Walker delivered a riveting part one of its season 3 finale, setting the scene for a showdown between Cordell and Kevin.

If you remember, Kevin Golden was revealed to be the leader of Grey Flag. And no matter how many times the Rangers, the FBI, and Cordell think that they are one step ahead of the terrorist organization, they end up learning that they’ve been wrong this whole time the hard way. 

They were confident that they would be able to thwart the attack at the medal ceremony while ambushing the Grey Flag compound in the process, but things took a bit of a nasty turn. 

One thing led to another and a shootout ensued in the ground floor parking lot, forcing Barnett to give up the act and own up to being a ranger to protect Captain James. He tried to play it as best as he could, but there was no stopping these guys once they went rogue. They come from the belief that some must die for the greater good, so there’s no reasoning with them. 

Turns out, the medal ceremony was the distraction this whole time as Kevin was aware that Trey was undercover. It was a good attempt, but there’s no way in hell someone as slick as Kevin would believe that Trey would turn his back on the Rangers and his friends. 

The nexus of everything seems to be Cordell Walker. Grey Flag has made it very clear that he’s their target, as was evident when the C-4 actually exploded at the FBI safe house where Cordell met Julia. Kevin used Julia as a Trojan Horse, and while she was completely unaware of his nefarious intentions, she led Grey Flag right to it. And the C-4 was presumably planted in her vehicle, exploding just as Cordell got the call that the target was not the medal ceremony as previously intended. 

The attack took Cordell and Julia by surprise, and at this point, it’s unclear if she survived though things did not look too promising for her. Why is Cordell constantly losing love interests? It’s a huge shame because Julia was Cordell’s most trusted confidante—one who escaped this Grey Flag hell once before. 

Kevin planted some doubts in Julia’s mind about Cordell, which is essentially his goal. He’s been playing a game this whole time, schmoozing up to Cordell’s family by securing the new horse rescue donations and funding, which Julia revealed are coming from a shady government agency that makes it seem as though Cordell is working for them. Kevin framed Cordell in one fell swoop, and no one even saw it coming cause they were so focused on simply figuring out Grey Flag’s game. 

A lot is still unclear about Kevin’s motivations, however. He wants to create change by dismantling a system that he believes doesn’t work, but why is Cordell at the center of it all? Why did he go after his whole unit? 

And how is Coop involved? They are missing a key piece of information to see the full picture and make the connection. 

I’m guessing that Coop is Kevin’s father, though that still doesn’t explain his obsession with Walker. 

Hopefully, the second half of the season final will clue us in and it will all start to make sense. The weirdest thing is that if Kevin wanted Cordell dead, he had ample opportunities to make it happen. And yet, he never did, instead getting closer to Cordell’s family than ever, which is just terrifying. 

The Walker family somehow always ends up as the victim of Cordell’s job. At some point, he’s going to have to make a choice because this is no way to live. They thought they were being hospitable and making a good friend who was simply using them this whole time. 

Barnett did his best to help out the Rangers, but sometimes, even your best isn’t good enough. There was just too much working against him. 

Cassie was definitely caught off guard by the revelation that Kevin was behind Grey Flag, but she also had a gut instinct about him and knew she couldn’t trust him. Women just know when something is off. I can’t imagine the trust issues she’s going to have coming off of this. 

The good news is that she’s finally proving that she needs to follow those vibes and see them through because she’s not been wrong once… and unfortunately, that’s not something to be proud of when you always expect the worst. 

What did you think of the episode? Will Julia survive? Is Kevin in the wind? How will Cordell find his way out of this one? Will it result in a team-up with Coop for old-time’s sake? And how will Cordell move forward ensuring his family’s protected once and for all? Is Lana safe?

Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 16 took it back to the basics—the dark and gritty vibe, the cage, and Voight going rogue for all the right reasons. 

And that was all part of the plan—Jesse Lee Soffer’s plan, that is. The actor, who played Jay Halstead for 10 seasons, jumped into the director’s seat, told Hello that he wanted the episode to have an “old school PD vibe.” And that it did. There’s honestly no one who knows the show better than the man who has been on set making the magic happen in front of the screen for a decade. 

It’s safe to say, Halstead’s first time directing was impressive, delivering yet another compelling hour of television—and cementing my belief that this truly is one of Chicago PD’s strongest seasons to date. 

There was also something so poetic about putting Voight at the center of it all and giving him his own badass moment that involved him taking down two of Arturo Morales’ henchmen singlehandedly, bringing Julia back home, and ensuring that he sought the case through from beginning to end—with Morales finally getting what was coming to him and seeing a life sentence. 

