Chicago PD season 12 premiere: Is Emily Martel dead?

Entering the Chicago PD season 12 premiere on NBC tonight, we certainly did not expect another big cliffhanger. Yet, that is precisely what we got courtesy of one of the new additions to the team in Detective Emily Martel.

Through the episode, we learned that she and Adam Ruzek go way back, and she did prove to be a key cog to a lot of the story that we saw. It was rather fascinating to see her get so much airtime, largely because this was a character we did not hear a lot about throughout the off-season. That may have been because of the way in which this episode ended, as Martel was shot on the street while out with Ruzek. After hearing the gunfire he called on her, only to see her body on the ground.

So is Martel dead? Not necessarily, as we presume that her fate will be revealed moving into episode 2. However, we are not altogether optimistic given that this hasn’t been a hyped-up character. This potential death could be a way for the Chicago PD producers to remind everyone that no one is ever safe on the job; it is easier to pull this twist with a new character than an established one, and there may be a lot of viewers who are surprised about the outcome. After all, remember that a significant chunk of the One Chicago crowd in general is not spending a lot of time perusing the internet, looking up theories as to what is going to happen to every character.

We know that there wasn’t much in the way of Burgess within the premiere, but don’t consider that as altogether shocking. Remember that a lot of series regulars across the franchise will be scaled-down here and there throughout the season as a part of cost-cutting measures. This is a part of making TV in this current era.

What did you think overall about the events of the Chicago PD season 12 premiere over at NBC?

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