Ruzek’s undercover operation came to a head in Chicago PD season 10, episode 22, when Richard Beck’s plans were put into motion.
Ruzek had been trying to gain the trust of the white supremacist for months, but he went into panic mode when Beck moved up his plans (that involved domestic terrorism). Meanwhile, Chicago Fire season 11, episode 22, featured Firehouse 51 tracking down (presumably) a different domestic terrorist group. NBC had the perfect opportunity to link these two stories together — the odds of two terrorist groups targeting Chicago around the same time are slim to none. Unfortunately, the network didn’t jump on the potential crossover laid out right in front of them, and each show reached its own conclusions regarding its separate domestic terrorism stories.
The Intelligence Unit killed Beck (after his grandson shot Ruzek) in the Chicago PD season 10 finale. Firehouse 51 neutralized the threat at a power grid (even though one suspect got away after shooting Mouch) in the Chicago Fire season 11 finale. So not only did the NBC shows feature similar storylines, but they also both have main characters whose lives are hanging in the balance as fans await new episodes.
It has been quite some time since One Chicago has had a crossover — the last one was between Chicago Fire and Chicago PD in February 2020. In the two-part event, Sean Roman returned to Chicago to search for his missing sister, Sarah, who was connected to a counterfeit Oxy operation. The Intelligence Unit and Firehouse 51 worked together to track down the drug dealers and find Roman’s sister. Unfortunately, Sarah’s drug dealer boyfriend Logan murdered her, and Roman got revenge by killing Logan. However, Hank Voight looked the other way and let Roman walk free, and since then, there have been no One Chicago crossovers.
Of course, COVID-19 made crossovers more difficult, given all the moving parts and people involved. Safety protocols were put in place to limit exposure, so it’s understandable why there has been a One Chicago crossover drought in the past few years. However, with COVID-19 levels dropping, it’s time for the Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med characters to interact once again.
