The only thing more dangerous than a drug dealer taking out other drug dealers is an unstable CI. 

And that’s just what Intelligence encountered on Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 7.

Man, that was one hell of an episode. It was messy, emotional, heartbreaking, and, at times, frustrating. 

It’s been a while since an episode focused solely on Adam Ruzek kept me on the edge of my seat, but Patrick Flueger brought his all to this episode. I felt every single one of his emotions.

The cast has been stepping it up this season despite the choppy storytelling!

Props must also be given to Michael Drayer, who nailed the role of Tommy and painted a harrowing and painful reality of drug addiction. 

While Intelligence really wanted to nab Monahan, a new player in town who was taking out other dealers in the game to eliminate the competition, Tommy should’ve been pulled as a CI the moment he used again. 

He informed Ruzek that he was clean, but didn’t hold up his end of the bargain during the introduction. 

 

CHICAGO P.D. — “Instinct” Episode 807 — Pictured: (l-r) Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess, LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

It was the first sign that Tommy wasn’t in the right headspace for any of this. And though he followed through till the very end, it came at a price. 

His withdrawals were brutal, and the only way he was able to deliver on his promise was to use more. That should’ve never happened. 

Ruzek trusted, believed in, and cared about Tommy. He was his friend and he should’ve pulled Tommy out at the first sign of trouble, or at the very least, when he saw him on the bathroom floor. 

Instead of taking him to a buy, Tommy should’ve been taken to rehab and gotten the help he needed. 

And if Ruzek didn’t have it in him, Voight should’ve made the call. 

At any point, they could’ve turned Logan and used him instead. There were other options to get to Monohan, but Ruzek chose to make questionable decisions that ruined Tommy’s life and destroyed his family. 

Not to mention that Tommy was a loose-cannon, which put Ruzek in danger. He walked in to make a deal with a violent drug dealer completely unarmed with a guy who was too high to be there in the first place. 

We know Ruzek can handle himself, but why tempt fate when there are already so many unknown variables going into this situation in the first place?

And after all was said and done, we never actually saw what happened to Tommy. 

Did he survive getting shot? Since Ruzek kept repeating that he allowed his friend to “get shot,” I’m assuming he did, but it was never clarified. Audiences became so invested in Tommy’s story and rooted for him, but we never saw the conclusion.

Did he get clean? Did he go downstate? And what happened to Logan?

Once again, it feels like an incomplete episode, which seems to be kind of a trend for Chicago PD this season.

There’s also the issue of police brutality in what the series refers to as the “New World Order.” 

Read the full review here.

It’s been a while since we’ve had an episode dedicated to Jay Halstead, but some things never change.

On Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 6, Halstead once again got too personally invested in a case featuring a suspect-turned-unlikely-ally.

There was nothing wrong with the episode, per se, as it was a solid standalone episode with a strictly procedural-format. However, compared with other recent episodes that took a more personal approach, it fell flat.

There was a feeble attempt at making the situation personal to Halstead as he briefly mentioned seeing his own father in Latrell, a man who would do anything for his son, but it didn’t come close to the greatness that we’ve seen from the Burgess and Atwater-focused episodes lately.

Mostly, I think that’s because the series has struggled to figure out what to do with Halstead’s character.

He used to be one of my favorites, but he’s simply not bringing enough to the table these days. 

His character is inconsistent and never truly knows what he stands for.

CHICAGO P.D. — “Equal Justice” Episode 806 — Pictured: (l-r) Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

His hypocrisy was on full display during the episode, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it from Halstead either. On Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4, we watched him tell a man how he should feel about police in general.

His dismissive attitude had a very pro-cop agenda, and while it’s fine to defend your own, it’s naive to think that all cops are good cops that are doing the right thing. 

If the show is going to acknowledge things like the BLM movement and police reform, Halstead cannot continue being this ignorant and shrugging off people’s experiences because they don’t align with his beliefs.

It doesn’t do the already-tarnished character any favors.

In that same vein, we saw him project that same attitude when Latrell informed him that the police didn’t even try to solve his son Shawn’s murder and instead, ignored it because it was just another black teen involved in a gang/drug dispute.

