It could sound redundant by now, however Chicago PD Season 12 delivered its most balanced, emotionally resonant storytelling in years.
From daring cinematography and dangers to advanced character arcs, the present proved it nonetheless has grit and coronary heart, and that the important thing to what makes this sequence so nice is the bond amongst a powerful, united workforce.
Nonetheless, whereas it soared in some ways, the finale missed key emotional beats that followers had waited over a decade to see, and there have been some misfires alongside the way in which.
In case you checked out our Chicago PD Season 12 Midseason Report Card, you’ll know what a few of our ideas are relating to the primary half of the season. However now, we’re addressing all of it.
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Finest Episode – Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 21: Open Casket
The penultimate episode was one of many season’s standouts. It delivered excessive stakes, intense momentum, and had Intelligence scrambling to carry Reid down lastly.
However Reid stayed a step forward — waltzing into the bullpen, stripping Burgess of her badge, arresting Torres, and disbanding Intelligence. His timing, technique, and conceitedness secured his place as one in all Chicago PD‘s all-time nice villains.
The ending was explosive, stunning, and begged for Darkish Voight’s return to avenge his workforce. Truthfully, it was such an intense and satisfying hour that it might have been the finale itself.
With that ending, it felt as if we have been gearing up for an epic, unforgettable showdown, and as if the season would finish on a excessive notice.
Most Irritating Episode – Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 22: Vows
Is that this stunning to anybody? All the pleasure, momentum, and goodwill of the earlier hour utterly fell aside through the season finale.
Our Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 22 Evaluate outlined our frustrations. And we’ve additionally elaborated on the way it fumbled the Burzek Marriage ceremony and shafted Chapman.
Nonetheless, the finale was an extremely rushed affair, dashing us to a Reid decision with out really filling within the gaps, comparable to how Reid amassed a lot dust on the unit to make use of for leverage, how he solely found Burgess and Torres’ involvement, and his peculiar obsession with Burgess that by no means developed.
They didn’t enable the emotional beats of a disbanded Intelligence to sink in, nor did they think about how deeply imprisonment, nonetheless temporary, impacted Torres.
After which the extremely anticipated and closely promoted Burzek marriage ceremony, which had been 12 seasons within the making, was barely proven, with no vow change, kiss, or any actual deal with the blissful couple and their particular second.
It was an formidable finale, albeit with some tough modifying and execution, and it’s additionally controversial.
Finest Addition – Kiana Cook dinner
We can not cease raving about Kiana Cook dinner, however that’s as a result of she actually has turn out to be a real breath of recent air for the sequence.
Clever, susceptible, and fiercely loyal, she introduced out new sides of everybody she labored with. Her character felt absolutely shaped from the beginning and added much-needed coronary heart and steadiness to the workforce.
She’s earned her place on this unit and provides one thing particular to it.
Kiana has undoubtedly been a spotlight this season, and we can not wait to see extra of her subsequent season!
Worst Addition – Val
It’s not that Val was significantly unhealthy or something. She’s simply boring and forgettable.
Whereas it’s nice that Atwater lastly had a love curiosity who respects and cherishes him, her storyline lacked depth.
Most of Atwater’s display time revolved round her, and that point might’ve been higher spent elsewhere.
Val comes with plenty of unresolved points that had us mockingly wanting her to dedicate her time to seeing a therapist somewhat than Atwater.
Finest Villain – Charlie Reid
We’re residing in a Shawn Hatosy Supremacy Period, and boy, has it been a blast seeing one of many hardest-working (and most underrated) actors on tv tackle such a fascinating position as Reid.
What made Reid so nice was that he didn’t even want to seem in lots of episodes to nonetheless pose this enigmatic risk hanging over Intelligence and Voight’s heads.
We didn’t all the time see him, however we all the time felt his presence. When he was onscreen, smirking or assessing every thing with calculated expressions, he was so onerous to learn that it immediately put us on edge.
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Reid was such a formidable villain as a result of there was all the time one thing barely off-kilter with him, but it surely took a minute earlier than he absolutely confirmed how evil he was.
He was additionally somebody who served as a mirror to Voight — like a youthful, extra evil model of him, who ran the streets within the title of cleansing them up and the higher good.
