Chicago PD - They'll Have To Go Through Me - Review
15 Nov 2014
Chicago PD MR Reviews“Carve your successes in stone and write your failures in the sand. Try to think of the ones you saved.”
This was the third hour of the three-way crossover between Chicago Fire, SVU, and Chicago PD. If you didn’t watch the other episodes, don’t worry. All you really missed is the introduction to the case and some Lindsay/Halstead moments. In a nutshell, the team is investigating a child prostitution ring that goes between Chicago and New York. Erin’s brother, Teddy, was a victim of the ring, and he is now helping the team.
We pick up right where SVU left off. Someone working within the organization is killing off the loose ends. A police officer, Ross McCadden, is killed in the process, and it turns out he was one of Ruzek’s instructors at the Academy. We all know and love Platt for her wit, sarcasm, and no-nonsense attitude. But she really struggled with McCadden’s death, as she gave him the overtime he requested to stand guard at the hospital. Platt is arguably the most loyal cop at the district, and she truly shined in this episode.
Detectives Amaro and Rollins of SVU are on the scene right away to help with the case. Thanks to Teddy, Erin’s brother, the team has identified a few key people within the organization. They’re still missing the kingpin, their number one priority of the episode.
Ruzek and Amaro speak with a woman whose daughter, Matilda, works for the Department of Children and Family Services. When Halstead and Antonio go to check out her apartment, she’s dead on the floor. Another loose end tied up. She was funneling kids through the DCFS to New York to the prostitution ring. Olinsky and Atwater speak with Matilda’s superior, who can’t believe she would be involved in such a thing. Hmmm….
After noticing the shooter’s weird ear issue (fighter’s ear?) on the hospital camera, Roman and Burgess set out to gyms across the city to find the killer. I’ve said it before, but I really like this partnership. I think Roman has helped Burgess realize a bit that the work they do is just as important and fulfilling as that of the investigation unit.
Lindsay and Rollins check in on Teddy’s foster parents, who are still fostering two kids (Amy and Chris) today. They get a call from Ruzek, who says the mom has been dead for quite some time...something’s up. When the women confront Sam (the dad), he says he’s overcome with guilt (he is involved in the prostitution ring) and says he’s sick. Instead of giving them information about the prostitution ring, he shoots himself.
They finally find the shooter, and a chase ensues. I never get tired of these chases (you go, Halstead). They get the shooter on a roof and before the team can stop him, he jumps off, catches a ledge, and then falls to his death. The other half of the team finds the girl, Amy, who instantly bonds with Erin. Erin insists on letting Amy stay with her, refusing to let her go in the system.
This new Commander Fisher gives me the creeps. Fisher tells Voight that he has 24 hours left with the case, and then it will be handed over to Major Crimes. Shoot! But seriously, this guy is weird. With the clock ticking, Voight calls in SVU Sergeant, Olivia Benson. If you missed the SVU hour of the crossover, you missed these two going from butting heads to working surprisingly well together. Is that a spark I detect…? Guys, Voight flirted. It was…strange.
Erin, Teddy, and their mom have a family reunion of sorts, and I hope we see more of these three. Teddy seems like he might stay in Chicago for a while, and Erin seems to be on slightly better terms with her mom. Teddy is reluctant to help with the case, as it brings up horrible memories and everyone who has helped or was involved has ended up dead. Teddy is a fantastic character, and I really want him to stick around for a while.
When Erin brings Teddy up to Investigation, he’s clearly reluctant to be there. He looks at the board of employees at the DCFS, and identifies the kingpin in the organization, Matilda’s boss. Olinsky and Atwater arrest the guy, and he is subsequently thrown in the cage (obviously). Surprisingly, it’s Benson, not Voight, who makes him give up information about Chris’ location.
In what ended up being a surprisingly emotional scene, all of the officers at the district gather outside to salute the fallen Officer McCadden as his family leaves. Even Platt is almost brought to tears.
Teddy is sticking around! He’s staying with Mama Lindsay, which makes me think we haven’t seen the last of him. Erin pulls some strings, and Amy and Chris will have family who wants them. Amy is pretty attached to Erin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see her again.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t crazy about the idea of an SVU crossover with the Chicago shows. The Chicago shows crossover seamlessly, and I was convinced SVU would feel forced. I was pleasantly surprised, as the SVU detectives worked very well with PD. The crossover was a huge success, and I’d bet we’ll have another three-show crossover event this spring.
Other thoughts: I’ve said before how fantastic this cast is, but I was reminded again this week. This episode was case-heavy, so we didn’t have much time with the characters outside of it. I love the way the show is set up; we get a great case and backstories in believable doses for a few characters each week. I know it’s still early in the series, but I feel like we don’t completely know these characters yet. How about Halstead’s military background? What about Ruzek’s dad, and how he worked closely with Voight and Olinsky? I just want to know things!
What did you think of the episode? Do you want to see more of Teddy?
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Thanks for the review, I don't watch SVU, but it was the best part (with action) of the crossover. I love how Benson e Voight's personalities got to show us different sides of them. The only thing I thought it was missing was the Chicago Fire cast on the final part of the event. But other than that, it was an amazing crossover.
ReplyDeleteFor me Olivia and Crew seriously out acted Chicago PD folks. SVU addition to the show was simply put amazing.
