Warning: spoilers are ahead for the Season 13 fall finale of Chicago P.D., called "Impulse Control" and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
The first portion of Chicago P.D.'s thirteenth season has come to an end in the fall 2025 TV schedule, and fans have weeks to wait before finding out what's next for the Intelligence Unit in the 2026 TV schedule. While I'm still undecided about how the criminal who seems to be the Season 13 big bad compares to Shawn Hatosy's wonderful despicable Chief Reid from last season, Raymond Bell's return in "Impulse Control" led to the kind of cliffhanger I've been missing this fall.
That said, I'm also missing Adam Ruzek, and I have questions about how P.D. is handling Patrick John Flueger's absence.
Chicago P.D.'s Fall Finale Is "To Be Continued"
There was a lot going on in "Impulse Control." Voight proved that he and Imani haven't just been baselessly paranoid about Bell since his debut in Episode 4. A violent break-in led them back to his doorstep, and Imani formed a connection with his granddaughter could be key to whatever comes next for the Intelligence Unit.
At the same time, "Impulse Control" was arguably the best showcase to date of how showrunner Gwen Sigan described Imani as someone who "thinks she knows the answers" and "doesn't necessarily play well with others." I was keeping an eye on the clock as Imani kept getting shut down from chasing leads, waiting for the climax so that everything would wrap up more or less neatly by 11 p.m. ET, as usual.
But that didn't happen! The episode ended shortly after Imani broke into the Bell house, trying to find Julie after getting a worrisome call from the little girl. (It didn't end quite as badly for the CPD officer as it did for the character who did a little breaking and entering elsewhere in One Chicago earlier on fall finale night.) Imani went up to Julie's room to find it empty of any people but a phone left behind, then heard the slamming of a door and some footsteps that definitely sound like they come from an adult behind her. The episode then ended on a "TO BE CONTINUED..." card, which I didn't realize I missed until I saw it.
All three One Chicago shows are generally procedural, aside from some character storylines that resurface from week to week. While P.D. is generally the most procedural, I'd also argue that it's easily the best at consistently delivering two-parters with cliffhangers in between the halves. The fall finales of Chicago Med and Chicago Fire both delivered cliffhangers, but a good old-fashioned "TO BE CONTINUED" is a fun way to nudge fans closer to the edges of their seats over hiatus.
Of course, Ray Bell was only one of the complications this week. Torres has Odell Morgan on his mind after the bloody conclusion of that case, Voight is clearly still on the outs with ASA Chapman after how Season 12 ended, the latest mysterious envelope that Voight received came from Commander Devlin (introduced in the Season 13 premiere), and Adam Ruzek is still MIA. We have the behind-the-scenes reason for one of those complications, but I'm looking for an in-universe reason.
Where's Ruzek?
Ruzek's absence in Season 13 was confirmed well before the fall finale aired on November 12. News broke in late October that actor Patrick John Flueger was stepping away from Chicago P.D. for an undetermined (but not permanent) amount of time for personal reasons. Based on him missing the sixth and seventh episodes of Season 13, the Atwater-centric Episode 5 on October 29 might be the last that we see of him for a while.
While I hope that the actor is getting everything he needs from his leave of absence (up to and including privacy), I had hoped that Chicago P.D. would provide an in-universe reason for why Ruzek is nowhere to be seen. It's not unusual for any One Chicago actor to miss an episode here and there after the renewal deal terms earlier this year, but two in a row for Ruzek and the expectation that he won't be back as soon as that "TO BE CONTINUED" is... well, continued really makes me wish that the show would answer the questions of where he is and what he's doing.
The answers really could be as simple as Ruzek off-screen deciding to take some time off to spend with Makayla after his discussions with Burgess about their daughter earlier this season. Or perhaps Bob needs some face-to-face time with his son, warranting the time away from the Intelligence Unit. Or maybe Ruzek could just be temporarily working with another unit or undercover? Any kind of reason would be welcome, especially since Burgess is carrying on as if everything is normal.
If Chicago P.D. does answer any questions about Ruzek, it won't happen for a while. The One Chicago cop drama will be on winter hiatus until Wednesday, January 7, at which point it will return to its usual 10 p.m. ET time slot on NBC after Chicago Fire. In the meantime, fans can always revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock.