Chicago PD - Start Digging - Review

“You want to take me off this case, you’re going to have to put a bullet in my head.”

Baby Voight is one year old and the Voight family (including Erin) has never been more adorable. It’s a picturesque setting, so naturally, it’s not going to last long…

Intelligence is called on scene when Melissa Wilds is found dead in the trunk of a car. Based on how Melissa was killed, a Russian cartel is suspected. Melissa’s death is a bit strange, as she seems like the last possible target. She was a widow, a mom, and a hard working paralegal who lead a seemingly normal life. The plot thickens a bit when Mouse discovers Melissa had a connection to Justin. Phone records indicate quite a bit of contact between the two a month prior, around the time Justin was in town without Voight knowing. The last contact between the two came thirty minutes before Melissa’s declared time of death.

Thanks to Mouse, Erin and Voight track Justin’s car and find him in the trunk, barely alive. Justin is transported to Chicago Med, but with his life in the balance, Voight becomes more of a loose cannon than he normally is. Erin knows Voight better than anyone else, with maybe the exception of Olinsky. Knowing what he’s capable of, she warns him to remember what’s at stake. “You have a grandson now, okay? Just remember that.”

So how are the two victims connected? Justin went through basic training with Peter Wilds, Melissa’s husband. Melissa began reaching out to Justin four weeks prior, and Justin reached out to one of Voight’s shady friends for money to help her. Melissa’s former boss, a lawyer, tells Erin and Jay that Melissa started acting strange and might have been connected to a few robberies of recent clients.

As Erin feared, Voight spirals out of control as the case progresses. Antonio finds a lead, Carl “Ginger” Hearnes, and Voight holds his face against a burning stove for information. He does give up a name, Kevin Bingham, but that doesn’t change the fact that Voight’s actions crossed the line. Later, Voight doesn’t hesitate to shoot Kevin’s brother in the leg to pressure him for information about Kevin’s whereabouts.

A CI of Voight’s responds to Voight’s 90K bounty out for Kevin, saying he can deliver. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, Sharon stops by to tell Voight that Justin won’t wake up. I’m sure a lot of people saw this coming; this is a finale after all, so the stakes are higher. But I couldn’t let myself believe Justin would die, which made it that much worse when it happened. The goodbye scene with Voight and Justin was heartbreaking and to no one’s surprise, I shed more than a few tears.

Voight later receives the confirmation call from his CI and the Intelligence Unit rolls out to the address. But why is Voight not on scene? Why is no one there? Jay calls Erin and confirms Voight isn’t there, and Erin immediately knows what’s up. While Antonio, Halstead, Olinsky, Ruzek, and Atwater are left at the empty location, Erin drives out to the silos and finds Kevin digging with Voight supervising.

Kevin is digging his own grave.

Erin shows up, but does absolutely no good. “Don’t do this! Do not throw it all away over him…Justin wouldn’t want you to do this!” But after a burning stare from Voight, she turns to leave. I can’t believe it! As she drives away, she hears the gunshot.

Justin has been a fantastic secondary character since this show began. Though we don’t see him often, he’s had an incredible redemption story. This finale called into question that redemption, which wasn’t easy to watch. I wanted so badly for him not to be involved, but I also couldn’t deny his shady past. He’s been my favorite secondary character since the beginning, and I’m heartbroken we won’t see him again. Justin died trying to help someone who needed it, and Voight should be proud of that.

Elsewhere…

Roman follows through with his plan to move to San Diego, which means breaking things off with Burgess. Honestly, I find this plotline infuriating. It’s already been confirmed that Brian Geraghty won’t be back next season, so this whole relationship/hook-up thing with Burgess feels like a waste. There was no reason to make them take that step, and with this as the result, I would have preferred they didn’t get romantically involved. Not to mention, there was so much more the writers could have explored with Roman, especially with his relationship with Voight. But, to make the best of a bad situation, I’d like to see Burgess partnered with another guy—with no romantic entanglements. Because though TV might say otherwise, it rarely happens.

I have a feeling this won’t be the popular opinion, but I did not like that it was Burgess who consoled Erin. I know these two have developed a friendship recently, but the scene felt so forced. It was a way to give Burgess more screen time and to give the Lindsay/Burgess fans (which includes me, fear not) a scene. It would have made more sense to have almost any other character be the one to comfort Erin, besides Burgess. Halstead, for obvious reasons, but how about anyone else on the team who Erin works closely with on a daily basis? Olinsky? Antonio? Even Platt! But not Burgess.

Voight is called to a meeting with his superiors who offer him a promotion to lieutenant. But it’s more of a backhanded promotion—the “promotion” would remove Voight from action and place him behind a desk. During the case to find Justin and Melissa’s killer, Antonio is approached by the Commander and offered Voight’s position as head of Intelligence.

This is an interesting move, and yet, not surprising. The show was built on the juxtaposition of these two characters, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen that relationship highlighted. Antonio, the “good cop” was continually sidelined by Voight, the “bad cop” as Voight’s actions escalated to find his son’s killer. I’m not surprised that Antonio refused the offer, but I also don’t expect that to be the end of this storyline. If/when Antonio finds out what Voight did, all bets are off.

Though Justin’s death was heartbreaking, this was (for me, at least) one of the best episodes the series has had. This episode will have lasting repercussions, especially for the main four: Voight, Antonio, Erin, and Halstead. Voight crossed so far over the line, there might not be coming back from that. There’s always been Voight vs. Antonio undertones, but with Voight’s actions and the potential adjustments within the department, I expect those to be front and center at the start of next season. Then there’s Erin and Jay. Similar to Antonio, Jay serves as a foil for Voight, which has always put Erin between the two. Erin made the decision to drive away and let Voight kill Kevin, which likely won’t sit too well with Jay. And if Antonio does take over, that could mean a number two position for Jay.

What did you think of the episode and season? Will Voight be able to keep his actions a secret? How will the Antonio vs. Voight battle play out? How will Erin’s decision affect her relationship with Jay? Share your thoughts below!

About the Author - Meghan Reynolds

A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves television and some might say watches too much of it. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include Galavant, The Blacklist, The Office, Veronica Mars, The 100, and Gilmore Girls. She reviews Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Chicago Med for SpoilerTV.