Season 6 of “Chicago P.D.” reveals a growing camaraderie and bond between Ruzek and Dawson, even as the season also shows Dawson entering into a long, downward spiral into drug addiction, self-destructive behavior, and worse. The negative path for Dawson begins when he takes painkillers after damaging his shoulder and breaking down a door in the “Bad Boys” episode. Then, in the Season 6 Episode 10, “Descent,” Dawson’s daughter is kidnapped, and the team mounts an all-out search to find her. When they locate the girl, however, an enraged Dawson flips out, beats the kidnapper, and pushes him out of an upper-floor window, killing him. In the next episode, however, Ruzek takes the rap Dawson’s role in the death, despite what that could mean for his career on the force.
Interviewed on BUILD Series in 2019, Tracy Spiridakos was looking back on her work on “Chicago P.D.” when she revealed, “One of my most favorite episodes to shoot was Episode 11 where Ruzek ends up taking the fall for Antonio, and she ends up kind of uncovering that she maybe is a little bit more attached [to Ruzek} than she thought she was.” The actress explained that, at first, her character’s relationship with Ruzek was more casual. Still, after witnessing Ruzek’s selfless sacrifice for his pal Dawson, Upton’s feelings for her fellow cop began to blossom.
