Chicago PD - Don't Bury This Case / Don't Read The News - Review

Chicago PD was back with not one, but two new episodes to kick off the new year. The first, “Don’t Bury This Case”, served as the second hour of the crossover event with Chicago Fire. In case you didn’t catch the Chicago Fire hour, all you really need to know is that Squad Lieutenant Kelly Severide woke up after a day of drinking to Voight and Lindsay knocking on his door. Severide’s car was found abandoned at the scene of an accident, where two victims in a van were rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile…

“If it turns out that I was behind the wheel, don’t let anyone try to make a deal for me. Let me rot.”

My only problem with this episode was the amount of time Severide spent as a suspect. We all know it’s not him for several reasons, the main being there’s no way Chicago Fire sends one of its leads to prison (this isn’t Suits! my latest craze, in case you were wondering). So while I did enjoy the case, I felt the time spent investigating Severide to be a waste. The guy isn’t perfect, but he’s spent his career as a first responder and is a decent human being. There’s no way he’d ever leave the scene of an accident. Sure, the writers tried to infuse a little doubt into the situation by having Severide get black out drunk, but I never questioned him for a second. I love a good crossover, but this didn’t qualify.

Throughout the case, Erin didn’t doubt Severide either. Jay questioned her reasoning, showing just a smidge of jealousy, remembering the quick relationship (if you can even call it that) Erin had with Severide. But have no fear, Linstead fans! These two are just fine. They even got to have a stakeout makeout, which was a bit awkward with the rest of the unit on the other end of the walkies. But the best part? Halstead was driving!

Another bright spot was Mouch’s insistence on seeing Severide. He used the argument that he’s Severide’s union rep, but really, it’s because the men and women at Firehouse 51 are family, something I never get tired of seeing. Casey makes an appearance as well in a bit of a role reversal scene with Voight. Back in season one of Chicago Fire, Casey and Voight went head to head over Justin’s drunk driving accident. Here, they’re back at it (though nowhere near as vicious) over Severide’s alleged drunk driving accident. These are the crossover moments I love!

The actual case turns to vehicular homicide, as the young girl (Chloe) dies at the hospital. Atwater and Burgess find a GPS tracker on Severide’s car, which leads to the discovery that valets at the bar tag expensive/rare cars, like Severide’s mustang, with GPS trackers so other crew members can later steal them. Later, thanks to one of Atwater’s CIs, the team finds the head honcho and driver of Severide’s car, the one responsible for the crash and Chloe’s death.

I love when the writers shine the spotlight on Atwater, even if it’s just brief flashes. He brings an element of humor to the show that no one else does, which is refreshing when every week is another murder. He was fantastic in this episode, along with Halstead surprising our criminal in the trunk of the car. Loved it.

Elsewhere…

“I’m not looking for the yes police, I’m looking for the real police.”

Burgess is officially part of Intelligence, and I’m less than thrilled. She’s a bit too gung-ho and doe-eyed for the unit, and Olinsky clearly agrees. Burgess has come a long way for me—I couldn’t stand her when the show first started—but for some reason, I feel like she took a few steps back. I’m going to miss her as a patrolwoman and the stories that brings. The silver lining could be that losing the patrol stories will give more time to the Intelligence group, hopefully allowing us to see more of their personal and professional lives. I suppose only time will tell.


What did you think of the episode? Are you looking forward to seeing Burgess in the Intelligence Unit? Do you like the crossover events? Share your thoughts below!

"Don't Read The News"

One night after the crossover with Chicago Fire, Chicago PD continues its winter premiere week with a case that quickly leads to the search of a serial murder/rapist. But before the search begins, a former protégé of Voight’s, Kenny Rixton, joins Intelligence to assist. With Ruzek undercover for the foreseeable future, we’ll likely get to know Kenny a bit. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t thrilled with this casting news (I couldn’t stand his character on Revenge…team Aidan forever), but right off the bat, I’m intrigued by Kenny. He could be a great addition to the unit, even if it’s only temporary.

I’m still unhappy that Antonio is no longer with the unit and I missed Ruzek more than I thought I would. But, the absence of those two along with the patrolman storyline of the week left more time for the personal lives of the unit. The lack of time spent on the characters’ personal lives has long been a complaint of mine (and many, I’m sure), so I was encouraged by the time this episode’s story allowed for those personal moments. Hopefully it will continue. But before we get into personal matters, here’s what happened with the case…

“They are killing our daughters!”

Captain Crowley leads Voight to a crime scene, where a young black girl was found dead. Frustration and heartbreak from several people in the crowd almost sparks an incident with Burgess. For all Burgess lacks, I was impressed by her work on this case. Deanna Lewis is angry with the police for the lack of investigations taking place in their community, where many girls have been murdered, including her niece. Instead of writing her off, Burgess later approaches Deanna for information, and boy, does she have some. Thanks to Deanna, the team finds a pattern connecting several unsolved murders in which young girls are killed and then raped.

The unit’s prime suspect is Grace’s ex-boyfriend Ricky. After a short time in the interrogation room, it seems pretty clear Ricky didn’t do anything. So who did? Or does Ricky have us fooled? DNA ties Ricky to several murders, but it just doesn’t fit. Thankfully, the unit (thanks to Virginia) finds a victim from 2008 who is able to ID the killer—and it’s not Ricky. Instead, she panics when she sees an image of Ricky’s father, and now the DNA test makes sense. Yikes. Well, scum, enjoy prison.

“I wasn’t there for you then, but I’d like to be now, if you’ll let me.”

Remember Erin’s stalker-but-actually-father from the fall? Well, he finally makes an appearance! Jimmy has not only been out of prison for quite some time, but he’s been married and has a few sons. He’s in town for a few days, but I’d be willing to bet those few days might turn into something longer. Erin is naturally skeptical and standoffish at first, but by the end of the hour, she warms up a bit.

Though Erin asks him not to, Jay sweet talks Virginia into giving him information on Jimmy in the most enjoyable scene of the night. Jay finds that Jimmy is a stand-up guy now, and that seems to quell any fears Erin had. Jay and Erin have dinner with Jimmy and Bunny, and it’s surprisingly a nice family dinner! Jimmy shows Erin a picture of her as a kid that he saved, and you can tell how much it means to Erin. Jay wants to run a DNA test to confirm the “fantasy” is real, but Erin’s not having it. “If it is a fantasy, let me live in it for a minute.” Okay, so he’s going to run the test right? What will the results say?

What do you think of Kenny? How long will he stick around? How long will Jimmy be in Erin’s life? Share your thoughts below!