'Chicago PD' Season 7 Finale: Kevin Atwater continues to be the saving grace for representation on the show
Spoilers for 'Chicago PD' Season 7 Episode 20 'Silence of the Night'
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, production on all three 'Chicago' shows was halted prematurely, meaning this week's episodes serve as their respective season finales. It's not ideal, especially since the current seasons were meant to contain 23 episodes and chunks of the story remain untold. However, each of the 'Chicago' shows has been renewed for three seasons each already, so fans don't have to worry about the show coming back.
This week's episode of 'Chicago PD' places the focus on Detective Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) as we have often seen this season. However, this time, Atwater deals with someone we have met earlier.
Avid fans might remember Officer Tom Doyle (Mickey O'Sullivan), a patrol cop who pulled up Atwater while he was undercover with a suspect. At the time of pulling over, nothing suspicious was going on -- Doyle was racially profiling two black people. Doyle then pulls a gun on the two men despite them being unarmed and ends up killing the suspect.
Atwater was left troubled by it. However, it is later revealed that the suspect did go for Doyle's gun. Voight tells him to do what he thinks is right, as to remember that he gets paid to be a cop, not to change the world. It is revealed that Atwater told the Civilian Office of Police Accountability that it was a clean shooting, clearing Doyle.
Later, Doyle and Atwater meet up at a bar with the intension to fight. He and Doyle fight, and it ends with Atwater putting his gun against Doyle's head, doing what Doyle did to him at the traffic stop.
The same Officer Tom Doyle shows up in the unexpected finale of Season 7 for 'Chicago PD'. As such, this episode might be the only one for all three 'Chicago' shows that feel like a finale because of how it ends.
When Atwater goes undercover, he realizes Doyle is working the case undercover too. For the moment, everything seems alright and the two work together to bust the gun-smuggling ring. However, when they go to get drinks later, Doyle ends up racially profiling another man. When the man goes inside a building, Doyle follows him and Atwater ends up hearing shots fired.
Doyle dies from his gunshot wounds and through the rest of the episode, the Intelligence Unit tries to figure out what happened. Atwater and Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) conclude that Doyle did the same as last time -- pull a gun on an innocent black man and shot and killed him.
Again, Voight tells Atwater to do what he feels is right. Atwater also goes to see Ray Price (Wendell Pierce) in jail who tells him that what he would do is not say anything and continue doing what he can for black people while on the force, but adds that that's what he might do and not what Atwater must.
So, Atwater tells the cops what could have happened. He testifies that Doyle pulled a gun on and killed an innocent man. Unfortunately, that night when Atwater goes home, he sees Doyle's partner staking out his house. When Atwater calls him out, the man leaves, switching on the police lights on his car.
As that car leaves, not one, not two, but at least five cars do the same, showing Atwater that he needs to be very careful. Earlier, Voight had told Atwater that the Intelligence Unit will look out for Atwater and it looks like that is very much needed.
As we mentioned earlier, of all three episodes that aired tonight, Episode 20 of 'Chicago PD' Season 7 of actually felt like a finale. Atwater and his tryst with racism in the police force is easily the saving grace for representation on NBC's crime drama and he is easily becoming the best character on the show. Hawkins gave a great performance and we cannot wait to see how Atwater's story goes.