It simply went to point out how those self same motivations could possibly be all improper and corrupt when the improper particular person employs them. Reid was a villain who performed chess, not checkers, and he genuinely felt like somebody who might carry down Voight and Intelligence.
Worst “Villain” – Gloria
Gloria all the time felt like a personality who ought to have been left in Chicago PD Season 11, so it wasn’t significantly thrilling when she returned, and Torres’ chickens got here dwelling to roost as a result of he had slept along with her.
Their particular connection was all the time tough to totally perceive and course of. Nonetheless, she felt about Torres, she by no means prolonged that sentiment towards these he labored with, as she virtually posed a severe risk to Kiana throughout her undercover mission.
Her connection to Torres felt pressured, and her manipulative conduct bordered on poisonous. Whereas her loss of life turned a catalyst for main arcs, her presence was typically extra irritating than compelling.
Character Who Wants an APB Out – Atwater
Chicago PD Season 12 has certainly achieved a significantly better job of constructing Intelligence really really feel like a workforce and even household once more.
Nonetheless, if there’s one Intelligence Member who nonetheless will get sidelined probably the most, with redundant or irritating storylines (after they happen in any respect), it’s Atwater.
He solely had two actual character-centered episodes this season, and his relationship with Val was a dud. Atwater additionally typically disappeared into the background. Hell, did he even have greater than two traces within the finale?
Generally, Chicago PD doesn’t correctly make the most of one in all its heavy-hitter actors who brings it each time. However at the least we’ve some nice Cookwater scenes, they introduced again Burgwater!
Most Badass Story Arc – Darkish Voight Returns
For years, viewers have been asking the identical query about how a lot Voight has modified and whether or not he’ll ever return to the character he as soon as was.
Frankly, it solely felt pure for Voight to evolve with the occasions and work inside a selected framework. As a result of we all the time knew that the Darkish Voight from yesteryear nonetheless lay beneath the floor.
Voight’s sluggish descent into his previous methods was one of many season’s most compelling threads. Methodical and emotional, it confirmed how far he’s come — and the way simply he might slip again.
The finale introduced full circle the ethical ambiguity that outlined him in earlier seasons.
MVP of the Season – Adam Ruzek
It felt like Ruzek’s season.
From the primary couple of episodes following Martel’s loss of life, Ruzek hit the bottom operating with some action-packed episodes, putting a superb steadiness between his work and residential life.
Whether or not defending the workforce, anchoring the Burzek household dynamic, or caring for his ailing father, Ruzek’s emotional vary and quiet power took heart stage.
Patrick John Flueger delivered the perfect work of his PD profession, notably reverse Jack Coleman.
It was an excellent season to really admire simply how far Ruzek has come as a personality and his development as he’s turn out to be a strong determine and household man.
Greatest Letdown – Burzek’s Marriage ceremony
We’re beating a useless horse at this level, however we’ve to make it official for the file.
The community teased this marriage ceremony all season lengthy, and followers have been excited that One Chicago’s longest-standing and most enduring romantic relationship would obtain an excellent occasion commemorating their standing and the event.
We acquired to see Kim stroll down the aisle, and everybody seemed stunning. Nonetheless, the massive marriage ceremony occasion was something however a failure to ship on even probably the most fundamental elements, comparable to exchanging significant vows or punctuating it with a kiss. The hour fades to black earlier than we get to the nice components.
It’s disappointing, to place it mildly. And it’s one thing diehard shippers and informal followers alike can agree upon.
Criminally Underused Scene – Stealer – Trudy
The excellent news is we acquired a bit extra Trudy Platt. She particularly had her likelihood to shine through the massive One Chicago Crossover occasion, actually.
She has additionally been instrumental in helping Intelligence with quite a few instances, offering priceless intel and lending a hand at any time when Intelligence requires it.
Amy Morton stays one of many present’s sharpest belongings, and her no-nonsense knowledge and biting humor persistently elevate each scene wherein she seems.
We’re grasping, although, so give us extra. There’s no such factor as an excessive amount of Trudy.
Finest Platonic Dynamic – Ruzek and Cook dinner
It is sensible that the season’s MVP and the sequence’ greatest new addition, who have been each magic on their very own, are even higher after they’re collectively.
