Chicago P.D.‘s “Vows” was an adrenaline-pumping watch as love and loss collided amid a jaw-dropping death.

The Chicago P.D. Season 12 finale centered around a jaw-dropping death that left the Intelligence Unit reeling — and set the stage for a dramatic dynamic when the show returns for Season 13 on October 1 on NBC.

Chicago P.D.‘s “Vows” not only cemented Shawn Hatosy’s Deputy Chief Charlie Reid’s status as a corrupt and manipulative cop with his hands in all sorts of nefarious Windy City affairs, but also saw Reid subject the suspicious Intelligence Unit to a grueling Internal Affairs investigation. In an effort to protect his unit against the corrupt Chief, Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) launched a blood-pumping sequence of events that led to a shocking moment that may haunt the commanding officer and his unit in coming episodes.

While Reid’s jaw-dropping death ended the IA investigation — and allowed a long-awaited wedding to proceed — Voight’s morality remains under a microscope, so fans are heading into Season 13 with plenty of baggage to unpack.

Chief Charlie Reid’s death could haunt the Intelligence Unit in P.D. Season 13

Reid was a shadowy character from the get-go on P.D. Season 12, hovering around the Intelligence Unit with worrisome interest. As the season progressed and Voight and his unit uncovered his history of working with Chicago’s most notorious criminals and pulling CPD strings for nefarious profit, the tension between Voight and Reid intensified. Once Reid stripped Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) of their badges, it seemed like the Intelligence Unit was toast.

That is, until Voight pulled some strings of his own. Just as Reid joined Voight and his unit outside of court for their IA hearing, Reid was shot and assassinated by Renny Otero, the son of a drug smuggler who was murdered by one of Reid’s many hitmen around the city. Voight didn’t shoot Reid directly, but you can bet he set up the dominoes that led to Reid’s death by releasing Renny from custody, giving him a heads-up about who killed his father, and giving him a tip about Reid’s future location.

These intricate maneuvers are why Reid’s last words to Voight were so haunting: “You’re worse than me.”

Well aware of what he needed to do to save his unit and end Reid’s tyrannical reign, Voight didn’t deny that he orchestrated the Chief’s death once his confidante A.S.A. Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) confronted him on the matter. Reid’s death effectively snuffed out any potential romantic flame between Voight and Chapman, but Voight focused on the fact that a dangerous higher-up was no longer at the top as Burgess and Torres got their badges back.

That said, the question of whether Voight took vigilante justice too far remains a dynamic going into Chicago P.D. Season 13. Is Voight any better than Reid, or is he just as manipulative? Following the P.D. Season 12 finale, showrunner Gwen Sigan told NBC Insider that Voight’s morally murky actions are designed to make the audience question him.

“We wanted to leave it open and to have the audience questioning that,” Sigan said. “What Reid has been doing? It’s sort of this idea of intent. You know, they had different intent, but are their acts the same? They both sanctioned death, basically.”

“I think Voight does not see himself as the same,” Sigan continued. “I think that that question is gonna keep coming up in his subconscious. I don’t think that it’s gonna really leave him. I think it will have an impact, but I think he believes what he did was for the betterment of his team, the city, everybody involved.”

Reid’s investigation really complicated Burgess and Ruzek’s wedding

Would it be a One Chicago wedding without a massive wrench getting thrown into the wedding plans? Longtime lovers Burgess and Adam Ruzek’s (Patrick John Flueger) big day nearly didn’t happen.

Reid’s investigation and Burgess losing her badge had the couple contemplating whether or not they should postpone the festivities. Following Reid’s assassination and the Intelligence Unit’s restoration, the couple felt more secure about walking down the aisle.

At the very end of Chicago P.D.’s “Vows,” fans got to see Burgess and Ruzek tie the knot in a beautiful ceremony, setting the stage for an exciting new chapter as husband and wife in Season 13.

Chicago P.D. Season 13 release date: where to stream and watch