Spoilers for “Pawns,” Season 12, Episode 6. Kim Burgess finally becomes a detective, but the episode makes the long-awaited promotion feel less like a clean reward than the start of a political problem. Her test shows she can make difficult calls and keep her empathy; Deputy Chief Reid’s decision to place her back in Intelligence complicates whether the milestone is truly hers.
What happens in “Pawns”
In the episode, listed in the U.S. by Apple TV as released November 6, 2024, Burgess takes the written and oral portions of the detective test and does well. The consequential test comes during a ride-along with Detective Suarez. Burgess makes a mistake, and Suarez’s decision to split up while pursuing a suspect leaves Burgess fighting for her life. Afterward, Burgess covers for Suarez.
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Suarez recommends that Burgess spend six months outside Intelligence learning to work as a detective. Burgess initially chooses that route rather than use a favor to return to her unit. Reid overrides the choice and assigns her to Intelligence as a detective. The listing gives the episode a 40-minute runtime and a TV-14 rating. Apple TV’s “Pawns” listing.
Does Burgess’s promotion feel earned?
Yes, in character terms. The ride-along puts Burgess under pressure in a way the written and oral tests cannot. She survives a dangerous situation, then chooses to protect Suarez rather than use the episode’s aftermath to advance herself. That choice is consistent with a detective who can weigh people and consequences, not merely pass an exam.
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It is also the point where the episode makes its judgment more complicated. Covering for Suarez can read as empathy and loyalty, but the story does not make it a simple victory: Suarez still recommends that Burgess leave Intelligence to develop her detective skills. The episode lets viewers see the difference between being ready for the title and being granted the assignment she wants.
Why Reid’s decision changes the payoff
Reid’s intervention delivers the result Burgess ultimately wanted—detective in Intelligence—but takes some agency away from the achievement. Burgess had considered a six-month assignment elsewhere and accepted that it might be the right next step. Reid’s order makes her placement a command decision, not simply the outcome of her own test or her choice.
That tension gives the promotion dramatic momentum. Voight warns Burgess that nothing is free, turning the ending into a hook rather than a victory lap. The question is no longer only whether she can do detective work; it is what Reid expects in return, and how much of her new role is her own. The episode establishes suspicion, not a definitive answer about Reid’s motives.
The long delay—and what the episode does not resolve
The promotion answers a familiar fan question about why established Intelligence officers have not advanced. A CBR review excerpt syndicated by IMDb framed that frustration around Burgess, Kevin Atwater and Adam Ruzek. But the available account does not establish a precise number of years, so “years-long” is best understood as a sense of prolonged delay rather than a measurable timeline. CBR review excerpt via IMDb.
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- Chicago PD: The Complete Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
- Format: Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
- Number of discs: 21 / Run Time: 4078.00 minutes
More importantly, the episode resolves Burgess’s rank without resolving the broader career-progression concern. Reid’s assignment makes her a detective in Intelligence, but it does not explain why advancement took so long or establish what will happen for other officers. That distinction keeps the payoff personal while leaving the unit’s institutional dynamics open.
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Marina Squerciati described the promotion as overdue, saying, “I think that it’s been a long time coming.” In a TV Insider preview, she also said the process exposes Burgess to “the politics and the dirt” that Voight has shielded her from. That framing makes the episode’s promotion test about more than competence: Burgess is entering a less protected view of the department, even as she remains in Voight’s unit. TV Insider’s interview with Squerciati.
Squerciati has also connected Burgess’s suitability for the job to her continued empathy, saying, “I think the fact that she hasn’t lost her heart [despite] all the crazy things she’s been through, and she’s still able to empathize.” That is an actor’s interpretation of the character, not a neutral verdict on policing. In the episode itself, covering for Suarez gives that idea a concrete, morally uncertain form: empathy may be a strength, but the story leaves room to question where loyalty becomes a liability. TVLine’s interview with Squerciati.
Verdict: a satisfying milestone with a deliberately uneasy finish
“Pawns” earns Burgess’s promotion through a test that reveals judgment and compassion, then complicates the celebration by having Reid dictate where she will work. That choice undercuts the cleanest possible payoff, but it gives the milestone a useful new conflict: Burgess has the detective title, while her independence and the price of her placement remain uncertain. The episode fixes the immediate frustration of Burgess’s stalled advancement without pretending that a promotion alone settles the larger question.
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