We’ve had quite a few nice partnerships this season, together with Burgwater, Kiante, Cookwater, Burgess, and Torres. However there’s one thing concerning the easygoing dynamic between Kiana and Adam that takes the cake this season.
They solidified the kind of bond that solely emerges once you’ve been within the trenches with somebody, as was the case with Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 2. They’ve had an satisfying, sibling-like partnership that they rapidly constructed on mutual belief and understanding, in addition to a capability to steadiness one another out within the subject.
Plus, Ruzek’s basic nosiness about her upbringing has led to among the most amusing moments of the season.
Dynamic We Want Extra Of – Voight and Cook dinner
Curiously, the season managed to ship an excellent deal by way of dynamics to its profit. If there’s one dynamic that we’d like to see extra of, it’s Kiana and Voight.
We caught a glimpse of what they could possibly be throughout Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 19 when she took problem along with his method to Ruby. Voight clearly colours exterior the traces — one thing that he might lean into much more.
However whereas Kiana is a transparent ride-or-die, she has her personal set of morals that she doesn’t compromise on, and it’s one thing that you may see Voight respects.
He additionally likes that she isn’t afraid to problem him when it issues most, with out being disrespectful.
Finest Romantic Dynamic – Ruzek and Burgess
Burzek provides one thing distinctive from Chicago PD pairings of the previous as a result of we get to see them in a home setting, elevating a toddler collectively, balancing household and residential life with their job, and it’s a component of police procedures that hits the extra emotional and real looking notes.
We didn’t get the extra “superficial” however conventional moments with this pair this season, however we definitely acquired so many scrumptious little peeks into the actual, on a regular basis stuff.
Burzek has been such a steady, affirming couple this season, whilst they jumped a couple of hurdles, together with Bob’s Alzheimer’s, Adam’s stress, and Burgess’ dangerous resolution to cowl for Torres. They stood strong all through. They’ve grown right into a uncommon, grounded TV couple — emotionally genuine, all the time in sync.
Storylines that Really feel Incomplete – Torres’ Guilt, PTSD, and Disaster of Religion
Benjamin Levy Aguilar is such a succesful actor who brings so many layers to Torres, and it has been nice to see them unfold over the previous couple of seasons.
Torres had a tough go of it this season, particularly after Gloria’s loss of life, and it was that relationship that catalyzed so many alternative plots, together with the Reid saga.
We watched his psychological well being deteriorate earlier than our eyes all season (however primarily within the background). By the tip of the season, it’s evident that he’s been battling every thing from melancholy, grief, PTSD, and a disaster of religion to Imposter Syndrome.
However we’re not a lot nearer to figuring out what’s happening inside his head and the way he’s working by way of issues, as typically, Torres, when he wasn’t prominently featured, turned a casualty of the solid finances system.
Total Ideas:
Chicago Season 12 had some hiccups right here and there, however we keep that it has been the perfect season in years!
The writing was a lot tighter, and the sequence featured some spectacular and notable elements, together with cinematography and distinctive ideas.
There have been episodes, comparable to Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 5 or Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 16, that have been actually inventive, splendidly crafted, and executed. They have been daring and impressive hours that proved the sequence might nonetheless have enjoyable with its fashion and storytelling.
It was a season of deeper exploration of the characters, and it paid off. We gained higher perception and found new layers to characters we’ve recognized and liked for a while, and had the chance to get to know the newer additions higher.
There have been many robust instances and a few superb visitor stars, most notably Vienna Weaver as Jess in “Water and Honey,” Annabelle Toomey as Zoe, and Natalia del Riego in “Identify Picture Likeness.”
Grade It!
The season had nice steadiness, and the squad has felt its most united and familial in years. It was an excellent season.
If they’d caught the touchdown and saved up the momentum of the penultimate finale, I might’ve opted for a strong A- for the season.
However I’m bringing to a B+, which continues to be rattling good!
So many elements of this season could have me rewatching the episodes, and I’ve fallen extra in love with these characters and a unit that lastly feels prefer it has clicked into place for the primary time in lots of seasons.
However these are our ideas on the matter. Now, we need to hear yours!
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