When we first learned that Patrick John Flueger wouldn’t be in some episodes of Chicago PD season 13 for personal reasons, there was very little explanation as to when that would happen. All we knew was that the writers needed to rewrite a few episodes to handle the absence.
Given the personal and sensitive nature of the decision, we get it that there wasn’t a huge deal made about Ruzek’s absence. However, it seems like the character has just been forgotten about, and this is a character who deserves better.
Ruzek is an OG Chicago PD character
It’s not like this is a side character who could be easily written out for a few episodes without much of an explanation. Nor is it like there was a storyline that happened that allowed for an easy write-out, such as not explaining why Herrmann isn’t around much in Chicago Fire after his house burned down. The Chicago PD writers should have treated Ruzek’s exit with more care and attention.
All it would have taken was one line to explain why Ruzek wasn’t around. Him not being there is glaringly obvious, considering he and Burgess are married and are raising Makayla together. There have been a lot of conversations about raising their daughter where they do, and throughout the seasons, we’ve seen their personal lives.
So, it feels off that Ruzek hasn’t even been mentioned by anyone. And I get that the writers may not want to make a huge deal about it due to the reasons Flueger is taking a leave of absence, but he does deserve better.
There is the perfect arc already set up on Chicago PD
One of the greatest things about the show is that it’s already set up an explanation without even trying too hard. During the last couple of seasons of Chicago PD, we’ve learned that Ruzek’s dad has Alzheimer’s, and the disease is progressing. It was during the last scene with the two of them that Ruzek realized just how bad his father’s Alzheimer’s was, as his dad didn’t even recognize him.
All Burgess had to do was mention that Ruzek was furloughed to take care of his sick dad. Even Atwater or Voight could have asked Burgess how it’s going. It didn’t need to be a huge conversation, but it could have allowed us to know that Ruzek’s temporary exit was happening before the fall finale, and it would have been more respectful to the character we’ve all come to love.
If the writers didn’t want to do anything to focus on Ruzek’s dad, with the plan on doing something later, then there could have even been an arc set with Ruzek going undercover or with him being requested by another unit temporarily. This would allow us to know that he’s still working and still at home, but that he’s just not with Intelligence right now.
Instead, it’s like he’s just been forgotten about, and considering the reason for Ruzek not being in the episodes, it was the wrong way to go about it.
Chicago PD returns with new episodes on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 10/9c on NBC.
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