Chicago P.D. finale shocker: Showrunner Rick Eid breaks down S05 tragic exit as #JusticeForAl trends on Twitter
In more ways than ever, that tragic conclusion to the fifth season of NBC's Chicago P.D. left fans and followers of the show heartbroken. The finale (episode 22) titled "Homecoming" not only sealed the fate of Detective Alvin Olinsky, a character brought to life since season 1 by Elias Koteas, but also ended up being quite toll-taking for his partner Voight (Jason Beghe). Tensions run high as Intelligence seeks justice for Olinsky after he's stabbed in prison.
In the last week itself, it became evident that Olinsky is up for some trying times. Although his bud Voight appeared to be trying his best to clear his name from the case - after all, his DNA was discovered on Bingham's body - and prove that he is innocent; ultimately the events culminates into one tragic twist for the fan-favorite detective.
While in the prison, Olinsky is brutally attacked and stabbed numerous times, and all for a crime, he didn't even commit.
As it turns out, despite the best efforts, the detective's chances of surviving the sudden and unexpected attack are close to zero and it doesn't take more than a few minutes into Wednesday night's episode (May 9) for our greatest fears to come true.
With Olinsky's death, the NBC drama also bid goodbye to long-time cast member Koteas - a move that fans of the show were clearly not anticipating. No sooner had the tragic exit been portrayed than fans flooded Twitter with #JusticeForAl.
However, if showrunner Rick Eid's words are to be believed then the decision to kill off the character was not sudden, but made over time.
"He didn’t have to die. It was one of the things that just evolved from the storytelling this season. It was one of those ideas that the writers, after pitching, once that Woods-Voight-Olinsky story line really became front and center and we started thinking of ways to dramatize it and play it through to its honest conclusion, it was an idea that just kept coming up," the Chicago P.D. boss told Entertainment Weekly.
"From a dramatic point of view, we all thought it was really interesting. From a human in real life point of view and a business point of view, we all thought it was really difficult and horrible. It was just a tough thing," he added.