ReplyDeleteI loved the interaction between SVU and CPD. I love it way better than I do with Fire crossovers. Fire crossovers they want to force crossover romances. I'm glad fire episode, I only had to watch the last 10 minutes. This CPD It was a great episode. yes it could have used some Erin and Jay moments but SVU don't come around too often so I didn't mind them working with others. Now I feel spoiled and I want SVU and CPD to crossover,
ReplyDeleteThey did a CPD/SVU crossover last year as well, but I thought this one was a lot better. This is only the second episode of CPD I've seen but I wanted to see how the case worked out.
ReplyDeleteThey outacted Sophia Bush? Maybe the rest, but not her! She and Mariska were the best in this crossover.
ReplyDeleteJesse didn't get to do much, but what he did was good.
ReplyDeleteI loved it! I thought everyone meshed well together. Although I really think it should have played out a little more on Chicago Fire. I think that Erin and Kelly should have had a personal scene together. She should have noticed his wedding ring and he should have found out about her connection via her brother to the case. It should have put things into perscpective for Kelly regarding his relationship with Erin.
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny that you say that Olivia and company "outacted" the Chicago pd folks. I mean forget that the two episodes centered around Erin, Olivia and Voight. Forget that some of the PD characters didn't have "big" moments like
ReplyDeletee Erin, Olivia and Voight. Most of the PD characters were in the background so how much acting can they do? Huh?
Sorry.....its how I personally felt in the matter....Voight, Erin, Halder, etc were in the epi, but I don't think they acted as well as Olivia, Amaro, and Amanda......
ReplyDeleteNot sure of the angle of your comment....seems like you are wanting to argue....did you have a different opinion on the matter.....? Very confused.....
I thought both casts from SVU and CPD did well in the acting department. They were all good. Yes I agree SVU and CPD crossing over was amazing. I love both shows
ReplyDeleteI like both shows as well. I have been with SVU since its start...and have been there to see these characters evolve into the amazing actors that they are today. I think Chicago PD is a great show as well....I think Jason Beghe is an incredible actor, INCREDIBLE. He should be on the big screen. I just think the shows are very different....that being said, the SVU team for me out acted the Chicago PD team on this crossover.....I think it has more to do with the case they were working on, where it was right up the SVUs alley.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the crossover of SVU and CPD overall, and I am happy that they got those fantastic ratings, but personally it was too case-heavy for me. I am invested in the characters and I like to see more of that instead of cases. Voight and Benson were the most interesting development because it showed a total different Voight, who I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of the Teddy storyline, because it makes look Voight and Erin very bad. Teddy staying with his mother after being totally abandoned at age 13, very unrealistic. Erin and Voight never even looking for Teddy in all this 8 years, is more than troubling, and I don't liked that part of the storyline at all because in my imagination they are better characters. And I might be the only one, but the Platt scene with the salute for the widow - awfully cheesy.
Loved it. Really good acting and writing. I liked the partnership between both of the teams a lot, it felt so natural.
ReplyDeleteNow let's talk about Voight. We saw him even emotional and affected by Olivia, we saw him angry and disgusted with the new boss, we saw him as a dirtbag as always. Erin had great moments, Burgess-Roman had amazing scenes, Rollins and Amaro were stunning. Olinsky, as usual, did absolutely nothing for the case.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who loved Teddy, what an engaging character. However, I think there's too many undeveloped stories (Atwater, Nadia, Ruzek, Antonio's boss, Erin's family) to keep adding more. Still love him and want to see more about him, though.
PS- I found the way Benson talked to the criminal way too cheesy and unbelievable. That man spent years trading with children and lying about it, even when they questioned him the first time he was too cynical, I don't think a few words about redemption would move him that much. But that's just my opinion, anyway.
Yeah I don't think they should have called it a three-episode crossover, we didn't see anyone from Fire in either SVU or PD!
ReplyDeleteI think the addition of the SVU characters was great! I kept thinking throughout the episode how well they mesh with the PD crew. I don't know that SVU "out-acted" the PD folks, I think they were just more in the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteI hope to see more of them on PD, they are fantastic!
I could always use more Erin and Jay moments. Always.
ReplyDeleteI think this one was better too, and I think it's because while the characters on Fire and PD crossover well, the stories don't. This time, the SVU/PD characters cross over well, and so does the story!
ReplyDeleteBut staying true to character, Erin's not one to dwell on that, and neither is Kelly. I completely understand why they didn't have a scene like that. Although, it would have been entertaining to see her notice!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it was too case-heavy. That's what is so great about PD; they balance the case with character stories very well. It was a bit off-balance this week.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with Teddy. I think it's common that in a broken home, siblings will be separated when going into the foster system. Erin even mentioned that she was basically so caught up in her own problems that she couldn't care for Teddy. She hasn't always been this great person we see now, and I like that she has a darker past.
I also have to disagree with the Platt scene. I'll always love saluting a fallen officer/soldier and to see a softer, emotional side of Platt? Awesome.
There are a lot of underdeveloped stories, and it's important to remember that this show is only in the first half of its second season. I think we will get there, slowly. I still want to know more about Halstead's military background!
ReplyDeleteMe either!
ReplyDeleteWe know a lot about Voight or Erin past. I would like to learn about the Halstead past.
Since the series began I'm waiting for a episodes related to his stay in the army.
Maybe some thing associated with the military, an old friend from the army ,jay going undercover as a military. Or maybe some conversation between Jay and someone from the unit abaut his stay in Afghanistan .
I hope that one day it will happen!
Hope that they all do it again!
ReplyDeleteWhy are theses officers saluting out of uniform in the above picture?
ReplyDelete