Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 9 Review: Absolution
Lizzy Buczak
at
.
Isn't it ironic that the last words Jay uttered before getting shot were "you're safe."
Man, Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 9 was an emotional rollercoaster.
It's only right that the series brings out the big guns for a fall finale, but it was painful to watch Halstead get caught up in the unnecessary drama.
The phrase 'kindness is weakness' sums up all of Halstead's actions. He ignored his better judgment throughout the whole episode and now, his life is hanging in the balance.
Halstead knew better, and yet his guilt over Marcus West consumed him.
He should've heeded Upton's warnings against getting involved with a suspect's family and simply walked away.
Ruzek: It's not Jay's fault that the facial rec was inaccurate. I mean, the evidence pointed to Marcus killing those two kids.
Voight: Yeah, well, except he didn't, and Marcus would up dead. Jay had a hard time swallowing it, so, you know, he tried to make it right, help out the family. But this isn't about that or about what happened to Marcus in County. It's about finding Jay.
And he never should have told Angela the truth about what happened to Marcus.
At times, it felt as though Halstead was making it worse for himself simply because he thought he deserved it.
Many of you have criticized the show for its lack of continuity in our comments section, myself included, and it seems like the Chicago PD heard us!
Halstead's guilt forced Chicago PD to acknowledge that these detectives aren't robots. Wrongfully implicating an innocent man wasn't something Halstead forgot about and moved on from; it weighed heavy on his conscience.
When the fall finale teased Halstead's grim situation, I wasn't concerned because I figured there's no way Chicago PD would ever get rid of Halstead.
He can't die, right?
Then I remembered that it wasn't too long ago that they killed off Al and shipped Antonio off to Puerto Rico, so we can't rule anything out.
But it's because of Al and Antonio's exit that Halstead has to be saved. He's one of the only original Intelligence members still on the team.
Fans would be furious if he was killed off, and it would further diminish the quality of the show.
Therefore, the cliffhanger isn't about whether or not Halstead survives, it's about how they keep Angela quiet.
Based on the promo for Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 10 returning on January 8, 2020, Anglea survives and she's ready to clear Marcus' name and take down the police that wronged him, namely Halstead.
And why wouldn't she? She's poor, her son is sick, and she deserves it.
She saw an opportunity to not only to do right by Marcus but to get herself out of a bad situation and into a better one.
It's a no-brainer.
But it's not ideal for Intelligence, the CPD, the City of Chicago, and the interim Mayor. Is he still an interim or did he just get the gig already? I can't keep up, but it doesn't even matter.
Darius Walker: Why do I have a feeling you're not telling me everything about this?
Voight: Because I'm not.
The point is, everyone is screwed if this gets out.
It doesn't just become local cover-up, it becomes a nationwide scandal.
While Halstead is fighting for his life, Voight and co. will have to figure out how to stop Angela from speaking her truth while acknowledging that she deserves to.
Halstead didn't just implicate himself because of his guilt, he implicated everyone around him.
And his guilt could also jeopardize his career.
With Angela threatening to tell the truth, Voight will likely have to call in a few favors to shut her down, which forces him to admit to Halstead's actions.
Angela's personality change after finding out the truth was expected, and I don't know why Halstead ever believed that getting the truth off of his chest would make things better.
It may have lifted a weight off of him, but it only made things harder in the long run.
Even when they were still locked up, Angela no longer trusted him and refused to help him.
After Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 6, we all assumed that Marcus became a scapegoat because he didn't have a family that could vouch for him or come to his defense, but obviously, that wasn't the case.
Voight: The only problem is being decent and being a cop. Not always a good marriage.
Upton: Yeah. Sometimes you've gotta swallow your pain and guilt and move on.
Isn't it odd that Angela and Bobby were never mentioned or questioned when they suspected Marcus killed those children?
The fact that he did have two people who were very close to him and deeply affected by his death seemed like a loose end that should've never been overlooked by Intelligence.
Were they just written in after for the sake of conflict? And how was Angela no longer able to afford rent after Marcus' death when he was supposedly a deadbeat drug addict?
Compared to all of Intelligence's former cases, it wasn't difficult to find out who kidnapped Jay, or should I say Jim, but it was significantly harder to pinpoint where they held him hostage.
Intelligence pulled one string and followed it through, which led them right to the Silva family.
Darius Walker was the connection between Intelligence and Pedro Silva, which is fine, but it feels like an easy way out.
Anytime Intelligence runs into a wall they find out that Walker has pull with the exact person they need.
He's well established in this city, sure, but from a storytelling perspective, it's too convenient.
I also can't help but laugh every time Walker tries to deny Voight his favor. Darius, he's not asking you. This isn't a choice. You either do it or you get locked up. It's that simple.
Upton blamed herself for not telling Voight about Halstead sooner, but it's not her responsibility to police a grown man and make sure he's not putting himself in danger.
And even when they found Halstead's location, she couldn't redeem herself and help him because Halstead already broke free and eliminated the threat. Well, at least the people he perceived to be a threat.
Angela: You deserve to die.
Halstead: You don't. So keep your mouth shut for you. For Bobby.
There was a deep moment between Upton and Halstead where they looked into each other's eyes without uttering a single word.
Everything that needed to be conveyed was done through their body language.
And it's in that moment that Upton realized her ineffable feelings.
Previously, Upton knew there was a connection, but she didn't realize how strong it was until she almost lost him.
Halstead's situation took up much of the hour, but if you watch Chicago PD online, you'll be happy to know that baby #Burzek wasn't completely forgotten.
The mention was brief, but Ruzek assured Burgess that he was still supportive of whatever decision she made. Good to know.
As Chicago PD goes on a mini holiday hiatus, Halstead fans have just one teeny favor to ask of Halstead. They need him to follow the same advice he gave Angela: stay strong.
I'm turning it over to you, TV Fanatics.
Did you like this fall finale?
Will Halstead survive? How will Intelligence convince Angela against telling the truth about Marcus West?
Did you feel that spark between Halstead and Upton?
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
