After more than a decade of tension, passion, heartbreak, and second chances, Chicago P.D. Season 12 Episode 20 lays bare a truth that fans have long suspected: if Adam Ruzek and Kim Burgess want their relationship to last, they need to steer clear of one major emotional trap—falling back into old habits without truly evolving.
In this pivotal episode, aptly titled “Second Time’s Not Always the Charm,” the beloved couple find themselves in an emotionally charged situation that forces them to confront everything they’ve been avoiding. While the episode begins with a seemingly innocuous case involving a stolen vehicle linked to a child abduction ring, the real story isn’t the criminals—it’s the growing tension between Ruzek and Burgess behind the scenes.
The core trap that Episode 20 exposes is simple yet deeply relatable: the illusion that returning to something familiar will fix everything. After all, Ruzek and Burgess have tried this before. They’ve kissed in hospital rooms, made promises under pressure, and even lived under the same roof. But what they’ve often failed to do is grow. This episode subtly drives that point home through parallel storytelling. As they pursue the suspects in the child abduction case, they find themselves in a warehouse eerily similar to the one where Kim was once held and nearly killed. The moment is triggering, and while Adam notices her distress, he once again takes charge rather than standing beside her.
As always, Makayla remains central to their storyline. In this episode, she has a panic attack at school after overhearing a conversation about a classmate’s missing sibling. The school calls Kim, and Ruzek arrives shortly after. It’s a stark reminder that their family life is just as complicated as their professional one. Interestingly, it’s Makayla who inadvertently becomes the mirror for their emotional chaos. In a quiet scene at home, she asks, “Are you guys gonna live together again, or just argue when you visit?” It’s a child’s innocent question, but it stings with the truth: even she can sense that stability is still out of reach.
If Episode 20 proves anything, it’s that love alone is not enough. The big trap Ruzek and Burgess have to avoid is assuming that just because they’ve been through a lot together, they’ve grown. In reality, they’ve survived—but survival isn’t the same as healing. And it certainly isn’t the same as evolving together. The episode ends with a quiet but promising moment. Sitting on the porch after putting Makayla to bed, Adam doesn’t apologize. Instead, he says something much more vulnerable: “I don’t know how to be what you need. But I want to learn.” It’s not grand, it’s not sweeping—but it’s honest.
Burzek fans are some of the most loyal in the One Chicago universe. They’ve weathered the rollercoaster ride of breakups, reconciliations, and emotional detours. But what they want now is more than chemistry or shared trauma—they want growth. They want to see two flawed but loving people do the hard work of building a life together. Episode 20 finally acknowledges this need. It doesn’t wrap things up in a bow, but it pushes Ruzek and Burgess to look at each other not through the lens of their past, but with the urgency of their future.