Once the jury verdict was announced, you could tell Morales was frazzled as he was sure that he had it in the bag. Little did he know, Voight was on the case, and unlike ASA Chapman, he was willing to bend the rules to get the right outcome. 

It’s why Hank Voight has withstood the test of time—despite some questionable approaches over the years—as the hero that Chicago not only wants but needs. For the most part, he makes the city a better and safer place. He gets the bad guys any way that he can. The reputation that he has is there for a reason, and while many might not agree with his decisions and tactics, he’s also respected for a reason. He’s resourceful and provides results, and isn’t that what you want from the men protecting you?

Some of the best episodes of PD are when they go off-book. It might not always be what’s right in the eyes of the law, but it is what allows them to do the job that they are so good at. Why would he want to blow his own operation before he even had a shot at proving himself? If he went by the book, he would’ve cemented Julia’s fate and Morales’ case would’ve been rescheduled, allowing for the possibility that justice would never be served and that a dangerous and violent man with zero regard for other human beings would walk away.

CHICAGO P.D. — “Deadlocked” Episode 1016 — Pictured: (l-r) Jason Beghe as Hank Voight, Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

Voight couldn’t just stand around and allow Morales to get away with killing yet another person.

I’d think Chapman would be grateful that someone is willing to do the dirty work considering how much this case meant to her personally, but I’m not surprised she’s weary and feels complicit. She wants the verdict and the charges to stick, and if anyone found out what Voight did, that might not happen.

I’m a little bummed that the end result wasn’t a bonding night of drinking and letting loose between Voight and Chapman because, let’s face it, they both need it. And they complement each other so well, even if we veer away from making any romantic connections and keep them strictly as peers who see eye-to-eye. Chapman can stand her own against Voight, which can’t be said for many people, plus he respects the hell out of her. 

There’s a good vibe there, so hopefully, they can find their way back to being supportive colleagues who can depend on each other when the pressures of the job get too much. Voight needs someone outside of his own unit—and who is a little closer to his age and mindset—to decompress with! Chapman isn’t Al Olinksy or Antonio Dawson, but she’s gone through her fair share of hardships, and she’s a good person to have in your corner. 

Torress and Hailey definitely played a role in helping bring down Morales and find Julia, but it was very much Voight’s show, as he even went dark before going into the safe house, which is something that others would have gotten in trouble for in the past, and that could’ve ended terribly. The decision seemed to stem from his desire not to drag anyone else into a situation that may be held against them in the future, but I do hope he realizes that he can always count on his team—whenever and wherever. They all try to do their best, but if there’s one thing they—and the audience—know all too well is that when it comes to the law, things are never really black and white; we always operate in that gray area, and they’ve gone above and beyond to navigate it the best they can while making decisions that they can live with. 

The case was a bit of a race against the clock—not just because of the jury deliberations but also because of Julia’s condition. Morales’ men never planned to return her in one piece, so they didn’t care that she suffered blunt trauma to the head and lost too much blood, which meant that Voight needed to act quickly if he wanted a positive outcome. He was looking for any way in, and he found it when they stumbled upon Ochoa’s cancer-stricken brother at the stash house filled with copious amounts of cocaine. Voight knew he found Ochoa’s weak spot, and he was eager to exploit it at any cost, though, it’s important to note that this was all just a front—Voight never intended to hurt Felipe, they simply used him as a bargaining chip. Voight may take shots, but he never drags down an innocent person to get what he needs.

As a longtime fan of the show, I truly enjoyed seeing Voight kick some ass. It proves that there are still plenty of stories left to tell where his character is concerned—and even though he’s an ever-evolving human, he won’t apologize for being his authentic self. Also, Voight policing in a dress shirt? Chef’s kiss! 

What an intriguing and powerful installment of Chicago Med Season 8 Episode 16. 

“What You See Isn’t Always What You Get” honed in on that theme to the fullest. The episode drew audiences in with striking visuals of a man pinned up against an MRI machine with scissors lodged in his neck as the doctors emphasized that his odds of survival were abysmal (because sensationalized storylines sell), however, the heart of the storyline was in those deeper, more emotional moments—with the man’s diagnosis following the near-fatal event, with the Spanish teen who came in with an unknown illness whose family would do anything to get her life-saving care, and finally, with Dr. Cueva’s poignant realization about her own immigrant status. 

All of those smaller—yet arguably more powerful moments—made for a compelling episode, but don’t get me wrong, Quentin’s situation was also one of the craziest incidents to occur at Gaffney no doubt, so there’s a reason it was a huge draw. His life was literally hanging in the balance, and one wrong move could’ve ended in disaster. His survival really speaks volumes to all the skilled men and women from all departments, including Chicago Fire, who rallied together and devised a plan to save him. There was no guarantee that it would work, but they tried their best. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation. 

And no one even held what happened against him as it was an unfortunate accident stemming from a psychotic break triggered by the birth of his first son, Trevor. After being given some antipsychotics, Quentin didn’t even fully understand what transpired, but there was plenty of relief to know that he was safe and that they did find a physical diagnosis that would help him manage. 

While the stakes were high with Quentin’s case, I’m so glad he survived the freak situation. All the odds were against him, but he deserved a chance to meet his son and bask in the joy of fatherhood. It would’ve been extremely depressing if he died, not to mention the toll would have taken on his wife, who realized that though it was a genetic condition, the psychosis that he experienced was triggered by a change of diet that he undertook due to the pregnancy. In short, she would’ve blamed herself for what happened, and that’s a lot for any person, especially a new mother, to live with. 

Maria’s parents brought her into the ED basically begging Halstead and Cuevas for help, but they weren’t able to identify the disease that was causing her symptoms. All they knew is that if it went untreated, it would kill her, just like it killed their son, Hugo. The fact that they were still grieving a loss made their current urgency understandable. Hugo died from brain swelling, but no one, even the doctors treating him, knew what led to it, and they were afraid history would repeat itself with Maria, who was displaying similar symptoms. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly clear to Dr. Halstead and Cuevas what was happening to Maria either, and when the insurance company informed Goodwin that they refused to cover any of the treatment unless the family went back to Oakview Community, the hospital where Maria was initially admitted, Med’s doctors basically had no say in what happened next. That is until they smelled a maple syrup scent in her urine, which allowed them to properly identify the very rare and easily missable disease. Maria was going to make it! And while not every case is a win, it sure feels good when it happens. 

CHICAGO MED — “What You See Isn’t Always What You Get” Episode 816 — Pictured: (l-r) Nick Gehlfuss as Will Halstead, Lilah Richcreek Estrada as Nellie Cuevas — (Photo by: George Burns Jr/NBC)

Cuevas felt personally connected to Maria’s case because she understood the many levels to it—namely the struggle and sacrifice that immigrant families endure and make. All Maria’s parents wanted was to help their daughter—they were willing to sell all of their possessions and take on extra jobs to make it happen—however, Maria also understood all that they’d done for her and her siblings, and she was willing to sacrifice herself so that the rest of them would ha a better life. Maria was willing to get transferred back to Oakview and likely die so that her family wouldn’t have to endure major debt on her account.

At the end of the day, she didn’t have to, but the moment stayed with Cuevas, who then informed Goodwin during her DACA renewal discussion that Maria’s bravery inspired her to continue fighting for her career since her parents gave up so much to make this life a possibility for her. It was a very moving moment, particularly with Cuevas divulging that she hasn’t hugged her parents in a decade. Can you imagine how that feels? Can you imagine not being able to see your family because they live in a different country and you risk being denied entry back into your country if you leave to see them? It’s such a sad reality for so many individuals—and it’s important that shows like Chicago Med underscore it and shine a light on it. 

Selfishly, I’m also happy that Cuevas decided to stay as she’s been a great addition to the series, which has lost too many people over the course of the past seasons.

As for Dr. Charles, in addition to his very hectic day in the ED treating Quentin, he also had some personal developments with Liliana, namely feeling embarrassed that he left his office a mess the night before and she had to clean it up. Liliana is doing far better with juggling the power dynamics between them, though Charles is trying his best to make sure she feels appreciated and respected. It would be better if he didn’t make such a big deal of it and stopped emphasizing it, but I applaud Charles for dealing in his own way and being transparent with his feelings whenever something does bother him.

Quentin’s case took such a toll on the doctors that Neil completely forgot to drink his water, which made him feel dizzy and weak (thankfully after he successfully clamped down on Quentin’s artery). A quick visit from the nephrologist confirmed his worst fears—his kidneys were failing and dialysis was necessary. How will it affect his work? The good news is that he seems to have Asher in his corner supporting and looking out for him. Maybe the situation will bring them even closer together. 

We also got a glimpse of Tanaka Reed’s personal life when the resident became the patient following a diaphragmatic hernia exasperated by his fitness routine. Despite Reed’s overinflated ego, which kind of makes him a pain to be around, Crockett went the extra mile to help him figure out what was going on and treat it properly. And honestly, the fact that he’s now the farting doctor does kind of make him slightly more approachable. Maybe he’ll finally lighten up a bit. 

What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments, Cravers!