A formerly dirty cop hunts down dirty cops on Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 12.

Of course, Voight was never dirty in the same sense that Tyler, Gibbs, and Packer were, but it’s interesting to see where the line gets drawn.

What defines a dirty cop that needs to be taken down versus a dirty cop that’s doing what he needs to and walks freely with his powers unchecked?

In terms of how the storyline unraveled, this was one of the stronger episodes of the season.

It was a little difficult to keep up with at times considering all the moving parts and new characters, but it was captivating and unpredictable.

The focus wasn’t on any one character up until the very end when Hailey got her revenge. Instead, everyone worked together towards one main goal: bringing down corruption from within.

It’s always a little mystifying to see cops, the people who promise to serve and protect, get messed up in shady dealings. Being a dirty cop is the exact opposite of what it means to be a cop.

However, it’s also shocking that there’s nothing in place to guarantee that drugs sent to the burner get burnt.

There are no checks and balances as everything seems to be based on faith and trust.

If it’s that easy and untraceable to get your hands on drugs — Halstead called it a damn buffet — I’d expect it to be happening a lot more frequently.

The case required Intelligence to display a certain level of stealth since the men they were going after — Tyler, Gibbs, and Packer — were all veteran cops who thought the same way they did.

They were running a smooth operation and would be easily alerted if something was going awry.

Intelligence had one shot to get this right, and they had to play it close to home to obtain enough evidence to even build a case.

And even when they had concrete proof, there was a possibility it wouldn’t stick based on how high up the ranks these cops were.

Of course, the case connected to Darius Walker, again.

At first, it seemed like the writers took the easy way out of yet another storyline by looping in the man connected to nearly ever crime and criminal in Chicago.

But this time, Walker’s character was necessary.

The audience may be experiencing Walker burnout, but we have to give it to him — he’s a damn good villain.

He’s one of the better, well written bad guys this series has ever seen.

Walker always had an angle or an agenda, he wasn’t afraid to stand up to Voight, he was unapologetic in his ruthlessness, and he wasn’t above killing people when he deemed it necessary.

Read the full review at TV Fanatic! 

Baby Burzek is lucky.

It might not have seemed that way for much of Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 11, but by the end, it established that the unborn child will have so many badass people loving and caring about him/her.

Burgess and Ruzek didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on the pregnancy news at first, but it’s understandable as the whole situation is new, unexpected, and still a complete shock.

Burgess wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but she knew that she was scared.

She was acting from a place of fear — fear of what’s next and fear for what it means for her career.

That fear of the unknown explained her short and cold attitude towards Ruzek.

At the same time, Ruzek wanted to be supportive.

He wanted to show Burgess that he’s a good guy while also respecting her boundaries, and yet, he found himself upsetting her at every turn by saying all the wrong things. Truth is, there was no right thing to say.

It was tough to watch them both stumble around this very exciting development mainly because they were both right to some extent.

Burgess is the mother, this is her pregnancy, and her career will be the only one impacted by it.

But that didn’t validate her brushing off Ruzek’s opinions or feelings, which he’s just as entitled to.

While Ruzek may not be physically carrying the child, he is the father and has a say.

More importantly, he wants to be a father, he wants to bear the responsibilities, and he wants to be there for the good times and the bad.

That’s a huge win right there.

Seeing Burgess in life-threatening situations that could hurt her or the baby wasn’t easy for Ruzek and in a misguided way, he took matters into his own hands.

It wasn’t right to undermine Burgess as a cop or disobey her orders, but his protective nature took over.

Chicago PD succeeded by showing both sides equally rather than presenting a one-sided argument.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to having a baby, but there is a right way to handle it.

It’s a good thing that Ruzek and Burgess found a way to communicate with each other by the end because communication will be key in all of this.

Burgess laid out all her concerns, Ruzek laid out all of his, and together, they came to a mutual understanding that this modern family that will work for them.

Ruzek’s suggestion of getting married was silly and again, came from a place of fear, and it’s a good thing that Burgess shut him down and checked him immediately.

Just because they’re having a baby together doesn’t mean they need to be together or make things official.

Right now, they’re on two completely different wavelengths and they aren’t “meant to be” in the same way that they were in Chicago PD Season 1.

Will that change in the future? Maybe. The baby might bring them together and as their fears subside, they’ll find that they have feelings for each other.

But all that matters right now is that they’re in this together and made the most mature and responsible decision for their unborn baby.

On a different note, when did Chicago PD get so funny? There were several moments where I found myself laughing out loud.

It was mostly Ruzek’s lines, which painted him in this new “funny man” light, but Platt’s line about Burgess and Ruzek having voices that carry was also one for the books.

Platt may not get as much screen-time as she deserves, but any moment where she appears is golden.

How thoughtful was the “Mom Cop” mug? The gift wouldn’t mean nearly as much if it came from anyone else, especially considering how Platt and Burgess’ relationship has evolved over the years.

Burgess heeded Ruzek’s concerns about working while pregnant and mustered up the courage to tell Voight.

It’s unclear how far along Burgess is, but it did seem a little premature to loop her boss in, however, I cannot blame her wanting to be careful.

Her job is demanding and can put her in unexpected and dangerous situations at any moment.

Read the full review at TV Fanatic! 

SPOILER ALERT: do not read if you have not seen the Chicago PD Season 7 premiere! 

2020 is off to a good start in the Chicago Universe as Jay Halstead lives to see another day on Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 10.

Despite making Halstead’s fate a huge draw for the episode, the mystery of whether or not he would survive (and we all knew he would because he’s too important to the show) was wrapped up swiftly.

For someone who almost died, Halstead was up and about in no time. Despite throwing around phrases like “we almost lost him,” it felt very anti-climactic.

As did “taking care” of Angela.

Voight barely lifted a finger to buy her silence, and it seemed odd that someone who had the nerve to shoot a cop and wanted money, revenge, or a mix of both, would give in so easily.

That’s not to say Angela didn’t get a sweet deal — she won’t be charged with the murder of a CPD officer — but it feels too convenient as everyone wins without any drama of getting to that point.

Halstead continues being a cop, the CPD doesn’t have to deal with a public scandal, and Angela gets to be there to watch her son grow up.

However, there’s always the possibility that it’ll come back to haunt her if we’re to assume Voight’s warning of “I’ll find and bury you” is some type of foreshadowing. If Angela ever decides to tell her side of the story, Voight won’t have any mercy.

The whole situation was so neatly tied up that Halstead barely learned his lesson from the near-death experience.

You’d think that getting shot would knock some sense into him or, at the very least, make him more aware of how dangerous it is to get personally involved with a victim, but “post-surgery Halstead” was ready to get himself involved again by wanting to pick up a phone call from Angela’s son, Billy.

Halstead’s caring nature is one of his more admirable qualities, but as we saw, it’s also his downfall.

He needs to listen to Upton and let it go before he finds himself in even more trouble.

Read the full review at TV Fanatic!