Critic's Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
4.6
The energy feels different, doesn’t it?
There’s something distinctly different about diving into Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 1, yet there’s also a familiar quality.
Chicago PD is back with an action-packed, introspective, and dark hour that grabbed our attention from those quiet opening moments to the shocking final seconds.
The Season Premiere is a Technically and Visually Strong Hour
The cinematography and direction were striking about “Ten Ninety-Nine” out of the gate.
The season premiere featured some visually evocative shots and moments that transported the viewer into Voight’s world while keeping him at arm’s length.
It was classic Voight, which was interesting.
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The wordless montage of Voight throwing himself into work, dumping case file after case file on random team members, and changing his shirt countless times as he doesn’t even bother to go home carried us through the time that has passed since the season finale.
Voight arrives at the crime scene, with the camera tracking him as he comes face-to-face with bodies and is shrouded in darkness, aside from the blue lights of emergency vehicles illuminating him.
This sets the perfect tone for the hour and shows where Voight’s headspace is.
Even little moments like the board with everyone’s call signs that the camera zoomed in on spoke volumes.
Hailey’s name and call sign were barely swiped off the board, but traces remained — speaking to how her presence, or in this case, her absence, still lingered and weighed heavily on Voight especially.
The events of what happened in that basement also linger, and we see that through carefully crafted moments throughout, close-up images of Voight deeply affected by a dying man on the scene, and how the background seemingly disappeared in two separate instances as he connected with a dying person.
It wasn’t all reserved for Voight, either.
Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 1 Bolsters Strong Performances Alongside Direction
Ruzek, facing down the end of the barrel, was rattling mainly because of the framing of the moment and Paddy Flueger‘s facial expressions.
The intensity of it all left one taut and visceral.
And it carried over in equal measure during those final moments of Ruzek and Martel, which went from a friendly, endearing chat in the car to the adrenaline-fueled moments of seeking out the origin of shots within the blink of an eye.
We knew Martel was down (and gone) before Ruzek did, catching that blurred image of her behind his shoulder as he dropped like a sack of potatoes while, unbeknownst, Ruzek sought cover.
And then those painstaking moments before he looked around and discovered her death as the credits rolled was such a solid punch to the gut.
Even Torres’ pursuit of EJ or Voight barreling through locations on his own was a wonderfully shot moment that contributed to the intensity of an adrenaline-fueled hour.
Voight’s Pacing is Relentless and Burnout is Inevitable
The montage tipped us off to just how much Voight has been working. When he puts 150% into the job, he expects the same from his team.
The team has no issue keeping up, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t burning out with Voight’s pace.
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Before they could solve one case, he was piling half a dozen more on whichever desk was closest, and there were multiple moments of one character or another gently pushing back.
You could tell Trudy was going in on Voight at some point during the montage, likely because, as the Mother Hen of the house, she knows that Voight is overextending himself and doing the same to everyone beneath him.
The Intelligence Unit will do whatever it takes to follow Voight’s lead and work at his speed, but you could see it was wearing down on them, too, excluding people like Torres, who were rising to the occasion.
The poor guy got rundown and kept up his hot pursuit of a perpetrator like he was the Terminator.
Let’s cast Benjamin Levy Aguilar in some action flicks because he meets all the criteria for a bonafide action star.
Because of all of this pacing, the hour moved at lightning speed, forcing viewers to keep up with Voight and the team.
Darkness with Intention and Purpose Lands Better
And the case was grim.
No, the series isn’t deterring from its newfound path of darkness, which is pushing the boundaries of violence and grim storytelling on broadcast television.
Sometimes, the dark turn the series has taken can be too much, mostly if it feels like the show isn’t balancing it out well enough.
However, this case was a prime example of how darkness can reveal compelling angles and be used as a vehicle for deeper character exploration.
The murder/drug case did that for Voight in various ways.
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Voight arriving at that scene alone without knowing the full breadth of what was happening was nerve-wracking, and his fearlessness despite his traumatic near-death experience is notable.
But the sight inside was disturbing, with Rabbit trying to keep a man from bleeding out while another lay dead on the floor.
And that was one of the first moments when we got to see Voight’s recent relationship with death.
Voight’s Newfound Relationship with Death is Complicated
It’s fascinating that Voight’s brush with death has given him a new perspective and lease on life, but in an unusual way.
In those final moments with one of the victims, Voight didn’t turn away from death but looked it right in the eye, never breaking eye contact with the man until his soul left his body.
For a split second, it felt as if it was only Voight and the victim, as the realization that the man wouldn’t make it quickly transformed into giving him solace in his final moments by simply being there until it ended.
They’ve taken an intriguing avenging angel approach with Voight in Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 1 now that his close call with death has unlocked the new purpose within him that drives him on the job.
