Chicago PD - 300,000 Likes / A Shot Heard Round The World - Review

“I look in people’s eyes for a living.”

I went into this fall finale thinking we would get one case spanning two hours, but no such luck. Then I remembered Chicago PD didn’t air the week the Cubs won the World Series (which makes sense), so to keep with the schedule, we got not one, but two episodes (rather than one long finale) to close out the year. The only real similar theme between the two episodes was Antonio’s impending departure. More on that in a bit. Here’s the unit’s first case of the finale…

When a key witness in a rape case is found dead, ASA Peter Stone (Chicago Justice’s lead) asks Voight and the Intelligence unit to see if there’s a connection. Oliver Tuxhorn is a person of interest in not one, but four rape cases, on top of one rape/murder he’s already been imprisoned for. But with the witness now dead, there’s a very real possibility that Oliver will get away with it.

Tariq, the dead witness, slipped his security detail after receiving a text that upset him in some way. No one who knew Tariq has a bad thing to say about him. He was a hardworking immigrant who was expecting a baby with his wife, seemingly had the world at his feet. All signs sadly point to one of Tariq’s friends, Amir, who came from Sudan with Tariq. Amir is pretty convincing in portraying his innocence, and his sincerity and sadness make for a compelling argument that Amir was framed.

Sure enough, Oliver was behind Tariq’s death. After Olinsky investigated a former crooked cop, the pieces fall into place. Oliver posted a cryptic hit request to social media for his sister to find, who then employed the cop to kill Tariq. Safe to say Oliver won’t be enjoying freedom anytime soon.

Erin’s dislike for Oliver contrasted with Oliver’s preoccupation with Erin was one of the highlights of the episode. At every turn, Oliver tried to smooth talk and flirt with Erin, who was having none of it. Her feelings toward Oliver were well known, and before she and Jay go to interrogate Oliver, Voight warns Jay to keep Erin from harming Oliver, but it ended up being Jay who got a bit fired up. In the best line of the hour Jay said, “Oh, I got a couple things I could add. But I really don’t feel like losing my job over a little turd like you!”

“Every day, you risk your lives for this city, for the people you love…for strangers, and for those who resent you. Your job is to still protect them. No threat changes that. You serve, you protect, and you all come home tonight.”

The second hour is Antonio’s official last case with the unit. But before the case begins, Jay meets Erin’s crazy mom Bunny. He’s met her before, but never in the official “boyfriend” capacity. The breakfast is super awkward and thankfully cut short as Erin and Jay are called to respond to a shooting. It’s a Chicago police officer who was shot, and it seems the entire Chicago police department begins the manhunt for the shooter.

The unit quickly learns the cop was targeted by a highly trained shooter, likely someone with a military background. It’s tragic to see police officers targeted, the people who give their lives to protect and serve. But, there’s nothing like a tragic situation to bring people together, which is exactly what the targeting does—the police officers of Chicago show such comradery and loyalty to one another in this episode, something very touching to see.

The unit’s first suspect is Booker Ford, a man who has some serious issues with police. He nearly takes out Ruzek during the take down and shows no respect or fear toward Voight during interrogation. He’s infuriating, but he’s not the shooter. While Booker is in custody, the unit and other patrolmen chase down another lead, where yet another cop is shot and killed by the unknown shooter. Upon realizing the shooter clearly has a military background, Jay’s demeanor changed completely. I don’t think we’ve ever seen him so angry, and though it might not seem like much, it definitely showed a bit more of his character. He takes pride in his military background, as he should. The men and women who lay down their lives to protect us and our freedoms deserve the utmost respect, and for someone to tarnish the esteem of a soldier is something Jay clearly takes personally. It seems that all signs point to suspect number two, a dishonorably discharged former soldier named Robert Dean. But alas, he is innocent is well.

The unit reevaluates and lands on suspect number three, Carl Daugherty. Carl went through the police academy and his father Mark was killed in the line of duty. Carl was dismissed from the academy for erratic behavior and was later diagnosed with delusion disorder. Chicago Med’s Dr. Charles explains that Carl can’t differentiate between illusion and reality, and likely believes police officers are responsible for his suffering, and that killing police officers is his “righteous calling”. Though the team is unsuccessful in talking Carl off the ledge, so to speak, Voight’s conversation leading up to Carl’s death revealed an emotional side of Voight we don’t often see. Voight identifies with Carl, in that Voight lost his dad in the line of duty. It’s why Voight became a cop, and like any child, just hopes he’s made his father proud.

