Warning! Spoilers ahead for Chicago PD season 12, episode 7.After seven episodes,Chicago PDseason 12 reinforces the continuously ignored lesson that could save the series. One Chicago’s police procedural series follows Hank Voight’s Intelligence, as they tackle especially sensitive cases. The team has been effective in its job despite the countless changes it has experienced in the last couple of years, including thedisappointing exits of Jay Halsteadand Hailey Upton. That said, while the group remains great in their job, it is no secret thatChicago PDhas suffered from a significant drop in ratingsin recent memory.
In the grand scheme of things, allOne Chicago showshave experienced a dip in viewership in the last several years. All three core series,Chicago Fire,Chicago PD, andChicago Med, however, remain popular, so the trend isn’t exactly that alarming yet. However, there’s something to be said about the police procedural’s situation, specifically, considering that,among its peers,Chicago PDhas the lowest ratings. Admittedly, other factors contribute to this matter, but it’s frustrating when the show can easily fix one of its biggest flaws that could rejuvenate its fan base on the heels of consecutive cast shuffling.
Chicago PD Season 12, Episode 7 Gets All Members Of Intelligence Involved
Everyone Does Something In The Pursuit Of Gloria
InChicago PDseason 12, episode 7, “Contrition,” the team goes back and revisits one of their trickiest cases from last year. Dante Torres' dalliance with Gloria, the wife of a cartel leader, is on the brink of coming out, as Intelligence gets a tip about a new movement on their drug smuggling business that she now runs. Because Gloria knows almost all veteran members of Voight’s team, they decide to send their newest recruit, Kiana Cook, undercover. While she is great on the job, she gets made, with the outing ending with a cliffhanger of her fate.
At its core, “Contrition” is a Torres-centric episode. The original storyline fromChicago PDseason 11 had him go undercover to infiltrate the cartel, which resulted in his entanglement with Gloria. The newly-promoted Kim Burgess is also heavily involved, considering that she knew about his colleague’s personal relationship with their informant. That said,Chicago PDseason 12, episode 7 does a good job of giving everyone something to do, even Voight, who was still running point in terms of planning the operation.
Chicago PD Is At Its Best When It Utilizes Its Ensemble (But It Won’t Regularly Do It)
The Intelligence Unit Is A Team
Technically,Chicago PDis an ensemble series. While Voight is the leader of Intelligence, the show gives all of its characters their own respective time under the spotlight, which is actually a great thing. One of the big issues with shows that have multiple leads is that they tend to forget other players. This way, One Chicago ensures that all members of Voight’s team have their compelling storylines. The problem with this, however, is the wayChicago PDexecutes this approach.
Chicago PD season 12, episode 7 proves that it can balance things out by continuing to tackle character-centric outings without sidelining the rest of its characters.
Character-centric episodes inChicago PDare typically isolatingbecause they usually just focus on a single character with little to no involvement from the rest of the cast.Chicago PDseason 12, episode 7 proves that it can balance things out by continuing to tackle character-centric outings without sidelining the rest of its characters. This is also a great way to rejuvenate its fan base, as it means that every week, Intelligence as a whole will be at play. Viewers won’t have to skip certain episodes if they aren’t particularly invested in one’s storyline.
Why Chicago PD Can’t Always Do Ensemble Storylines
It’s Part Of Wolf Entertainment’s Cost-Cutting Measures
This character-centric approach to storytelling forChicago PDlikely has something to do with Wolf Entertainment’s cost-cutting measures. In a report fromDeadline, Dick Wolf shows' cast members have been asked to reduce the number of episodes they appear. This is whyChicago Firehas been missing a few characters for some weeks without any clear explanation, such as Christopher Hermann and Kylie Estevez. That said, becauseChicago PDhas a much smaller ensemble, missing even just 1 player is easy to notice and has a massive impact on its storytelling.
Chicago PD Can No Longer Fix Its Worst Character Assassination After Upton’s Exit
After Hailey Upton’s exit, NBC and Wolf Entertainment can never fix Chicago PD’s worst character assassination for an Intelligence member.
At this point, however, it’s arguably better forChicago PDto just follow inChicago Fire’s footsteps when tackling character absences. This way, it ensures that all members of Intelligence (or those who are involved) are given something to do every week. It’s high time that the police procedural drops its limiting approach to storytelling and makes full use of its ensemble. It’s missing out on so many narratives without doing so.
Chicago P.D.
Cast
Chicago P.D.: This police drama, set in Chicago’s District 21, follows the distinct units within the Chicago Police Department—uniformed officers addressing street crimes and an Intelligence Unit tackling major offenses such as organized crime and drug trafficking, capturing the dedication of those who serve and protect their community.
