Ruzek's Big Chicago PD Season 12 Cliffhanger Will Have To Wait For A Resolution

Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Chicago PD season 12, episode 10, "Zoe."

This article contains references to child abduction and murder.

Chicago P.D. season 12, episode 10, entitled "Zoe," left Ruzek (John Patrick Flueger) frustrated with the lack of answers in a disturbing case, but it will be a while before this storyline is resolved. This intense episode demonstrated that Chicago PD is one of the best One Chicago shows as Ruzek struggled to split his time between his need to protect a little girl who was the only survivor of a serial killer's reign of terror and his own father (Jack Coleman), who revealed he had Alzheimer's disease after returning to Chicago for a surprise visit.

When Ruzek answered a wellness check call, he found a gruesome scene inside a mobile home: two bloody bodies, including that of a two-year-old child. He also discovered a little girl, Zoe, sitting at her desk drawing in the next room. Through multiple interviews with Zoe, Ruzek learned that the man she called her dad was a con artist and serial killer who murdered single mothers and their children. He had kidnapped Zoe instead of killing her, so her identity is now one of the biggest questions Chicago PD needs to answer before the end of the season.

Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 10 Leaves Zoe's Fate In Limbo

With Her Father In The Wind, She Could Be In Danger

Chicago PD Zoe sitting at a table drawing and looking up at Adam

Voight told Ruzek that "this will still be here tomorrow." and sent him home for the night, thus leaving it unclear what will happen next. Zoe is supposedly safe, as she is in the care of someone that Ruzek trusts. However, it is unclear whether she is in any danger from the serial killer who abandoned her after killing his latest partner and partner's child. Up until this point, he has taken Zoe with him from place to place as he lures in new victims, but his abandonment of her suggests he has changed his plans after the latest murder.

Zoe has already given Ruzek a lot of information, and it's clear she witnessed the perp suffocating some of his partners with a pillow from the Butterfly Company, as she refers to the deaths as "eating butterfly clouds."

The cops have no idea who Zoe really is — and more importantly, they don't know where the perpetrator is or what he might be planning next. Zoe has already given Ruzek a lot of information, and it's clear she witnessed the perp suffocating some of his partners with a pillow from the Butterfly Company, as she refers to the deaths as "eating butterfly clouds." Thus, she is in a more vulnerable position than she was before, as the perp may want her to stay quiet about his nefarious activities.

Ruzek & Zoe's Cliffhanger's Resolution Will Take A While

One Chicago Will Have A Crossover On January 29, 2025

It will take time for this Chicago PD cliffhanger to be resolved, however. Not only is this a complicated case, but the first One Chicago crossover in five years is scheduled for January 29, 2025. Thus, Ruzek's story will be put on hold so that the Intelligence Unit can deal with issues related to a gas explosion that was most likely a terrorist attack. This crisis situation will take precedence, and there is no guarantee that the Zoe situation will return to prominence immediately after the One Chicago special.

Since Chicago PD often rotates cast members to save money, it's possible that the team will focus on a different case in episode 12.

In a best-case scenario, the Zoe storyline will be resolved the week after the crossover. However, since Chicago PD often rotates cast members as a form of cost-cutting, the team may focus on a different case in episode 12. If this happens, the Zoe story will not be resolved until later in the season. Thus, there will be at least a two-week delay, and possibly more, before Ruzek gets any answer about who Zoe is and what the serial killer who took her has done to her.

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