In the closing moments of the show, Bunny tells Erin that her father is in town. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as hints were dropped in the previous episode. So, how will this shake up Erin’s life?

Elsewhere…

Oh, Sorenson. How the mighty fall. Just when I was starting to love this new partnership, Sorenson goes and messes everything up. Burgess and Sorenson pull over a man to do a sobriety test and are surprised that the man is wearing a skirt, black tights, and a chastity belt (it seems he was with a dominatrix or something…?). Sure, it’s a bit out of the ordinary, but for Sorenson to pull the footage (as they wear cameras) and post it to the internet was horribly inconsiderate, inappropriate, and all around wrong. It’s not a surprise, then, that in the second hour, Sorenson quits his job so he doesn’t have to go back out on the streets where cops are being targeted. So long, Sorenson.

Burgess is ready to be Intelligence. She tries to play it off cool, but the girl is the definition of ready. It’s obvious the promotion is coming, especially with Antonio leaving. Shoot, by the end of the second hour, she doesn’t even let Voight get the complete offer out before she exuberantly says, “Yes!” It’s official. Burgess is in Intelligence. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Burgess is a great cop and will definitely excel in Intelligence. On the other hand, I’ll miss the dynamic she brought to the show as a patrolman. I hope losing that aspect of the storytelling doesn’t hurt the show.

“It’s hard to say goodbye, especially on a day like this. But it’s been an honor working with you all.”

When Chicago PD began, it kicked off with Antonio’s son being kidnapped and the newly formed Intelligence unit searching for him. We saw Antonio’s family, including his wife, and the two seemed to have a rock-solid relationship. Even when things fell apart, it wasn’t because of mistakes or falling out of love—it was because of Antonio’s commitment to this unit in the heart of a dangerous city. So, why am I rehashing all of this? Because recently, the writers have made Antonio’s ex, Laura, out to be some crazy, psycho ex-wife to the point that I almost forgot why they initially broke up. Am I the only one bothered by this? Why did the narrative have to change so drastically? When the possibility of Antonio leaving the unit was brought up a few season back (by his wife), we understood why he stayed. It’s not unreasonable to think that a few years later, presented with this opportunity, Antonio would change his mind. Making Laura out to be someone she initially wasn’t was completely unnecessary to create this scenario for Antonio. What would be so wrong with him just wanting a normal nine-to-five job so he can see his kids more? Anyway, the seed is officially planted in the first hour of the series—Peter Stone offers Antonio the position of Lead Investigator.

After accepting Peter’s offer in the first hour, the second hour of the finale felt a bit like an homage to Antonio and his time on the show. While the case obviously occupied the majority of the time, a few minutes were devoted to Antonio’s history and had a nostalgic feel to them. Antonio returned to Firehouse 51 to consult with his sister, where we first met him back in season one of Chicago Fire. At the memorial for the cops who lost their lives, Antonio pays his respects to Julie Willhite, his former partner who was killed in Chicago PD’s first episode. But it was the scene between Antonio and Jay that made me realize how instrumental Antonio has been in this entire franchise. As Jay recalls, “You brought me into the unit. I just hope I did you proud.” I also always forget that Jay dated Gabby. Antonio, however, has not forgotten! Jay is really the reason Antonio is leaving, as I’ve mentioned in many reviews in the past. He occupies the space that was once Antonio’s, and even Antonio knows it. “Knowing the cop you’ve become, knowing that you’re here, it made it easy for me to take the investigator’s job.” Well, I’m crying. Why didn’t we get more scenes with these two?!

The toughest lost will be the dynamic between Voight and Antonio, even if it hasn’t been as prevalent lately. They’ve come a long way—if you watch Fire, you’ll recall it was Antonio who arrested Voight all those years ago. “This unit finally came together when I took you on, Antonio…It’s your time, Antonio, to run your own crew.”


What did you think of the fall finale? How will Antonio’s departure affect the show? What can we expect from Burgess in Intelligence? Will Jay take more of a leadership role with Antonio gone? Share your thoughts below!