Chicago PD - We Don't Work Together Anymore - Review

It’s Lindsay’s first day on the new job and she’s clearly nervous. “That’s what, your fourth mag?” asks Halstead at the shooting range. I just can’t get enough of these two! Stay tuned…

When Voight tells Olinsky that Erin’s spot in Intelligence has been offered to Burgess, he responds with, “Big shoes to fill.” Well, that’s an understatement. I’m still unhappy with Voight’s offer. My opinion of Burgess aside, I just don’t think she and Ruzek can handle a romantic relationship while working together. It’s a high-risk job, and for two cops who are still relatively new to the job, throwing in the whole being in love thing just won’t work.

Damien Mendoza is a big-deal drug smuggler in a major Chicago cartel. Lindsay’s first case on the task force is to take him down. Lindsay bonds quickly with Kylie, Damien’s girlfriend-turned-informant. Erin tends to get close to the victims and families involved in cases, and for all the toughness we see from her, it’s always nice to see her softer, affectionate side.

But then there’s the Marlboro Man (Lindsay’s boss), and he’s a Class A jerk. You can just tell, even before he does anything. Oh I’ll just come out and say it: I HATE the task force. And you know what? I’m not alone. It’s clearly not what Lindsay hoped it would be. And if the tension with her new boss is any indication, Lindsay won’t be there long.

Of course, the mission to grab Damien goes awry and a team that knows Chicago – who could have insight into where Damien could be hiding – is needed. I wonder who they should call?! I’ll give you one guess. Lindsay brings in the Intelligence unit and while I can’t entirely object to seeing this team in action (the chemistry just doesn’t get any better), it would have been nice to see Erin stand on her own for her first case.

Intelligence will focus on Damien’s three lieutenants and throughout the search, the Marlboro Man and Voight clash. It’s clear they don’t like each other, and I feel like they should put on armor, stick Lindsay in a dress and a fancy chair, and duel it out with swords or something.

Anyway, Antonio and Halstead go to investigate Cassie, one of the lieutenant’s girlfriends who has thirty-four cars registered in her name for the cartel. Thirty-four cars! Until Lindsay comes back (which, let’s be honest, is inevitable), I’d like to see Halstead partner up with Antonio. I forget that Antonio brought Halstead into Intelligence and that these two have a bit of a history. They work well together and I wouldn’t mind seeing it.

Olinsky and Ruzek target one of the lieutenants, Amelio, at a convenient store. I’ve said it before; I know it’s tough to give each character adequate time each week when the cast is this large. But, I cherish the Ruzek/Olinsky moments we do get, because they are wonderful. This is a great partnership!

Lindsay is back at the district for the interrogation and can’t help but visit her old desk. Of course, Halstead walks in and gets all flirty.

“We no longer work together. So a lot of the old rules and regulations, they don’t apply anymore.”
Lindsay nods, Halstead leans in, and…the Marlboro Man ruins it. Jerk.

Well of course, one thing leads to a few others and the team catches Mendoza and Kylie is found – she’s fine. The case really took its toll on Lindsay, and not because of the case itself, but because of the Marlboro Man. She doesn’t like him, it’s blatantly obvious. And while I don’t see her as a quitter, I also don’t see her working with the task force much longer.

Elsewhere…

It’s Burgess’ first day back on the job. Instead of getting back out on the streets with Roman, Platt designates Burgess to desk duty while – wait for it – Platt heads for the streets! I can’t wait to see this. Platt is a fantastic character and while I would love to argue that she’s underused, I think it’s her infrequent, hilarious one-liners that help give this show that stability at the secondary cast level. That being said, it’s great to see her step out from behind the desk. She kicks some serious butt.

Best comedic line of the night (from Platt, of course): “Uneasy lieth the head that weareth the crown upon the top of thine head.”
“What does that even mean?” asks Roman.
“She knows,” Platt quickly retorts, looking at Burgess.

In her sarcastic, wonderful way, Platt give Roman advice for moving forward, and basically tells him to let go of what happened with Burgess.

Well Burgess and Ruzek are out in the open, and it’s weird. I just don’t get it, guys. This isn’t even my dislike for her (which has lessened this season, by the way). It’s that there just isn’t any chemistry! But thankfully, we won’t have to see that in Intelligence because as I suspected, Burgess turns the offer down.

Look, I’ll give her this, she’s a great cop. But I don’t think she should be in Intelligence with Ruzek. Should she be there one day? Probably. But for now, I am happy that we will see her with Roman. They have a great partnership and there’s still a lot of story there to explore.

While she didn’t do much more than just stand in the background, it was great to see Nadia again too. I was skeptical of her character at first, but I hope they utilize her more and more and hey, how about series-regular status? Seeing her come back from an addiction and possibly becoming a cop will be a compelling story, I’m ready to see it!

And for the final scene of the night (yes, it gets in own section)…

Jay is sitting at home, watching Erin’s press conference (that she wasn’t a part of). There’s a knock at the door, and it’s Erin! Yes. Here we go. Jay gets that lovey look in his eyes and asks if she wants to talk about her day. She’s says no and…drumroll…they get right to it. The clothes come off and Linstead has never been stronger…or has it?

Don’t get me wrong, I love that it happened! But, I’m more interested in what it means moving forward. Lindsay has never really been in the right emotional state for a relationship, at least not a serious one. And while she is attracted to Halstead, I don’t know that she has feelings for him…yet. While she might have gone to his apartment that night to see what’s between them, I’m more convinced that she went because she knew exactly what Halstead wanted, when she just wanted to forget her horrible day.

On the flipside, I think it’s all about feelings for Jay. From the very beginning, he’s always shown more legitimate interest than she has. You can just tell by the way he looks at her, there’s some serious feelings there. So while I loved the scene, I think it meant a lot more to Jay than it did to Erin, which could cause problems moving forward, especially since Lindsay is not long for the task force world – she’ll be back in Intelligence soon enough.

What did you think of the episode? Are you excited to see more of Burgess and Roman? What happens now that Jay and Erin have crossed a line there’s no coming back from?

About the Author - Meghan Reynolds

A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves storytelling, whether it be movies, television, books, or music. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include LOST, Friends, The Office, Scandal, Chicago PD, and Chicago Fire. She is excited to be reviewing two of those shows for SpoilerTV, Chicago PD and Chicago Fire.