Chicago PD - Fagin - Review

“I became a cop because of you.”

Erin and Jay respond to a bank robbery/homicide which kicks off the case of the week. Detective Upton has been following this particular crew for a while now, and after a bit of head-butting with Voight, she agrees to join the team for the case. I’m assuming we’ll see Upton for the duration of Marina Squerciati’s maternity leave, and I’m fine with it. She fits in well with the team and already has an intriguing relationship with Voight. But the most touching connection is the one Upton has with Platt—when Upton was a little girl, her father’s restaurant was robbed. Platt was a responding officer and is the reason Upton became a cop. Guys, I cried during that scene.

Anyway, back to the case…

After Jay denies Atwater’s request to drive the new truck (come on, Atwater, Jay just started driving), the team hones in on suspect number one—a robber, yes, but not of banks. Later, Ruzek narrows down the potential target banks, and Erin and Jay find themselves amidst a robbery while checking out one of the banks. Several offenders get away, Jay nabs one, and Erin is forced to shoot (and kill) one. When she takes off his mask, she finds a fourteen-year-old boy. Not that any kill is easy, but this one in particular weighs heavily on Erin for the duration of the episode.

The child the team has in custody, Cory, isn’t a lot of help. No matter, the team works around it. Meet Lavar Spann—an ex-robber who spent time in prison and is currently out on parole. He can’t physically rob banks anymore (thanks to a gunshot wound), but Upton believes he’s leading the crew of young boys to do his dirty work for him. It’s pretty clear Spann is behind everything, but Intelligence lacks proof. The rest of the hour becomes a hunt for proof tying Spann to the robberies.

Surveillance leads to nothing except Spann giving alcohol to minors. In all likelihood, Jay, Olinsky, and Upton actually observed Spann ordering a hit on two brothers in the robbery crew—a hit to tie up “loose ends” and keep himself safe. When Cory sees images of his dead friends, he agrees to talk to Atwater about Spann. But in a surprising move, Voight convinces Cory not to talk— “You give us that statement, you’re going to have to testify in open court…you and I both know what he’s capable of.” In a move I’ve never seen Voight make, he sacrifices the case, which would mean putting Spann behind bars for good, to save Cory’s life.

Spann might have gotten away with the robbery/murders for now (though he’s going away for breaking parole), but Voight makes a promise to find him when he does eventually spend the money from the bank. That’s a promise I bet Voight keeps.


So…what are Erin and Jay? They’re going out together, talking about a married couple, and in general, just acting very couply. At the end of the hour, Erin struggles with taking the life of the young boy on the job, and though Jay briefly comforts her, I don’t think she’ll shake this immediately.

What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts below!