'Chicago PD' Report Card: How did Season 7 do? What worked and what missed the mark?
All three shows of the 'Chicago' franchise on NBC came to a premature end this year due to the ongoing pandemic. As such, many storylines did not get wrapped up. However, how much did the loss of three episodes each affect the shows and how did the current seasons do? Let's find out.
After Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) left 'Chicago PD' before Season 7 began, there was certainly a void on the show and the Intelligence Unit. That void was filled by newcomer Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez) who has managed to fit in well and quickly become a relevant part of both the show and the unit.
There were also throwbacks, hope and heartbreak for both the characters as well as fans. Nearly all characters had central plots in a few episodes throughout the whole season — although Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) was left on the back burner for a while during the first half.
However, Burgess got a terrific plot in the second half. She got pregnant after a one-night stand with her former fiance, Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger), and we saw her grappling with making a decision about it and it reflects on the many women who have to make similar decisions about whether to let their career fizzle out while they start a family.
Unfortunately, Burgess's pregnancy ended in tragedy as she could not let her career slide again. This was a powerful story. However, we have an issue with the way 'Chicago PD' romanticizes loss, especially when it comes to its female characters. Remember Erin Lindsay's (Sophia Bush) slide into addiction and partying after Nadia Decotis's (Stella Maeve) death?
Both Ruzek and Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) got some amazing plots too. Ruzek suffered PTSD after going to jail temporarily at the end of last season while Halstead dealt with guilt over what happened with the man he wrongly arrested — that man was killed later and his name was not cleared so that the department wouldn't come under fire.
For the first time, we got as many female detectives in the Intelligence Unit as male detectives (we aren't counting Jason Beghe's Hank Voight here). In addition to Burgess's trauma, both Rojas and Hailey Upton (Tracy Lee Spiridakos) got meaty plots and viewers were treated with their histories as well.
Despite its continuing mistreatment of stories of the African-American community, detective Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) undoubtedly received the best plotlines over the season. He was often faced with identifying with his black community or as a cop, which led to him showing more empathy than any of his colleagues on the field.
A strong example of this is the unexpected Season 7 finale, which treated us to some of Hawkins' best work on the show. We saw the return of one of the cops Atwater had confronted in the past over the former's tendency to racially profile black people. That cop did so again in the finale and it led to his death.
The last time when that cop killed a black man, Atwater backed him up. However, this time when the man he killed ended up being innocent, Atwater spoke the truth. This could have major repercussions on Atwater over the next season and we cannot wait to see what happens next.
'Chicago PD' is definitely the grittiest among the 'Chicago' franchise which includes 'Chicago Fire' and 'Chicago Med'. As such, we see little interpersonal drama and more exploration into each character's psyche — and for that, it is one of the best shows on NBC at the moment.