Chicago PD fans rejoiced on May 21 when Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) finally tied the knot.
But to the surprise of many, the wedding came in the final minutes of the season 12 finale, and plays in juxtaposition to a heartbreaking conversation between Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and Assistant State Attorney Nina Chapman; as Kim and Adam exchange vows, viewers watch the potential romance between Voight and Nina disappear.
© Elizabeth Sisson/NBCShowrunner Gwen Sigan "absolutely" knows that the decision may disappoint some fans – but that it was impossible to ignore that this finale was also all about Voight's arc.
HELLO! exclusive
"We couldn't ignore that this headspace Voight is in – and it's very much a Voight episode; this is his story with Reid culminating and I quite like that there's juxtaposition of pure happiness and joy, but also heartbreak and grief that's happening in the scene," Gwen tells HELLO!
"It feels true to life and true to Voight – for him to see these fully functional human beings have this beautiful life and love together and that's why he made so many decisions in that last episode to protect them. But he knows he cannot have it."
© Lori Allen/NBCGwen says that from the beginning they knew the entire episode would not focus on the wedding or wedding planning, because the NBC series "leans darker" than the happy ever after vibe needed for a wedding.
But they tried to "find this sweet spot where it could be in each point of view of the characters, and we can feel what they're feeling all at the same time".
© Elizabeth Sisson/NBCSeason 12 finale
Season 12 ended with the corrupt Deputy Chief Reid (Shaun Hatosy) murdered in daylight by the son of a Chicago drug dealer who had been under Reid's control.
As Voight tries to save him in order to see him brought to justice, Reid tells Voight that he is "worse" than Reid, and Gwen says that those words will be "be rattling around in his subconscious for a while".
© Lori Allen/NBCSeason 13 plans
"We haven't gotten back in the room yet," she says of season 13, "so I think that we have a lot of opportunities but there's going to be an emotional fallout."
Voight's potential romance with Nina has been bubbling under the surface for some time now, and Gwen admits that although he was "headed" towards being a "Voight 2.0" he has been pushed backwards.
"This is definitely something that had shaken him and pushed him backwards so it's a really interesting spot for him to be in, and we'll dive into that and try to make it as fresh as we can," she says.
"But we love him for some of the negative traits, as well; I think what is so interesting is people don't change that quickly and so we're trying to do a realistic, natural version of someone who I think has evolved quite a lot but is still a person with base instincts which are not always pretty."
