It feels like a lifetime since we last tuned into Chicago PD.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer after the holidays for an all-new episode and the continuation of that jaw-dropping cliffhanger, which left Imani’s life hanging in the balance during Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 7.
Overall, it’s been an uneven season of the series, with some bright spots and interesting cases but a few nitpicks as well.
The season has felt a bit “off” in some ways, with the primary issue being the character-centric formatting seriously hampering the storytelling.
Chicago PD will return on January 8, but keeping those season criticisms in mind, there are some things we’d love the show to focus on when it returns.
So, let’s delve into a wishlist for what we need for the remainder of the season.
Team-Centered Cases and Interactions
Intelligence needs to feel like Intelligence again, and the best way to do that usually means having the full team work on cases that take precedence.
One of the highlights of the midseason finale was actually seeing the team together working a case as a unit. We rarely get those moments, so we end up having to cherish the hell out of them when we do.
The appeal of this ensemble has always been that it’s a full-on, strong one. We have characters we’ve come to care about and are invested in, not just individually, but as duos, trios, and a unit.
But the team dynamic often feels lacking because the series spends nearly every episode delving into one character or another as it relates to a case, without expanding that into the team.
The partnerships were once one of the show’s strongest aspects.
While it’s nice that this season has given us a rare Burgess/Atwater moment, reminding us that those two were best friends and partners for years in the show’s early days, the interconnectiveness of partnerships and the overall team hasn’t been present all season.
You can usually predict who will be paired together in any given episode, and there’s rarely emotional payoff from those choices.
Seeing the full team bounce off one another, deeply engaged in a case, and proving they’re stronger together has become such a rarity this season that you can practically count those moments on one hand.
Imani Needs More Depth and Connections Beyond Voight
The series is devoted to Imani and her partnership with Voight. They’ve gone out of their way to show us that it’s unique in comparison to what he has with the other remaining members of the team.
But it still feels like more of the same. Voight and Imani are so isolated when they’re together, and their centric episodes always have to include the other person.
It doesn’t feel particularly unique, but rather like some of the more frustrating aspects of Voight’s previous dynamics with Hailey, Erin, and even Halstead.
Getting to know Imani is much harder than it ever was getting to know Kiana Cook last season, because Imani only really interacts with Voight and no one else.
And given that the series is already struggling with making the team feel like a team, having a newcomer who doesn’t always come across as a team player only deepens the divide.
They are teasing some interesting aspects of her life, with a missing sister, a difficult background that may have included abuse, and a nomadic, rough-around-the-edges way of doing the job that’s noble in its own right.
But even with those tidbits, it’s been generally hard to connect with the character. Putting her in peril in the midseason finale not only felt like a rip-off of something Hailey would have done, but it also had zero stakes because we still don’t know the character well enough to care.
My ultimate wish is that they’ll integrate her into the team a bit more and that we learn more about her background. It’d be nice to actually like Imani rather than feel apathetic to her.
Kim Burgess as Second Command … For Real
Viewers have been clamoring for one of the original trio to get a promotion to detective, and we finally got it during Chicago PD Season 12.
But now, the problem isn’t Kim’s promotion; it’s that the show hasn’t let it mean anything yet.
We still haven’t gotten a chance to really see what her higher rank looks like for Burgess and Voight as a pairing.
One of the frustrating aspects of Imani’s addition to the series as Voight’s new partner is that it disrupted a dynamic we should’ve seen blossom more: Voight and Burgess.
As the second-highest-ranking person on his unit, they should have their own dynamic and work in tandem with each other a bit more, but we still don’t have that.
And after the whole fiasco with Reid and the time Burgess spent on the bench, it drastically changed the dynamic before she even fully settled into the role.
So far, Kim’s promotion has been marred by everything from Reid implying she got it only because of him to her being punished because of Torres. Now, Imani has displaced her, so ideally, when the show returns, they’d focus more on how Burgess factors into her own unit again or how she’s struggling with that.
The Morgan Conspiracy Bears Consistent Fruit Until Its Resolution
Mixed feelings about Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 6 aside, the conspiracy that Torres’ unexpected case opened up could be the season’s most compelling story arc.
We now know that the inmate with whom Torres embarked on that shocking journey didn’t kill anyone and that there’s something far more sinister and convoluted at the state.
He went to prison because someone set him up, and a mysterious sniper killed the man who knew the truth just as Intelligence was taking him into custody.
The Morgan mystery has blessedly resulted in a much-needed halt to Torres’ downward spiral, as he focuses on finding the truth. However, in the ideal world, Chicago PD will continue to feed us little nuggets and teasers to this arc even when it’s not opting to address it head-on.
One downside of the series’ character-centric approach is that it doesn’t revisit bigger arcs like this until the next episode featuring the primary character.
The best way to build proper anticipation for what could be the strongest storyline of the season is to maintain steadiness.
Voight’s Past & Devlin’s Takedown Pick Up a Bit
After 13 seasons, Chicago PD is digging into Voight’s past more than we’ve experienced before.
New information comes to light about his father potentially abusing him as a child when we find out that it’s Devlin who is behind sending Voight messages that open up old wounds.
Of course, that aspect of the revelation wasn’t surprising because Devlin is the only real antagonist we’ve seen thus far.
He’s not much of an interesting one either, with the redundancy of Voight butting heads with another superior, bumping up against Devlin’s off-putting cowardice.
While the parts about Voight’s past are interesting, and how he deals with Devlin has potential, the story arc itself needs some exciting twists or an edge.
Trudy Momentum Keeps Rolling
Yes, we know that Trudy is finally getting an actual storyline this season. Thank goodness!
But so far, the season has done a great job of making her useful, showcasing her close dynamic with Voight, and giving her a satisfying amount of screen time compared to what we’ve missed over the years.
Hopefully, the show will continue to provide us with enough Trudy along the way, building up to her special episode.
It’s been refreshing having her feel integral to the unit again. Just because we no longer have patrol doesn’t mean we can’t have more Trudy content, right?
Chapman and Voight Reunion
One of the things that has lingered over the season and mostly gone unaddressed is the dynamic between Chapman and Voight, and how Chicago PD Season 12’s finale seemingly destroyed whatever connection they had.
We learned that Voight and Chapman haven’t spoken since, and it seems Voight has been avoiding Chapman and turning to others in the building for assistance with cases.
But with this latest development with Devlin, the Raymond Bell situation, and this conspiracy case that’s on the back burner, it’s past time for Voight to put his complicated feelings and differences aside and seek out one of the few people he trusts: Chapman.
Their relationship has always been one of mutual understanding, and even when they disagree, they have each other’s backs.
The series left us in the dark regarding what the future holds for him, and the second half of the season needs to finally give us some answers and the reunion we deserve.
Overall, the back half of Season 13 can course correct. And much of that hinges on Chicago PD remembering that its greatest strength has never been one character, but the unit itself.
That’s what we want from the remainder of the season. Now it’s time to hear from you!
Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.
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