Warning: Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 1 contains major spoilers.Chicago Police Department Showrunner Gwen Sigan explained Season 12’s shocking death and revealed how the character’s death will impact the team going forward. in Chicago Police Department Season 12, Episode 1 introduces Detective Martell (Victoria Cartagena) as the newest member of the team. However, at the end of the episode, while driving with Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), she is shot and killed. This shocking moment serves as the end of the premiere and sets the stage for the rest of the season.
talk to TV peopleSigan revealed Chicago Police Department Season 12 killed off Martel very quickly to reveal how Voight (Jason Beghe) is on the brink of death. After her near-death experience in season 11, the showrunners explained how the rookie detective reflected those fears in her untimely death, especially thanks to the character development she received. Sigan also explained how death can happen without drama, which is an important theme set in the season.
The story we want to tell is really about Voight and how he’s been affected by the events of the last year, two parts in particular: Upton being gone and his passing. In the room we knew. This near-death experience, and he remembers a lot of it, he remembers what it felt like, and he also remembers that this is all going to pass soon, right? He was about to disappear and that should have been the end of it. And I think, for him, that sparked this almost introspective thing. he doesn’t know that. We just see him deal with it in Voight fashion. “You have to move, you have to move, you have to move.”
But he grapples with the idea that he doesn’t have much time, he doesn’t know when it will end, what to do with it, how to make it worthwhile. When we knew that was what this episode was about, we wanted to tell that story through another character, which ended up being Martel. And it felt fresh. It felt different for us to introduce our unit members in such a way that just by meeting her a month later, she’s already been accepted and has already gained a foothold. She has a past dealing with the same issue, where we learn that she is coming from a mental leave and took some time off because her partner passed away.
So, for us, it felt like everything was a perfect piece, and that this is how death happens, that it can happen instantly, that it happens without having to wait for death. It ends in a way that emphasizes what is possible. Even if you prepare for it, if you can’t settle loose ends, say goodbye, or understand the value of your life, it can just go away. So, to us, it feels like the perfect story thematically, and it also taps into all the themes we want to convey this year: identity and self, self-crisis and transformation, and all these things that people think about. I felt that it might be a trigger. I understand when I think about my own death.
With Martel’s sudden death, showrunners teased how Season 12, Episode 2 follows suit, showing Ruzek’s real-time situation. Immediately after gunshots rang out. She also explains how it will affect the rest of the season, revealing the scope of the violence and how quickly it can change lives. See Sigan’s comments below.
Episode 2 is a real adrenaline rush and I think you are in shock throughout the episode. Our hope was that we wanted everyone in the audience to feel the same anxiety that Ruzek feels. This is a real-time episode, so it’s like being in the moment with Ruzek for 42 minutes and feeling what it felt like to see that moment.
And how that affects the rest of the season is mostly because of this undercurrent. I think whenever there’s a police show, it reminds us as writers and the audience that these are the police, and they walk in the door every day, and they don’t know what’s on the other side. . It’s always a threat of danger and violence, a threat to your life, but it keeps its reality and authenticity. So I think this is going to be something that all of our characters are affected by in some way, but I also think it’s a story that sparks another story in a good way, if that makes sense.
What Martel’s death means for Chicago PD season 12
The tone was quickly established
Season 11 of the police procedural ended not only with Voight having a near-death experience, but also with Hayley Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) exiting the show. Chicago Police Departmenta character looking for a new job at a federal agency. It looked like Martel would be her replacement, but In the season 12 premiere, she was shockingly killed off. This will have a great impact not only on Ruzek, who witnessed her sudden death, but also on the leader of the team, who himself is on the brink of a close call and continues to fight against death.
Martel’s death also establishes the tone of the new episode, with the characters Chicago Police Department You have to deal with the sudden loss of your team. It was established that she had been with them for a monthwhich means that many connections were likely formed during her short tenure. Also dealing with the aftermath of her death is the arrival of Officer Kiana Cook (Toya Turner). His debut in Season 12, Episode 2 will coincide with Ruzek dealing with the aftermath of his partner’s death in real time.
Our take on Martel’s death at the Chicago PD premiere
This season could be the darkest yet.
The fallout from Martel’s death is expected to tie in with the theme of death, which Sigan hinted will be prevalent throughout Season 12. Chicago Police Department This will be the show’s darkest season to date, dealing with death in a more direct way than any previous season. There are still many mysteries remaining about what happens next, but as new episodes arrive, it’s clear that the detective’s death will have far-reaching implications for the team.
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Airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET on NBC.
Source: TV Insider