Chicago PD – Out of the Depths – Review

Needless to say, Burzek nation was absolutely screaming at the end of this episode. In addition to the usual tense detective work we have come to know from the intelligence team, we also finally are able to see some movement on the Burzek dial that shows what true soulmates these characters are.

To recap this episode, Kim is working hard to move forward from her trauma, and her therapist suggests that Adam come for a family therapy session. As she is leaving, she takes a call nearby of a robbery in progress. The two offenders escape and Kim responds and helps the owner and the other employee. Adam arrives and checks in on Kim, and they interview the employee.

The team discovers that this is not this pair’s first robbery, and based on a photo that was taken at a previous robbery, it is a male-female team. Adam also tells Kim that he is proud of her and that her hard work paid off because she did not have a reaction to the gun shots. They review pod footage and see the assailants having sex. Kim goes with the forensics team to try to collect possible evidence.

They get a DNA match and find out that the DNA is from a victim report. Ruby Bertinelli reported a rape four years earlier. Kim is very concerned as this is unethical and may violate the victims rights and Upton points out that this may deter people from reporting rapes, but Voight pushes for them to use the information and that if they are legally OK, this woman is an offender and he feels it is unethical to not use it. Kim and Kevin check out her last known address and find out she does not live there anymore. They then respond to a BOLO for her vehicle, and they hear gun shots.

Kim and Kevin respond to a robbery in progress and Kevin chases the one assailant while Kim attends to a victim. She finds Ruby in the back room chanting words and numbers and arrests her. Kim questions her and she sits silently. Kim digs into her background and social media, and she stopped posting immediately after she reported and recanted her rape and has not posted in years. Kim wonders if her accused rapist is the other offender. Kim says that Ruby withdrew 4 years ago from everything she seems like she is not there like the way Kim says she gets when she is having one of her episodes and she and Adam go to check out Ethan Hanley.

They find a bloody footprint outside and search the house, but Ethan is gone, but they are able to confirm he is the second offender. Neighbors identify Ruby as the young quiet blonde woman who lives with Ethan, and it appears that Ruby is living with and robbing with the man she accused of rape. Kim shares the theory that the rapes probably continued after she recanted, the bar closed down and she had nowhere to go, so she basically turned off due to all the trauma, and that she might not even be aware fully of what she is doing. Voight says despite this she did participate and tells them to press Ruby to tell them where Ethan is. This clearly does not sit well with Burgess.

Ruby finally speaks and says she lied about the rape, but Kim says she thinks it did happen and she was telling the truth, but Ruby denies it. Voight tells them to dig in, but Ruby refuses to speak further so Kim and Adam take her to the old bar where the rape occurred, and Kim tells her that she thinks a terrible thing happened there that split Ruby’s life in two and that she will help her. Ruby keeps refusing to talk and says she wants a lawyer but Kim keeps encouraging her to talk and as they walk out of the bar they see a sign with cities and distances on it. Kim says she memorized it when it happened and that was what she was chanting and that was where the first rape happened. Kim encourages her to keep talking and Ruby says she knows how to reach Ethan.

She tells them they message through an online game, and Kim says Ruby will contact him because she offered her a deal, but Voight says she can’t do that and Ruby will do time, and she needs to know that. He also tells Kim that if there is anything he needs to know about her, he trusts she will tell him and that he has her back. Kim gets Ruby to message Ethan and they set a meeting. They surround him and he pulls a gun and Kim shoots him. Afterwards she has no reaction or shaking.

Kim tells Ruby that Ethan is dead and she zones out and begins chanting again. Kim stays with her and tries to support her. Afterwards, Kim and Adam discuss that hopefully she will get better, and he has the night off from UC work and Kim asks if he will go to see her therapist and he agrees. Adam tells the therapist that he doesn’t think the PTS has affected their relationship and that they have been out of sync at times, and he felt that at times he wanted more and maybe she didn’t feel the same way and Kim has a reaction. She says she has never not felt the same way, and that she always has but she struggles to find words and the therapist says this is a good start, and ends the conversation.

When they get home, Adam asks her what she was going to say and she tells him she was too scared and numb. They kiss and then passionately embrace and begin to make love.

One of the big themes of this episode was the relationship between Adam and Kim and the love they share and have always shared. Whether it is Adam rushing to the scene when he hears her 10-1 to the cute texts to check in and tell her he hopes therapy went well, it is clear that Adam loves and cares about Kim. The looks they exchange throughout the episode show how well they know each other and the fact that the therapy session allowed Kim to finally share with Adam how she really feels has made the hearts of Burzek nation explode with joy. The fact that they passionately made love is also a sign that perhaps we are finally seeing the tides turn in a positive way, and that our Burzek family may finally be coming to fruition. All I can say for sure is that this is a moment we have been waiting for for years now, and the fandom could not be happier.

The second theme that was beautifully examined was the effect of trauma. It is clear that Kim is using all the strategies offered by her therapist and actively working to move forward from her trauma, but it is also interesting to see how is has changed her approach to her police work. Seeing how she was able to connect and help the distressed employee at the robbery scene to how she recognized the trauma in Ruby and figured out how to reach her, it seems like experiencing and overcoming her own trauma has made Kim even more effective in her role. It also seems to allow her to view offenders in a different way and also advocate for those she feels have also been victimized. While the focus many times on television is the negative effects of trauma, working through and overcoming trauma can also potentially have positive effects for people and how they now view the world, and clearly this could possibly be the case for Kim.

The third thing that was somewhat noteworthy in this episode was that Voight never changes. Despite the discomfort of the team, he was willing to bend the rules and potentially violate victim rights to solve the case, and that he did not seem to have a great deal of sympathy for Ruby, even though she was also a victim in addition to an offender. This seems to be rubbing members of the team wrong, including Upton, and we are seeing our old morally upright Upton that we knew from years past returning. However, Voight also reaches out to Kim to let her know he has her back, and while there are things that we may not like about Voight and his cloudy moral compass, one thing you can say about him is that he does seem to care about his team, and is there to support them if they need it.

A few other things to note:

- It was great to see some Burgwater partnership again – these two have always been great partners and Kevin is an incredible friend to both Burgess and Ruzek and also a great support for them with Makayla.

- The absence of Torres was definitely noticeable, more so than I thought it would be – perhaps because there was quite a lot of moral and ethical distress in this episode and while he has a murky past, Torres has proven to be a very morally upright character.

- While she was mentioned, we have not seen much of Trudy Platt recently, and I for one definitely miss her wit and how much actress Amy Morton adds to every scene she is in – I hope we will get to see more of her in the weeks to come

So as we move forward with this season, Burzek nation is definitely no doubt squealing with joy and on the edge of our seats to see where the Wolf writing team takes this story next, and crossing every body part that it is somewhere that brings them happiness for a change.

What did you think of this episode of Chicago PD? Share your thoughts in the comments below.