It hurts. It hurts baaaaad. Burgess didn’t just walk out on Ruzek; she walked out on all of us (we’re not faulting you, Burgess, you did the right thing). The fans are part of Burzek, too, after all. There just wasn’t enough room for us in the ship name.
We were there from the beginning: when Burgess “put [her] hips into it,” when they shared their first kiss outside Molly’s, when Burgess was shot and even when that adorable proposal happened in the locker room. We’ve been lurking in the corners of the 21st all along, “ooo”ing, “aww”ing and hashtagging our #Burzekfeels for all to see. But now it has come to a screeching halt. Hopefully, they’re just “on a break,” but for now, it’s over.
We didn’t want it to happen, but it did. We’ve had some time to process it, but now, instead of playing the scene on repeat and cursing the writers for splitting up one of the best couples in Chicago, we have to rally. Put down the ice cream and stop tweeting Marina about how sad you are. To quote Lieutenant Casey, you can handle this. It’s time to move on.
A blurb from an interview has been lurking that “the nature” of Burgess and Roman’s relationship will be “changing.” Take five minutes here to scream “WTF?” as much as you need, then read on. Their relationship may not veer in the romantic direction we fear, but sometimes, the best way to deal with one emotional blow is to try to prepare for the next one.
Before you storm Derek Haas’ mentions with your metaphorical pitchforks, however, hear me out. If you take off the Burzek colored glasses for a minute, Burgess and Roman make sense. In fact, they just might work. Here’s why:
1. They look out for each other.
Let’s call a spade a spade: Roman is not an easy character to like. He had big shoes to fill when he replaced Atwater as Burgess’ partner, so wishing she was “Tim” instead of Kim put him on our bad lists before his first scene was even done. After Burgess was shot, the blame game was in full force from fans and Ruzek alike, but Roman knew what he did. He apologized in a roundabout but sweet way two episodes later by refusing to let her go anywhere alone. He wasn’t doubting Burgess; he just wanted to make sure what happened at that door never happened again. Because he cares.
Fast forward to season three, and our minds all went to the same place when Burgess found the syringe in her partner’s
bag.
“Steroids!”
“Drugs!”
“I hope Ruzek tries to punch him again!”
Burgess was with us on the drug thing, but instead of jumping to conclusions, she confronted him and reminded him that she’s there if he needs her. Because that’s what a good partner does.
2. They trust each other.
We’re all mad at Roman for the push test. He should’ve stayed out of it, but he was being a friend. Burgess knew that- which is why she took his advice. It sucks to know that we wouldn’t be at this point had Roman kept quiet, but we all go to our friends for advice when we’re in a bind. Sometimes, they tell us things we didn’t know we needed to hear.
And what about the time Burgess didn’t give a flying you-know-what about rules in 2×15 (yes, the warehouse episode)? She had a hunch and went for it. When Roman’s attempt at reasoning failed, he didn’t question it and just followed her lead. Did he end up unconscious and bleeding as a result? Well- yes- but that leads me to my next point.
3. They don’t give up on each other.
Remember when Roman told her to leave? She refused. Cut to five minutes later, and after the girl hurled herself down a staircase and stabbed a guy in the throat, Roman- alive and well thanks to her stubbornness- had just enough energy to tell Ruzek that “she saved [his] life.” Which is more energy than he would’ve had had Burgess left him. Cause he’d be dead.
Speaking of dead- excellent segue, I know- what about the time Roman killed a guy? Roman thought he was finished and settled into a life of doing shots at Molly’s. Burgess was not okay with that- probably out of fear that some Chicago version of Cheers would become the fourth spinoff- and stopped at nothing to find the man who stashed the offender’s gun.
4. Roman’s voice of reason.
Roman’s one endearing quality is his Leslie Shay-like ability to tell people to “cut the sh*t.” He did it with Burgess when she doubted Ruzek’s feelings for her, and again with Atwater when his confidence took a hit. If these two happen, there won’t be any mind games as Roman says it like it is.
5. They’re smart.
Let’s forget about the Asher/Layla debacle for purposes of this list. When I say “smart” with regard to Roman, I mean that aside from the one mistake he ALWAYS makes (falling for his partner), he tends to be a pretty logical guy. If Burgess and Roman happen, it will most likely result from feelings Roman buried from the start of season two. If those feelings exist, he probably buried them both out of respect for Burzek and for the sake of his career. He’s not going to throw caution to the wind and make a move without careful consideration, first.
Let’s combine this with Burgess’ current state of mind. Unlike her partner, she threw caution to the wind to be with Ruzek and got hurt. Burgess is in no mood to make the same mistake twice. If these two happen, neither person has time or patience for games. They’ll take it slow and be cautious not to let it hurt their jobs or each other.
To sum it up, keep an open mind. These two might not be as bad as you think.
Chicago P.D. airs every Wednesday night at 10/9c on NBC.