'Chicago PD' Season 8: Why is Episode 3 not airing? Here's when the NBC drama returns after the winter break
For the past few episodes, 'Chicago PD' has been all about Officer Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) of the Intelligence Unit. When Atwater chose to tell the truth about a late cop being racist, he was harassed by the friends and family of the cop. And it got pretty bad -- Atwater was jumped in front of his house when 'Chicago PD' returned for its eighth season this November. Moreover, his house, his brother's phone were all bugged. The other cops also tried to plant a brick of heroin in Atwater's car, but with Adam Ruzek's (Patrick John Flueger) help, he was able to find it and dispose of it.
The harassment also began to affect his job and his team. While Atwater, Ruzek, and Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) were in pursuit of a suspect, they called for backup but no one responded. Ruzek was then shot by the suspect who escaped, but the former was safe, albeit quite injured because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Because of everything happening to him and his team, Atwater went to the cop he was told was in charge of giving out orders for Atwater's harassment and threatened to sue him if he didn't drop the antics. Atwater let him know that while the job was important to him, he would not hesitate to leave the police force and sue the cop as well as the Chicago police department for its racial treatment. Atwater said that he would make the cop's name appear in the papers with the word "racist" if the cop did not stop the harassment.
We do not see the end of that conversation, but later as Atwater walks home, he encounters a group of young boys bullying another boy. Atwater proudly flashes his police badge and the bullies run away. Could this be an indication that Atwater will get to keep his job and be safe? It is most likely but a definitive answer can be expected when the show returns in January 2021.
Another thing that fans might be looking forward to is the return of all the "Upstead" tension. We know that Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) told Burgess that she has feelings for Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) in the previous season. Halstead, however, has not made it clear. While the two are very close, we don't quite yet know whether what Halstead feels is romantic. But it may soon be the time for him to reveal that. When 'Chicago PD' returns, Upton will reveal that she has been offered a job by the FBI,- where she did a small stint in the previous season. Will Halstead tell her to stay or will he let her go like he let Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) go? Upton does tell him that he can tell her if he doesn't want her to leave in the promo. We wonder what he will finally decide and whether the payoff for the waiting will be worth it.
'Chicago PD' returns with new episodes on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at 9/8c.