Chicago PD season 8 character preview: Adam Ruzek

What should happen

Ruzek’s characterization has sometimes been really weird on Chicago PD, and that’s not exactly anyone’s fault, either. He was introduced as the newbie (remember when he was recruited right out of the academy in season 1?) and then, for lack of a better phrase, became the sort of “bad boy” of Intelligence.

But then there was that half-season where he was suddenly gone on an undercover mission because he couldn’t handle his feelings for Burgess (in reality, Patrick John Flueger was off filming a movie). And then he became an involuntary mole. And after that, he hooked up with Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) in a relationship that nobody quite saw coming. Now we’re back to Burzek again.

Ruzek is due for a bit of character reinvention. The “tough guy” kind of cop isn’t that interesting, and that’s not really a Chicago PD issue; every cop show has one of those characters. And just like Kim shouldn’t be entirely defined by her relationship with Adam, he shouldn’t be defined solely by dating her, either. Considering Ruzek’s willingness to win at almost any cost, he could’ve been a cool sort of protege to Voight—but the show has positioned Upton to go down that road.

So who’s Ruzek going to be? He’s not a kid anymore and he can’t be more than the reckless one pushing other cops and getting into fights. He might be one of the most resistant to change with the new reform storyline, and that could be a lot of fun to watch. How will he adapt when he can’t do what he’s conditioned to do?