Chicago PD - Sanctuary - Review

“I’ve taken a sacred vow to protect the people of this city.”

The unit is called to a park where the body of a woman, Zoey Simms, is found. The unit isn’t far behind the killer(s), and several eye witnesses report the same two suspects. The two boys are chased by the unit, but claim sanctuary inside a church. And so, the scene is set…

If you’re like me, you probably assumed right away that these two boys were not the killers. Why? Because that’s not how this show works—there’s always something else a bit more complicated. Even though the boys aren’t the killers, their story was the most interesting part of the case.

Call me crazy, call me grandma, call me whatever, but I think that sometimes, social media and the ability to broadcast from virtually anywhere at any time hurts us more than it helps. Hear me out—this case is the perfect example of a large number of people taking what they think they know and turning it into fact based on glimpses of something they see and/or hear from news cameras and what is likely social media. The unit just wants to talk to the boys, and at some point, they know they aren’t responsible for the murder. The public obviously doesn’t know the inner workings of a police investigation, but they assume they do by the little they see and not only make the investigation that much harder, but put lives in danger when one man (Zoe’s boyfriend) attempts to set the church on fire. Trust is earned, and that includes trust in the police. But they can’t earn the trust of the people if the people don’t give them a chance to do so.

The unit floats through several different suspects, the two boys in the church looking less and less likely as the hour continues. Zoe’s boyfriend is questionable, but it’s not a murder he’ll spend time behind bars for—it’s setting a church on fire (gutsy move, man). And even though Zoe’s married boss was also seeing Zoe, giving him plenty of motive, he’s not responsible either. Surprisingly, it’s early work by Burgess that ultimately leads to the killer. During the initial eye witness interviews, Burgess talked with Russell Tillman, a park worker, who seemed harmless. Boy, was that a terrible assumption. Russell is all sorts of disturbed and fully owns up to the murder. Oh, he also had a guy in his freezer.

Elsewhere…

Olinsky continues to give Burgess a hard time this episode and you know what? I’m not mad at him for it. Yeah, he’s tough, but so is this unit. Her current attitude will not only lead to major mistakes, but could put her and the team in danger. I hope viewers aren’t too hard on Olinsky, because he’s doing all of it for her own good and the good of the team. He also gives credit where it’s due, as in thanking Burgess for literally saving his life.

Atwater attempting to be a comedian has to be one of the greatest storylines this show has produced. He’s naturally hilarious, so it just makes sense—he heeds Erin’s advice at the start of the hour to “just do Atwater”, as opposed to telling predictable jokes, because he’s funny when he’s simply himself. Atwater continues to grow and is easily one of my favorites now. Keep doing you, Atwater.

Other thoughts…

I’m really liking Rixton. I hope he sticks around permanently. He fits in well with the unit and partners well with Atwater (sorry Ruzek).

Shout out to Zach Grenier, it was great to see him in the episode. He did a great job playing a priest who definitely rubs people the wrong way, but is desperately trying to do the right thing by all parties, which is never easy.

That. Tackle. If this whole cop thing doesn’t work out for Burgess, she should consider being a linebacker.

It was wonderful to see characters across all the Chicago shows come together to rebuild the church. But wouldn’t it have made the most sense to see Casey there, seeing as how he’s a contractor?


What did you think of the episode? Should Atwater consider a comedy career? Should Rixton stick around permanently? Share your thoughts below!