The latest episode of Chicago PD was a directorial debut for Jesse Lee Soffer! And while he killed it behind the camera, on the other side of it, we got to see (again) who Hank Voight is, and who he will always be.
I want the record to show that I adore Jesse Lee Soffer and I will forever be a fan of Jay Halstead. Soffer is a shining star of talent in front of the camera and last week, we got a glimpse of what he can do when he’s the one calling the shots behind it. He knows this show inside and out, probably better than most after more than ten years on the job as Halstead. But as talented as he is in those facets of the industry, he is not the one writing the story, merely just telling it through a lens, and the story last week is a hard pill to swallow as it’s every bit about Hank Voight.
Voight has always been the rough and tumble, no nonsense, ask questions later (if at all) kind of cop. And that was fun and badass in the beginning and towards the middle of the series. But now, it’s exhausting and frustrating. As the years have gone by, things and people and rules have changed, policing has changed – more so, gotten worse – but Voight hasn’t. He has stayed stagnant, stubborn in his ways, unwilling to change because only his way can be the right way. But it can’t be like that anymore, and it shouldn’t be. At this point, I’m running out of ways to convey just how awful of a character I think he is and how worse he’s become, but nonetheless, let’s dive into it a little more.
As the episode kicks off, we see Arturo Morales, who we were first introduced to in episode 10x13, “The Ghost in You.” He is on trial for the murder of ASA Nina Chapman’s material witness and past love interest, Tom Villar. While in court, Voight notices the odd behavior of a juror and calls in Hailey Upton for backup. They confront the juror at his home and discover his wife has been kidnapped at the order of Morales to leverage a not guilty vote in his favor, and ultimately get him off of a murder charge.
As things unfold, we once again see a back and forth struggle between right and wrong, one that we aren’t strangers to when it comes to Hank Voight. He has built, and maintained, a reputation for doing things his own way, regardless of whether it’s the right way, and even if those around him try to reign him in from doing something he can’t walk back from.
To him, it doesn’t really matter what happens or who is hurt or what damage is done in the process of him going off half-cocked as long as he gets the result he wants. Voight is the same man he’s always been from day one and he will never change. Regardless of who is caught in the crosshairs or who is left to clean up the mess.
This time is no different, even as both Hailey and Kevin try to be the voice of reason, but Voight won’t hear any of it. He makes one bad call after the other, takes advantage of a sick man, and once again, does the worst things under the guise of having the best intentions, even if that means breaking the law. He is not a good man, and it’s time everyone starts to call it like it is.
Yes, they find the juror’s wife, Julia, and she’s gonna be okay all things considered, and Morales is found guilty, but at what cost and after how many more laws have been broken? Voight has always prided himself on being a Chicago police officer. A man who loves his city. And that would be an honorable trait for anyone else and under normal circumstances, but this is Hank Voight we’re talking about and there are rarely normal circumstances when he’s involved. He may bring justice, but more often than not, it’s because he’s acting as a formidable vigilante, not as an honorable police officer.
Chapman said it best at the end of the episode when she was speaking to Voight. About how he doesn’t think about what kind of man he is, but that he should. He won’t though. He won’t think about it, and he most definitely won’t be changing his ways anytime soon no matter how much he desperately needs to.
Things Worth Noting:
- Hailey being Voight’s new second-in-command has me more than worried. I need her so far away from that man.
- Upwater partnered up together is the silver lining of this episode.
- The little look Hailey and Kevin shared when Voight told them to move in tells you everything you need to know about how poor his decision making is.
- You should, and I cannot stress this enough, NEVER trust Hank Voight.
- Every time I see that wedding ring on Hailey’s finger, my heart swells.
- Voight using an innocent man who has cancer as leverage when his wife died from cancer is wrong on so many levels. So. Damn. Wrong.
- “If you want trust, earn it with the truth.” Chapman, truer words have never been spoken, but I’m afraid they’re falling on deaf ears.
- “I did what I had to do.” Nah, you did what you wanted to do, Voight. There’s a difference.
Chicago PD airs on Wednesdays on NBC.
