Chicago P.D
Chicago PD Review – Lies (9×11)
Things get so messy when you choose to lie.
Atwater learned that the hard way when his lies began to catch up with him on Chicago PD Season 9 Episode 11.
While lying to a CI is significantly less harmful than lying to your significant other, both outcomes resulted in a pretty terrible, no good, very bad day for Atwater.
And that’s honestly what sucks. Atwater is such a good guy that wants to be the positive amid a corrupt system, so it’s unfair for him to have such terrible luck both professionally and personally.
The thing about lying is that it’s so easy to get caught up or lose sight of what lie you’re telling.
In Atwater’s case, it meant that he couldn’t do his job to the best of his ability, which also hindered the case of the week.
Atwater was working a man named Jimmy in order to get close to Tovar, whose tainted product was killing people all around the CI.
Since Jimmy had no idea Atwater was using him the whole time, it was heartbreaking to see the reality set it.
He thought they were really friends, and the betrayal really devastated him.
While he agreed to be a CI, he definitely didn’t trust Atwater, and the whole thing kind of backfired for Intelligence.
They lost sight of Jimmy, they couldn’t strike up a deal with Tovar, and more and more people began dying.
CHICAGO P.D. — “Lies” Episode 911 — Pictured: LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
Things took a turn for the worst when Voight used his CI, Anna (you have to love the continuity this season!), to locate Jimmy and found out that he stole 75k from Tovar and had a bounty on his head.
When it comes to messy cases, this one definitely takes the cake.
Tovar was jipped by one of his own, so naturally, he took it out on Jimmy’s brother, Nando, a kid trying to make a name for himself in the wrestling world.
Nando may have been a D-list player, but I let out a huge sigh of relief when they got the call from Med that he pulled through. Nando was just an innocent kid with a dream that was swept up in this whole mess.
Of course, that set off Jimmy, who pursued Tovar.
When Atwater finally found him, Jimmy had Tovar on his knees with a gun to his head. Despite Atwater’s pleas to turn his life around, Jimmy made the decision to shoot Tovar point-blank.
There’s no denying it — it was murder!
He then had the audacity to ask Atwater to lie “one more time” and say that it was self-defense.
While Atwater definitely felt bad about lying to Jimmy and betraying his trust, there was absolutely no logical reason why Atwater would put his career on the line for someone as unreliable as Jimmy.
The kid couldn’t even deliver on being a CI — why would Atwater protect him after he did the very thing he warned him not to do?
There are so many things that you can bounce back from, but murder is not one of them.
There’s no denying that Jimmy took a very bad man off the streets — a man who was indirectly killing people left and right — but it wasn’t his call to make. The justice system would’ve taken care of it, while Jimmy would’ve walked after a few years in prison.
The situation could’ve ended so differently, but we’re all tied to the choices we make.
And we all pay the consequences.
Jimmy did, and now it was Atwater’s turn.
He confided in Burgess that he had been seeing Celeste and lying to her about his profession. I truly hate that Atwater is so embarrassed to be a cop because, in a profession riddled with bad seeds and bad apples, he’s one of the good ones.
That has to count for something. That’s something to be damn proud of.
Lying to Celeste spiraled out of control, and Atwater knew that if he came clean, it would be the end of their relationship.
In fact, that’s the reason why he lied in the first place.
However, upon hearing the truth, Celeste was more upset about the lie than the fact that he was a cop, which I don’t think Atwater anticipated.
She assured Atwater that she hates the police system, not necessarily the cops in it, but for Atwater, it’s one and the same.
It’s unfair that Celeste says with certainty that she would’ve accepted Atwater when that might not have been the case. She was very adamant about her distaste for cops, so Atwater’s fears were valid.
But he should’ve trusted that their relationship was stronger than that. They were both wrong.
Sadly, Celeste didn’t see a way to move forward. She told Atwater that he had to leave her apartment and seemingly ended things between them.
It’s a huge bummer because Atwater, of all people, deserves to be happy. And he deserves to be proud of the real change he’s invoking in the city.
Maybe Celeste will come around, but it definitely feels like the end of a chapter for Atwater.
CHICAGO P.D. — “Lies” Episode 911 — Pictured: (l-r) Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
My hope is that one day, he’ll find the person that loves every single part of him.
I mentioned that the continuity this season has been very impressive, and that extends to the Ruzek, Burgess, and Makayla storyline.
The midseason premiere episode ended on a bit of a jaw-dropping reveal that a relative of Makayla’s wanted to adopt her.
That’s a soul-crushing situation to find yourself in, so I’m glad the series touched on it if ever so briefly to remind audiences that yes, Burgess and Ruzek are very much affected by this development even if it isn’t the priority for this week’s episode.
What did you think of the episode? Does Atwater deserve better? Did he do right by Celeste? Was he right in telling the truth when Voight asked about what happened with Jimmy?
Also, I can’t wait to see him start working on that tenant property in Burnside so that he can make a real difference in the community! It’s such a great storyline for Atwater!
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.
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