Chicago PD’s second episode of the season had a little bit of everything last week — lots of emotions, a little chaos, some Burzek goodness for their fans, and some serious WTF moments for others. Let’s dive into it!
Let me start by saying I’ve always liked Adam. Maybe not loved, but definitely liked, especially in the earlier seasons of the series until he began to mirror Voight’s behavior just a little too much for me. It kinda turned me off from him and made me feel indifferent towards him. But this episode? Adam Ruzek is the star throughout the entire hour.
For me, this episode is the first time in a while where I was really rooting for Adam. The shift in his attitude and the way he carried himself, his desperation and insistence to Kim that she needs to start believing in him. All he’s wanted for so long now is for her to do just that…believe in his decisions, believe in them, and to trust that he’ll do the right thing. In Kim’s defense, he has made some questionable choices in the past, but everyone has, and he really impressed me in this episode. He’s always had a good heart and does things with the best intentions, even if the end doesn’t always justify the means. And one thing that can never be questioned is that man’s love for Makayla. Him and Kim may or may not end up together, and he may not be that little girl’s biological father, but he certainly is the kinda father she deserves.
Throughout the episode, we see Adam holding back from how we’ve seen him normally handle things. He doesn’t jump the gun or take unnecessary risks. He knows what’s at stake and is determined to do things by the book even with Voight and Jay running around half-cocked with too much arrogance. I really can’t believe I just wrote those words together in the same sentence. *sigh*
I was incredibly disappointed with Jay’s behavior in this episode. He was not the man we’ve come to know and love over the last ten seasons. He’s snapping at Hailey, acting like an ugly combination of Voight’s puppet and his muscle, busting through doors on Voight’s order without probable cause, and displaying a terrifying level of arrogance we’ve never really seen before. After all the times he’s called out Voight for the very same behavior, it’s really unsettling as a fan to watch things play out in this way.
And I’ve gotta talk about Upstead just for a moment because what the actual heck was up with them in this episode? Jay sneaking around and lying to his wife, telling her he’ll see her at home only for him to go to a bar with Voight like they’re best friends? Hailey was spot on...it doesn’t feel like him, doesn’t feel like them, and I can only hope that the next episode, (presumably Jay’s last) somehow makes up for the out of character BS we’ve been given in the first two episodes of the season.
One thing I did love though was Hailey taking the lead in the beginning of the episode. Voight and Jay are MIA, Trudy is a desk Sergeant and not too hands on anymore, so it makes sense that the only other detective in the unit would take the reins and be someone the team can turn to for solid leadership in their time of need. It makes me even happier that it was a woman taking charge — we really need more of that. I won’t call it foreshadowing yet, but it felt like this was a glimpse of what we could see from Hailey further down the road when Jay is gone and Voight goes off book and does something reckless again. I say again because we all know it’s just a matter of time until that happens.
Another bright spot for me that deserves a call out is Torres coming into Intelligence officially. He’s the new kid on the block, but he fits in so well with everyone. It’s a little hard to put it perfectly into words, but it almost feels like he’s always belonged there with them. He has the street smarts and an edge to him that brings something new to the table, and I’m really excited to see more of him and learn what makes him, him.
Now back to Adam because he really does shine in this episode. I’ll always be a sucker for a good parallel and one I really enjoyed was the moment where he second-guessed whether he saw the gun in the gym bag. The Adam we’ve seen before would have moved on it without a beat of hesitation, but when he said it wasn’t worth the risk, I was cheering him on so hard. It was refreshing to see that side of him. When I first watched, I really thought that moment was meant to be another banana peel for him and Kim, but after rewatching, it felt more like it was reaffirming she does trust Adam and his instincts. That she made the call to move on the gun because she does believe in him, and it was a good full circle moment with how the episode started to where it went. It was good storytelling, and I will always appreciate that.
Despite my concern for Jay’s character, I have to say I did enjoy this episode overall. It was a great episode for Adam, had a strong case that drew me in from the jump, and it was written well.
And even though I may not be a Burzek fan, Kim telling Adam she does believe in him at the end and apologizing to him for how it might not have always felt like she did was a sweet moment for the pair. The episode ended on a happy note that we all really need right now, and even if the happiness was for a ship not all of us root for, ya gotta give credit where it’s due.
How’d you feel about episode two? Let us know in the comments!
Chicago PD airs Wednesdays on NBC.
