‘Chicago P.D.’ Reveals Ruzek Update & Why Devlin’s Blackmailing Voight in Midseason Premiere

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 8 “Born Screaming.”]

Somehow, serial killer Bell (Barry Del Sherman) becomes even more chilling in the Chicago P.D. midseason premiere, which aired on Wednesday, January 7. The first episode of 2026 also sees Voight (Jason Beghe) face off with Devlin (Joel Murray) over his blackmail and gives us an update on Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger, who took a leave of absence).

That news comes when Voight calls Burgess (Marina Squerciati) because it’s all hands on deck once Imani (Arienne Mandi) contacts him from the Bell house to report that the killer’s gone, as is his granddaughter Julie — who runs off when Imani tries to get her to help her get a man she finds beaten in the basement out of the house. When Voight tells Burgess to notify the rest of the team and for her and Ruzek to meet him there, she informs him that her husband had an emergency with his father, so he’s at the facility.

While Voight calls Imani out on her actions, he covers and defends them when Devlin arrives on scene with questions. (She later tries to explain herself by telling him about what happened to her sister and how her parents assumed she’d gone to a friend’s house only for her to never come home because she was taken.) And though the IA commander would love nothing more than to stick them with all the paperwork, Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) uncovering bodies hidden in the walls of Bell’s house shuts that down.

Meanwhile, Bell flees with Julie, and the unit tracks them to a carjacking — he beats the driver, brutally, before hitting his granddaughter’s head into the car — then finally to his estranged cousin’s house. But Julie’s not with him, and he first claims she ran then says he killed her. He even brings them out to where he supposedly buried her, forgetting the exact location more than once, but Imani realizes he’s lying and, after he reaches for her gun, hits him in the face with it multiple times, then punches him, until Voight intervenes. Imani’s also the one to find Julie, based on Bell’s reaction as they were driving, and she assures the young girl that she’s safe and she won’t be going to jail. Bell lawyers up.

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'Chicago P.D.' Boss Talks Ruzek's Return, Voight Being Blackmailed & More

As for that blackmail, it’s not addressed until the final scene — in a major way. Voight has Platt (Amy Morton) leave eight messages for Devlin to meet him in his office, and once the IA commander arrives, the Intelligence sergeant explains he wants to set him straight on those photos. Voight tells him he was born screaming and fighting and went looking for vicious fights from as early as he can remember. The photo of him in the hospital beaten was from when he went after two kids twice his age over nothing and his dad found him, told him it was wrong, and that he’d help him deal with who he was. But despite Devlin labeling his father an abuser on the other photo, Voight insists that he never lay a hand on him, was a good man, and taught him to use his instincts to go after monsters instead of fights. “My father is the only reason there’s anything good in me, so you got your story wrong,” he says.

But as Devlin sees it, that doesn’t matter, and he can spin the photos however he wants. If he cares about his father and his legacy, he’ll turn in his badge, and Devlin will walk away. Why? Well, Devlin’s still upset about Voight blackmailing him to force his hand in reinstating the team at the beginning of the season. The department noticed and now sees him as a weak, spineless cop condoning a corrupt unit. He won’t move up and will retire as he is. But Voight tells him that he wears his father’s badge holder (and has since he was killed in the line of duty), and while he does slip up, he can feel him with him.

He then warns, “If I didn’t feel my father near me right now, you wouldn’t live through this day. You do what you want. But right now? Right now, you should get the hell out of my office.” Devlin leaves, but that’s clearly not the end of this.

What did you think of the midseason return? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chicago P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC