Chicago PD kicked off yet another multi-arc episode, this time bringing back Samantha Beck, a prior kidnapping victim, and her father, Richard, back into the fold.

A quick refresher—we met the Becks on Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 12 after Sam was kidnapped and her father refused to pay the ransom to get her out of the bind out of fear of incriminating himself and his criminal activity.

It’s a case deserving of a follow-up since it was very intriguing, so I’m glad that we’re looping back to it to dig deeper into the fractured father-daughter relationship and their shady involvements. 

Ruzek, who was spending the day with Makayla, Atwater, and Jordan, responded to a crime scene that was initially assumed to be a murder-suicide. Immediately upon entering the premise, he knew something was off, and it wasn’t long before he realized the family was poisoned by someone making meth in the “abandoned” building next door. 

Surveillance footage from the street connected the crime back to Samantha, who was seen near the unit on several occasions. But since they didn’t have any actual proof of her stepping foot inside, Ruzek decided to go undercover to get something they could charge her with. 

Honestly, if I was Samantha, I’d be a little more skeptical of a random guy who just showed up, saved me from a potential rip, and asked for a job, but it’s clear that she’s also desperate for someone to talk to and rely on. 

Right off the bat, Ruzek picks up on the fact that things between Samantha and Richard are not exactly on good terms. Samantha doesn’t fit into the drug world. She’s a good mother, so her involvement in dealing meth is questionable. Eventually, Ruzek realizes that she doesn’t have much of a choice as her whole life is connected to her father. He owns her—and everything she has, including her income stream. She has no way to free herself from his grip no matter how much she might want to. 

And that’s why she’s so eager to bring Ruzek into the fold because he seems like someone she can trust and rely on. He’s there for her, constantly making sure she’s okay and offering a shoulder to cry on if she needs it. 

When Ruzek went undercover, he never thought it would get this personal or that he’d feel compelled to save Samantha, but he knows that none of this is of her own making. He sees through what’s going on and wants to help her, but unfortunately, it’s not possible without burning himself. 

The line between personal and professional bleeds, even more, when Richard invites Adam for a little chat to underscore that he’s a white supremacist (Adam agrees that they’re on the same team though we know that couldn’t be further from the truth) as Ruzek promises to keep tabs on Samantha and update Richard on everything she does. It’s extremely weird, but if Adam wants to earn his trust and not raise any flags, he has no choice.

And unfortunately, he’s going to be in it for the long haul. On the day of the deal, Adam is pulled away when Sam runs into a problem with her son Callum, who is being brainwashed by his racist grandfather. Once again, we see the personal and professional lines blend as Adam has no choice but to stick by Samantha and help her, which means he’s unable to provide any insight into the deal going down. 

CHICAGO P.D. — “Blood and Honor” Episode 1015 — Pictured: (l-r) LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater, Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

Their only hope of getting anything is through Samantha, so Adam must stay undercover a bit longer and get closer, working her in any way possible. 

It’s also the exact reason why they tell you not to let it become personal when you’re undercover because it’s going to pain Ruzek to turn her in. He knows he can’t save her since she’s dealing meth—especially meth that killed a whole family—but he’s become quite fond of her and truly feels sorry for the predicament she’s been put in. 

How will Ruzek handle it?

Will he find a way to tie Richard to the drugs or does he have to bring down Samantha since she spearheads the whole operation? And even then, would she ever turn on her father? My gut tells me she’d take the fall simply so that Callum would have some family around. 

Then again, despite the loyalty, she also hates him enough at this point that she might be willing to put him away to save herself and her little boy. 

Of course, Ruzek, being a father, also has a soft spot for Callum, the young boy who is so impressionable and caught up in the dangers and darkness of a situation that life has dealt him, much like Makayla. These are two kids who don’t deserve the cards that were dealt.

The episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, and with a hiatus until March 22, it’ll be a while before we see how things resolve, especially since the upcoming episode doesn’t feature Samantha at all. I guess this is what it must feel like to be undercover for a lengthy time. 

There was a brief mention of Burgess’ mental health between Ruzek and Atwater, and it’s nice to know that she’s finally being open about her struggles and trusting her partners enough to confide in them and seek out their support. We all know she and Atwater go way back, so he deserves to know what’s been going on. 

What did you think of the Ruzek-centric case? It’s kind of nice to see him get the spotlight without Burgess.

Chicago PD  celebrated its milestone 200th episode, and while it was an exceptional installment that put Burgess (Marina Squerciati) at the forefront to deal with her lingering trauma and PTSD, I felt like it should’ve been more of a team effort. 

The standalone episodes are fine for any other day, but when you’re celebrating 200 episodes on television, the moment deserves to be a celebration between the cast that made it happen and continues to do so every single day. 

This would’ve been the perfect opportunity to deliver a case where everyone played a part, and where their camaraderie as a team lent itself to their success. 

Instead, everyone pretty much took a backseat, with only Ruzek serving as support for Burgess throughout the case and as she dealt with all the fears from being shot bubbling up to the surface. 

CHICAGO P.D. — “Trapped” Episode 1014 — Pictured: Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

This isn’t the time for #Burzek, so while it would’ve been sweet to get a moment between them to commemorate the momentous achievement, this episode made it clear that Burgess really needs to work on coming out on the other side before she can be the kind of mom, partner, and cop she wants to be. 

Burgess is trapped. She never really faced her near-death experience head-on, burying it deep inside in hopes that it would just go away so she wouldn’t have to deal with it. She also never wanted to burden Ruzek with it despite all of his pleas to just let him in so he can help her. 

But as the therapist wisely pointed out, this kind of post-traumatic stress has a way of creeping up on you. It’s always there, impacting your life in little ways that you don’t notice. Burgess was in denial about it, but it affected her life by preventing her from having a real relationship with Ruzek. She made her life small, her decisions were fear-based, and she pushed people away as self-preservation. It’s truly no way to live, and it was bound to catch up to her. 

While it’s difficult to face that kind of trauma purposefully, it’s essential to move past it so that it no longer takes hold. 

When Burgess heard a car backfiring, all those emotions and fears rushed back in as she was transported to the moment when she was shot. The PTSD took hold a handful of other times, including as she dealt with a shooting incident on the “L” train. It impaired Burgess’ ability to do her job, which not only put her in more danger, but it prevents her from being the kind of cop that she needs to be. It made her a liability. And it took these several scenarios where she was so panic-stricken that she couldn’t move to realize that she needed help. It’s a huge and necessary step. 

The good news is that Ruzek has made it clear he’ll be there for her every step of the way. He may have done some terrible things in the past, but he’s proven time and time again that he’s willing to do anything for her. He’s her rock whenever she needs him. 

Despite everything, Burgess still did some damn good police work. Burgess has a huge heart—it’s one of her best qualities, so even while dealing with plenty of personal issues, she still came through for the victims that were counting on her. She may have been dealing with anxiety, but she didn’t let it cripple her.

On the CTA train, Burgess stayed with Jamie the whole time, keeping him calm and assuring him that he was not alone. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, but Burgess paid attention to all the things he told her in his final moments, and when they tracked down the assailant, Aaron, Jamie’s cousin, she realized that the Minnesota native was begging her to save his younger cousin, who was being abused by Aaron and his wife, Marlene. 

Burgess found evidence of the abuse when she tore up the garage, unveiling a nook behind the wall where they kept the boy, along with some blood. Thankfully, they were able to locate Aaron’s pickup truck at a nearby Forest Preserve, and she was able to find the child before anything serious happened to him.

My biggest concern—and this happens a lot with Burgess-centric episodes—is that she went in there without barely any backup. Where was everyone? 

Almost immediately after making her way down to the well to save Lucas, Aaron fired shots—which could’ve ended really badly—and then closed the opening off, trapping them inside.

CHICAGO P.D. — “Trapped” Episode 1014 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

Lucas was honestly the sweetest little thing, and I’m a bit bummed that we never got any insight as to why Aaron and Marlene were abusing him. There were some mentions of him “leaving to live with his family in California” after another baby was born, but no actual reason was provided as to why the father wanted to leave him for dead at the bottom of the well. Either way, Aaron was a heartless and cruel monster because who could ever do such a thing?! Burgess, an adult and cop who has seen some things, was terrified, so just imagine how a young boy must have felt after being betrayed by the very people who are supposed to love and care for him. 

Thankfully, both Burgess and Lucas were brought to safety.

It was a genuinely emotional episode, with Squerciati doing a phenomenal job translating all those emotions on screen. 

Again, I only wish that the team was more involved and integrated into the storyline! Torres wasn’t even there because of mandatory training, which was poor timing. And the typical heart-to-heart between characters also wasn’t present, though the ending could’ve really used it. It would also just be nice to see Kim getting some support from anyone other than Ruzek. She’s good friends with Tracy Spiridakos in real life, so why aren’t the only two women in Intelligence there for each other and lifting each other up as they deal with really difficult personal matters? 

What did you think of the episode?

Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 13 let Hank Voight do what Hank Voight does best—handle it. 

While it was a Voight-centric episode, it actually dug into the backstory of ASA Chapman, who, despite doing something illegal and career-ending in 2018, is actually one of the most decent people in power that we’ve come across on the series. 

And as such, Voight had to protect her at all costs. After he confirmed that she was trustworthy, of course. 

Chapman pulled Voight into a case with an indie dealer named Arturo Morales. She was hellbent on getting him busted for producing nearly 100 kilos of drugs and pumping them into the streets of Chicago. It’s a valid reason for wanting someone locked up, but it was a textbook narcotics case until Chapman revealed she was invested in the outcome as Morales was responsible for killing her informant, Tom Villar. 

The plot thickened when it was revealed that Villar and Chapman had a romantic relationship. 

While Voight was blindsided by the reveal, he didn’t let his emotions get the best of him, simply digging around to get information before confronting Chapman, who laid it all out once she realized that Voight pieced it all together. 

While she was fully prepared to take responsibility for her actions, Voight wasn’t interested in bringing her down or forcing her to resign. Her vulnerability proved to him that she was a decent person who did something bad—kind of like the old Voight we used to know. 

The case with Morales and his sidekick, Lonzo, was interesting, but the draw was the budding friendship between Chapman and Voight. He didn’t have to help her, and she was surprised at the great lengths he went to protect her, but in that pivotal final scene, he acknowledged that she only did what she did because of the loneliness brought on by this job. 

If there’s anyone who understands the toll this gig can take on a person, it’s Voight. He knows the pain, the sorrow, the loss, the fear, the anger, and the abandonment; he’s felt and seen it all personally, and he even sees it within his own team. 

He realized that Chapman needed a friend more than anything, in addition to getting closure for the death of someone she found herself getting unexpectedly close with, and he appreciated that she sought out help from him as one of the only people she could trust to get the job done. 

CHICAGO P.D. — “The Ghost in You” Episode 1013 — Pictured: (l-r) Sara Bues as ASA Chapman, Jason Beghe as Hank Voight — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

They were kindred spirits in that final scene, both knowing what it was like to have a loved one ripped away from you. It was a nice touch that the episode started with Voight visiting his buddy Al at the cemetery and ended with Chapman paying her respects to Tom at the cemetery. 

I hope that we get to see more team-ups with Voight and Chapman professionally, though I also felt like she might be a good romantic interest for him in the future. I don’t want every single person to date someone at their job, but this one kind of makes sense. She also seems like the kind of person who would allow Voight to get back to the detective he used to be back in the day, and while I know fans would really like that, I also don’t know if that would be a good idea. Voight has made too much progress—that part of him is still buried in there somewhere, and he pulls parts of him out when necessary (like bringing Lonzo to the cage), but he realizes that breaking the rules comes with consequences that might not be worth it in the long run… like losing a good friend. 

The case allowed audiences to see more of Torres’ undercover work—and he’s a natural. I particularly loved the moment when Atwater emphasized that he did his homework so that he could really sell the rouse. 

Undercover work is dangerous because you have to play your cards right. One false move and everything could blow up right in your face. Torres also went in blind into situations, thinking he was going to be cutting drugs when it was actually a rip. Thankfully, he was able to keep control of the situation and minimize casualties. I would’ve been really sad if the older lady who was at work late was killed, so I’m glad Torres was quick on his feet and made it a priority to protect her. 

His fight with Ruzek at the bar was also perfectly executed. Ruzek had to get roughed up and take a few punches to sell the narrative, but it got Torres in with Morales, which means it was a job well done. I always wonder if the actors find themselves just laughing and unable to keep a straight face in scenes where they have to “fake turn on each other,” but I guess that’s part of the gig—both acting and working in Intelligence. 

The upcoming episode will be dark—tapping into Burgess’ trauma from her kidnapping/near-death experience—but it’s bound to be exceptional as Chicago PD is celebrating a milestone with its 200th episode! 

We’ll see you then, Cravers, and let us know what you thought about tonight’s episode in the comments below!