Chicago P.D
Chicago PD Review – Atwater’s Love Life Meets Burnside (9×05)
ATWATER!
I repeat, Atwater.
Laroyce Hawkins is the gift that keeps on giving. He’s the pulse of Chicago PD and deserves way more screentime than he’s given.
The man acts with his whole soul, no matter the storyline. Even when the writers do him a disservice by introducing yet another terrible love interest and a romantic storyline that’s bound to go sideways, he still manages to deliver in a gripping, compelling, and emotional performance.
There has never been an Atwater-centric storyline that has fallen flat. He may not get as much screentime as his co-stars, but he outshines them all by barely lifting a finger.
This is my public plea to give Atwater what he deserves and more!
I don’t know how Atwater’s conscience is going to survive this disaster of a storyline. If Celeste wasn’t a potential love interest, this storyline would’ve been A+, but making her someone that Atwater has feelings for was an unfortunate choice.
Why does his romantic life always have to be entangled with his career? He already struggles with the weight of being a Black cop and the looks and sneers he gets from his community, a community that thinks he’s betraying them. But now to hear it from someone he cares about makes it even worse.
Especially because in this situation, he actually did betray her trust in order to catch the murderers.
Atwater should’ve been honest with Celeste from the get-go. And if he didn’t want to be the moment he met her, he should’ve never proposed working her to find out information.
It proves that Atwater is a loyal cop, but at what cost?
CHICAGO P.D. — “Burnside” Episode 905 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
He attempted to use his power to help Lewis and eventually Eric, but the situation was way beyond him.
Celeste’s comments about two black cops being there when Lewis was shot and doing nothing about it, but that wasn’t the truth at all.
Atwater tried his damn best to protect Lewis from a system that’s set up against them. He tried to get Lewis out of it. He personally escorted him to prison so that he could give him advice.
He never could’ve seen Eric coming out of nowhere and shooting his friend point-blank.
Atwater made a good point when Lewis called him a sellout — what would have the narrative been if there hadn’t been a Black man advocating for him? What if there were no Black cops trying to evoke real change?
The pressure, unfortunately, falls solely on Atwater’s back on Chicago PD, but my hope is that Atwater is just the embodiment of many other Black cops (and cops in general) who want things to change for the better.
Was Lewis an accomplice? Yes. Did he know what he was getting into? Yes. But he also didn’t have much of a choice.
He was stuck in a pattern of violence known to many diverse, low-income neighborhoods. He was doing everything he could to survive, and that should’ve been noted in his files.
How can you try a 15-year-old as an adult when he felt like the world was against him and he would have died if he disobeyed the person that had control over them?
Lewis needed someone to have his back and give him a second chance — he didn’t need to be sent to prison for life.
At the end of the day, I think everyone knew that Atwater’s choices were sound. He has a responsibility to the badge, but that doesn’t mean he can’t try to make things better for his own people.
I think if he was upfront with Celeste about that, she might see his point of view. It’s a slim chance considering he used her when she put all her trust into him, but at least Atwater would’ve had a clear conscience.
Instead, he sat there feeling a whole world of guilt as Celeste called him a good and apologized for dragging him into this mess.
It was truly hard to watch. Plus, it didn’t feel authentic to Atwater. He may feel conflicted about his position, but he’s always been real. He knows what the right thing is no matter how hard the circumstances, so it’s uncharacteristic of him to sit there and lie to this woman when she’s being vulnerable with him.
He was scared to lose her since he knows he found a good one, but this is no way to start a promising and lasting relationship.
It’s only going to go downhill from here because Atwater won’t be able to lie to her for long.
There’s nothing worse than being lied to. Even if the truth is ugly, being lied to is even uglier.
At this point, it’s clear that in order for Atwater to have an honest romantic relationship, he needs to meet someone in his line of work that understands his struggle but also his desire to do better.
If not a cop, it needs to be a doctor or a nurse whose career is just as crucial and who uses her platform to better the community.
I seriously thought that Atwater’s next love interest would be the cop sister of Dylan from Chicago Med.
Wouldn’t that make the most sense?
Otherwise, Atwater needs to find a balance between being an activist and a cop — if there is one.
Also, is it possible that Atwater can get a storyline that doesn’t continue repeating itself? The conflict between being Black and the badge is understandable, but there’s so much more to Kevin Atwater that we can explore!
What did you think of the episode?
Are you digging Atwater’s most recent storyline?
Let us know in the comments, Chicago PD fans!
It’s finally happening—our favorite One Chicago shows are coming home to us!
Chihards, mark your calendars and get ready to sit down in front of the TV on January 17 because that’s when Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will make their highly-anticipated and long-awaited premieres!
It’s truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… though I hope that turning around new episodes doesn’t mean that the actors will have to work through the holidays.
one chicago wednesdays return January 17 on @nbc and streaming on @peacock!!!
— Top 1% of Burzek shippers (@NBCOneChicago) November 20, 2023
Chicago Med returns for season 9, Fire for season 12, and Med for season 11.
Of course, the full NBC 2024 lineup will kick off on Jan 1 with America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, which means they are wasting no time getting back into the swing of things following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays.
Law & Order franchises will have their moment on Thursday, Jan 18 with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Part 1 of The Voice returns on Feb. 26, along with BC’s new Deal or No Deal spinoff, Deal or No Deal Island.
La Brea will air its final season on Jan 9, leading into the final two episodes of Found. The Irrational will also air its final four episodes starting Monday, Jan. 29.
Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I., Lopez vs. Lopez, The Weakest Link, Password, That’s My Jam and The Wall currently don’t have a premiere date.
Chicago PD fans—we’ve got some bad news coming your way.
As you await new episodes of the crime procedural, the cast is getting yet another shakeup (we’re still not over Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit in the first half of season 10, to be honest).
Variety announced that Tracy Spiridakos, who has portrayed Detective Hailey Upton since season 4, will be leaving the series. She is set to exit after season 11, though it remains unclear if she’ll be around for the entirety of the season or pull a move from Soffer’s playbook and exit a few episodes in.
The outlet notes that the decision to leave the show was entirely her own; Spiridakos has yet to confirm or release a statement of her own.
Spiridakos joined the Dick Wolf Entertainment drama in 2016 as a recurring character and was quickly upped to series regular starting in season 5. Since then she’s become an integral part of Intelligence, getting her hands dirty with Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and sparking a romantic relationship with Soffer’s Det. Jay Halstead.
While it’s a bummer, her departure does kind of make sense when you look at her overall story. Since Halstead left the city to fulfill an Army task in Bolivia and basically broke her heart, she’s had trouble picking up the pieces and finding her place. Hitting refresh—which ultimately means leaving the show—is a logical next step as there’s nothing holding her back anymore. The writers could find a way to mend Upstead with her joining Jay wherever his duties take him or she can look for a fresh start in a place that no longer reminds her of her broken marriage.
Spiridakos’ character was also involved in a rather intense case that spanned several episodes last season, so they could use that as an excuse to write her off, noting that the case took a toll on her.
The 10th season has been delayed by the writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and while writers are able to get back into the rooms and craft storylines, production remains halted. No premiere dates have been announced yet, so it’s unclear how long we’ll wait for the upcoming highly-anticipated season… and Spiridakos’ last.
Without her, there are only 4 originals left standing; In addition to Beghe, the series stars LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater), Patrick J. Flueger (Adam Ruzek), and Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess). In 2022, newcomer Benjamin Levy Aguilar (Torres) was upped to series regular, rounding out the squad.
The One Chicago franchise has endured plenty of loss as of late, with many notable stars exiting their respective shows, including a total of 5 characters leaving Chicago Med.
Following Chicago PD Season 5’s finale, it’s understandable that fans are worried about Adam Ruzek’s fate as it hangs in the balance.
Questions and concerns immediately began popping up, with many wondering if Patrick Flueger is leaving the series.
For now, it’s unclear as the episode that ended the season left things on a bit of a cliffhanger in terms of Ruzek’s health.
During the episode, Ruzek, who was working undercover for months to thwart Richard’s, a white supremacist’s deadly terrorist plan, blew his own cover to Richard’s daughter, Sam, who was trying to skip town after her dad moved up the date for his attack.
Ruzek and the Intelligence team then convinced Sam to inform on her dad and his crew in exchange for immunity for herself and her son, Callum, which she did.
He then advised them to pack up their things and head over to a safe house, which she proposed as a little getaway to Callum. Unfortunately, Cal was so brainwashed by his grandfather that he immediately called him to let him know that his mom was trying to leave.
When Ruzek approached him and saw him on the phone, Cal pulled out a gun. Ruzek tried to diffuse the situation but Cal pulled the trigger, hitting Ruzek in the abdomen. He immediately started bleeding out and collapsed to the ground. Once Sam realized what was happening, she grabbed her son and made a run for it, leaving Ruzek alone to die. Thankfully, he was able to reach Kim Burgess and within minutes, he was in an ambo on his way to Med.
CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
Unfortunately, once he went into surgery, the doctors provided no additional updates, though Platt assured a very concerned Burgess that they got to him quickly.
It’s tough to say if Ruzek will survive, especially with so many Chicago PD and Chicago Med exits happening this year, however, Ruzek is one of the fan-favorite characters, so I can’t see him leaving the series anytime soon. He’s strong and he’s a fighter, and he has a lot to live for—he just made things official with Burgess, he’s a father to Makayla, and he’s an integral part of Intelligence.
My guess is that he will survive the surgery, but he’ll be sidelined for a bit and will likely have to go through some rehab and therapy in the same way Burgess did after her near-death experience.
This seems to be a still from an upcoming episode that shows Ruzek still alive post-surgery—though unconscious—with Burgess by his side, which is promising.
CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: (l-r) Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
While I can’t say anything definitively, I firmly believe that Adam Ruzek is not leaving Chicago PD just yet. And we likely won’t know more until Chicago PD Season 9 returns in the fall.
You can read our Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 22 review right here.
The Buccaneers3 weeks agoThe Buccaneers Season 1 Episode 4 Recap – Homecoming
The Santa Clauses2 weeks agoThe Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – Miracle on Dead Creek
Found3 weeks agoFound Season 1 Episode 7 Recap – Missing While Indigenous
The Santa Clauses3 weeks agoThe Santa Clauses Season 2 Episode 3 Review – No Magic at the Dinner Table!
Sullivan's Crossing3 weeks agoSullivan’s Crossing Season 1 Episode 7 Review – Second Chances
Sullivan's Crossing2 weeks agoSullivan’s Crossing Season 1 Episode 8 Review – Aftershock
Netflix4 days agoVirgin River Holiday Episodes Season 5 Episode 11 and 12 Review – Father Christmas
Chicago P.D2 weeks agoOne Chicago Shows Announce 2024 Premiere Dates