broke up Burzek. There’s got to be a ship somewhere, and there aren’t really other options.

Ruzek getting back with Burgess now would feel equally abrupt, especially since the show has her sleeping with a campaign consultant (guest star Charles Michael Davis). Some fans are hoping for Upton and Halstead to get together, but they’ve got an excellent partnership and friendship that’s great the way it is, too.

And everybody else that’s left, well, their romantic lives are generally dead, except for Trudy Platt (Amy Morton), but the show can’t feature her marriage regularly since it’s a crossover pairing. The writers have kind of written themselves into a place where Upzek is their most viable option. Now will the fourth time be the charm for Ruzek or not so much?

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