Is Jay really not aware that this happens all too often?

Latrell may have been caught red-handed unloading the drugs, but Halstead’s response of “oh come on, I doubt that” when he told him the cops swept his son’s case under the rug was cringeworthy.

It made him no better than Srgt. Durham and the rest of the homicide unit that singlehandedly forced this man to take matters into his own hands because they refused to do their job.

Even after Latrell told him repeatedly that Shawn was a “good boy,” Halstead continued to push the narrative that he was likely a drug dealer.

And his stance didn’t change until they spoke to a co-worker at the marketplace, who revealed that he was just a teen working part-time to get his dad an AC unit and who died trying to help a woman during a storm.

After that, Halstead felt pretty stupid for profiling Shawn because of a preconceived bias. 

Acknowledging that it isn’t a perfect system after you were part of the problem is a step in the right direction, but only if you learn from it and change your ways moving forward. 

While Halstead eventually had the realization that yeah, many drug cases slip through the cracks because of bias and discrimination,  the “come-to Jesus” moment will remain irrelevant if Halstead doesn’t change.

Read the full review at TV Fanatic now!

Burgess started off the hour getting drunk and hooking up with Ruzek, but by the end of Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 5, she was driving home as a foster mom. 

As they say, a lot can change in the span of 24 hours! 

Burgess-centric episodes are always top-notch; they’re right up there next to Atwater-centric episodes. And the powers that be even blessed us with a Burgess and Atwater scene, which has become all too scarce these days.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Burgess and Ruzek team-up, but as this episode proves, it’s nice — and even enlightening — when other members of Intelligence interact with each other. They don’t have to be siloed to their romantic partners all the time. 

Burgess and Atwater had such a close relationship in the early seasons of the series that it makes sense that he would be her go-to for advice. It was nice to see that acknowledged again. 

While Burgess seemed to have her mind mostly made up about wanting to foster Makayla, running it by Atwater, who could remain impartial (unlike Ruzek) and had some personal experience with raising kids, helped solidify her decision. 

Burgess obviously understands the hardships of fostering a child, especially a child that has undergone trauma, but with everything going on in the world, it was important that she also factored in race and her career into her decision.

After having considered every angle, Burgess determined she was up for the challenge. My only hope is that the series specifically addresses how she’s going to juggle being a foster mom with her demanding career. Will she take on less while she navigates motherhood? 

It was also important for Ruzek to weigh in on her decision, and I’m glad she ran it by him because it’s an acknowledgment that it will affect their relationship as well.

Prior to her decision to foster, #Burzek spent the night together. He even suggested that they start seeing each other on a regular basis. Admittedly, I get way too giddy whenever Burgess and Ruzek are together; they fit so well and their chemistry is palpable. 

If you keep going back to the same person over and over again, you’re either crazy or in love. In this case, I think they’re crazy in love but choosing to remain cautious. 

When Burgess mentioned that she wanted the whole “mess” of a boyfriend, a wedding in a banquet hall, and babies, she may have been trying to scare Ruzek away, but it wasn’t working because he wants all of that too. 

Adding Makayla into the equation obviously shakes things up, but I think Ruzek will step up to the plate and be a huge source of support for them.

And hopefully, Burgess will accept the help and stop pushing him away. It’s about time that they just admit that they have feelings for each other and that they’re better off together than apart.

Either way, we know Ruzek is going to be involved in this child’s life in some shape or form because, romantic relationship or not, he’s always going to be in Burgess’s life. 

Whereas Atwater came from a place of acknowledging that the journey is tough but rewarding, Ruzek wanted to make sure that Burgess wasn’t trying to replace what they lost when she miscarried.

It was a valid concern.

The thought that Burgess was just trying to fill a void crossed my mind, but you can tell Burgess cares about Makayla and feels genuinely connected to her. 

They’ve both gone through trauma, so maybe together they can start the healing process. 

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t turn into a ball of mushy goo when Burgess looked into her rearview mirror and saw Makayla smiling back at her. It’s the first time we’ve seen that precious little girl smile, which means that Makayla feels comfortable and trusts Burgess. 

Read the full review at TV Fanatic!