Chicago PD season 7 character review: Kim Burgess

What it means

If you’re a Kim Burgess fan, chances are you feel a bit conflicted about the most recent season. It was frustrating when she wasn’t being used enough, and then when she did get featured, it was also frustrating to see her go through so much hardship. But at the same time, Marina Squerciati was excellent in these episodes, and Burgess proved again how tough she is. It was great to watch but not so great for her character.

But what role do the writers see for her? When Sophia Bush left Chicago PD at the end of season 4, Marina Squerciati seemed poised to replace her as the show’s female lead; that didn’t happen. Burzek seems to be in a good place, but even that isn’t clear; in the season finale, Burgess learned that Ruzek had been sleeping with a bartender, which felt weird despite the other woman telling Kim that he was “still hung up on his ex.” Why didn’t the writers just let Burgess and Ruzek be an official couple again?

Burgess has proven to be a resilient and engaging character, and Squerciati gets better every reason. But season 6 was proof that the writers aren’t entirely sure what to do with her. They didn’t use her enough in one part of the season and then piled one issue on top of another for her in the rest of it. The hope would be that she can find a clearly defined space (maybe she can bring some levity and/or be the Intelligence Unit morale officer, the way she used to) in the future. Now would be the time, since everything is kind of a blank slate for her at the moment.