Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for the first episode of Chicago P.D. Season 12.
Season 12 of Chicago P.D. is off to a thrilling start, wasting no time to deliver on its signature high-octane action that we all love. In the premiere episode, ‘Ten Ninety-Nine’ all hands are on deck as the Intelligence Unit tackles a bunch of dangerous cases. We already knew the team would be looking a lot different and the first notable face we see is Detective, Emily Martel (Victoria Cartagena) an obvious replacement for the departed Kate Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). However, before we can get to appreciate the new addition more, her arc ends rather abruptly in a tragic fashion. It’s another typical example of how the show excels at crafting unexpected twists. Martell’s death wasn’t merely for dramatic effect, as showrunner Gwen Sigan has explained how it lays the foundation for an overarching theme Season 12 will explore as the show progresses.
When we meet Detective Martell, she’s been a part of the unit for about a month and has blended in quite nicely. She’s seen working closely with Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) and the pair appear to have a little bit of history back to their Academy days. However, before we get to see more reasons why she might be a good replacement for Upton, she is killed by unexpected gunfire while riding along with Ruzek.
Before her shocking demise, we learn that Martell had her fair share of traumatic experiences as a cop. Much like her boss Hank Voight’s (Jason Beghe) current mental state, she was mentally scarred after losing her former partner and had to take a mental leave. In an interview with TV Insider, Sigan explains that Martell’s death was done to mirror what Voight is currently going through and sort of build the framework for exploring themes of self-identity and transformation which will serve as the undercurrent to drive the season forward. She said:
“…And so it, for us, felt like it was all the perfect pieces and then to end in a way where you’re emphasizing that this is how death happens, that it can happen instantaneously, it can happen without you having had any time to prepare for it and without being able to tie up loose ends or say goodbyes or figure out what your life was worth, that it can just be gone. And so to us,
it felt thematically like the perfect story and that it would also trigger all the themes we want to tell this year, which are kind of identity and self and crisis of self and transformation and all these things that you think about a lot when you’re thinking about your own mortality
.”
How Will Ruzek Handle Martell’s Death?
Martell’s death places Ruzek in a tough place emotionally, and when episode 2 airs, we will see the longtime intelligence unit member battle anxiety. Sigan further teases: “Episode 2 is really just an adrenaline ride, and I think you’re in the shock the whole episode. Our hope was that you almost as an audience member feel the same anxiety that Ruzek’s feeling. It’s a real-time episode, so you’re like 42 minutes of being in that moment with Ruzek and feeling what it feels like to have just seen that happen.”
Martell’s death means that the team is again without a detective. However, with Sigan recently divulging that Season 12 will see someone promoted from within, it means that the new detective will likely come from the existing members of the team, meaning that Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati), Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), and even Ruzek are likely candidates. Or perhaps, there is yet another unexpected twist in that regard.
Chicago P.D. airs new episodes at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesdays on NBC and will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
WATCH ON PECOCK
