When will 'Chicago PD' Season 8 Episode 9 air on NBC? Kevin Atwater takes on a personal case as he looks back

This week, however, the Dick Wolf show made a marked change and in a very nuanced way when it showed different perspectives on a police shooting
PUBLISHED MAR 11, 2021
LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater on 'Chicago PD' (NBC)
LaRoyce Hawkins as Kevin Atwater on 'Chicago PD' (NBC)

This week's episode of 'Chicago PD' pivoted the show in a new direction as Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) and Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) were tasked to bring in a cop who shot a Black man on the streets. What was supposed to be a simple "Uber" drive as Voight calls it, turns dangerous when a second video goes viral. Ruzek and Atwater have to wait with the white cop, officer Wheelan at one of the Chicago Police Department's safe houses. However, the safe house is soon hit by two masked gunmen who seem to be targeting Wheelan, leading to speculation whether it might be an inside job as Atwater and Ruzek take Wheelan off-book.

As the episode goes, tensions rise, not just within the police department but also between Ruzek and Atwater, both of whom have different reactions to the shooting. Will 'Chicago PD' continue to handle Black Lives Matter in the same vein in the future? For the near future at least, Atwater continues to be the focus. Read on to know more about the next episode and when it will air.

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What happened previously?

So far, 'Chicago PD' had not been impressive when it came to handling issues of police brutality. This week, however, the Dick Wolf show made a marked change and in a very nuanced way when it showed both Ruzek and Atwater's perspectives on the shooting. For Ruzek, it was easy for him to push away what happened as something that did not involve him. But for Atwater, it was personal — being the only Black officer on the Intelligence Unit has often left Atwater feeling like he is fighting for himself.

Atwater and Ruzek take Officer Wheelan into custody on 'Chicago PD' (NBC)

What made the episode stand out was that while Ruzek continued to distance himself from Officer Wheelan, Atwater continued to confront him, especially as Wheelan kept insisting he was not racist. By showing him the second video, Atwater also helped Wheelan look at what he did from another angle — and even led the officer to suspect the video was altered rather than accept that he, in fact, had a bias and that his shooting was misjudged.

Meanwhile, Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker) continue to work together for now as they try to assist Ruzek and Atwater. During their exchanges, Miller emphasizes mutual trust many times, and while it looks like they may work together well, things may go wrong soon.

When will Episode 9 air?

'Chicago PD' is back for a while, so the ninth episode of the season will likely air next Wednesday, March 17, at 10/9c.

What to expect from Episode 9?

The official synopsis for the next episode states: When a local business owner is gunned down in his shop, it becomes personal for Atwater, who patrolled the neighborhood as a young cop. Dep. Supt. Samantha Miller comes to Voight with a special request about Andre Cooper.

Miller and Voight on 'Chicago PD' (NBC)

Atwater has had a pretty tough season so far. Being a Black cop is not easy and Atwater continues to be the show's saving grace. We would like to see how his story continues in the next episode, but more than that we hope to see more interactions between him and the other officers on the Intelligence Unit.

We are not certain what Miller's special request Andre Cooper, a new character, is, but there is only so much that Voight can take when it comes to Miller's orders and we expect that they may clash soon.

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