Interestingly, the bleak moments with Rabbit’s shooting came full circle in dual ways (Rabbit sustaining a near-death injury, given our introduction to him, and Voight providing for Rabbit what Olinksy was to him).
Death becomes Voight, and something tells me we haven’t even scratched the surface of what that experience has done to him.
That new approach in the field could be one of the greatest things for him (or those he intends to save) or his possible downfall.
It’s a tricky balance to maintain, and it seems like Voight will be walking that tightrope.
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Even the perpetrator of the case fell in line with where Voight is emotionally.
Voight Has Become a Dark Avenging Angel
EJ’s brutal slaying of drug dealers in a trap house was rooted in seeking justice, or rather vengeance for his sister’s death.
As if the opioid crisis on its own isn’t heartwrenching enough, those profiting off of pain to the point of initiating deaths by cutting products with unspeakable things that will surely kill their clientele make it infinitely worse.
EJ’s sister died because these guys cut their product with chemicals that would cause a person’s demise.
It’s no wonder the man was angry and wanted to do something rather than allow these men to continue selling their product to unsuspecting individuals and killing more people’s loved ones.
EJ went old school with it, too, using a lock in a sock as a tool to beat the hell out of these men.
And it’s evident by the time Ruzek and Martel caught up to him that he had nothing to lose.
But it was Voight’s connection with Rabbit that stood out most.
Considering that he hasn’t had the best luck cultivating bonds with civilians connected to cases after Noah and Anna, he easily could have shut things down with Rabbit.
Despite Previous Tragedies, Voight Still Connects with Rabbit
But despite the guy’s chronically frantic and shifty energy and knowledge about aspects of the case, Voight’s instinct was to protect him in some way when he wasn’t intimidating the man.
He never put Rabbit on the books when he could’ve done so, and you could sense that beneath Voight applying pressure to the man as he did, Voight didn’t want to cause Rabbit any actual harm.
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He would’ve preferred to let the man off the hook, and even when he doled out advice and sentiments about what happens when one looks at death in the eye like that, it came from a genuine place of needing Rabbit, to be honest and telling this man how to process what he witnessed.
Voight: You know what happens when you see death like that that close up like we did? You separate yourself from it. Don’t. Remember that man choking scared knowing he was dying. Remember that. Tell me who killed him.
To Voight, seeing death up close like that is what connects a person to humanity, and he wanted Rabbit to reach out to humanity because that is what he’s doing.
When it came down to it, Rabbit properly followed suit by risking his life to take down the primary drug dealer.
Voight was right there in his line of sight, echoing the same words the Olinsky apparition told him: he doesn’t get to die yet.
Voight & Chapman Introduces a Refreshing New Dynamic for Him
It’s not until Chapman speaks to Voight that we get absolute clarity on where he is mentally and emotionally and why his behavior has been as it is.
It’s a rare form of vulnerability for Voight to confide in Chapman as he does, and Gwen Sigan hits the nail on the head when describing why this particular dynamic is compelling and offers something different.
In truth, it doesn’t even feel fair to imply that Chapman is stepping into Hailey’s shoes when it comes to challenging Voight.
Because at the end of the day, Hailey was still Voight’s superior, just as Halstead and Dawson were, and they could only get so far in prodding at Voight before he could pull rank over them.
However, Chapman is a genuine peer to Voight, which suggests that their bond could become deep.
The closest we’ve had to that on a steady basis was Samantha Miller.
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Chapman doesn’t pull any punches with Voight, and he genuinely respects her, which is likely why he felt comfortable enough having that discussion with her in the first place.
Now that they’ve had it, Chapman seems to have a better idea of where Voight’s head is (as does the audience), and maybe she can help him temper his emotions so that he can still push himself, inspired by his newfound sense of purpose, while not taking everyone else down with his relentless pace.
Voight doesn’t mind possibly dying or burning out while doing this job because it has become a true crusade for him, but letting Chapman in is a good sign that she can wheel him in some.
The Season Premiere Nods at Series’ Roots
Voight is often such a polarizing character, but it’s fascinating that we’re a decade in, and he’s so capable of evolving or that previous connections (like Olinsky) can still have a hold and influence on him.
It’s one of many ways the series simultaneously nods at previous seasons and its roots while moving forward in exciting ways.
Something else that felt a bit like a nod to the series’ roots was Martel’s tragic fate.
Emily was such an utterly delightful character in the short time we had her that there was that lingering feeling she’d meet a tragic fate as Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 1 progressed.
Her fate was sealed once she expressed how much she enjoyed the unit and the adrenaline and was getting accustomed to it.
Emily’s connection to Ruzek (or, shall we say, Ruzie) was endearing, and it quieted some of the longing for Burgess.
Sadly, we can’t escape the rotating cast procedure that typically results in someone sitting out an episode.
However, the premiere handles this well enough because we presume Burgess’s absence will ultimately tie into her ongoing arc this season, which has her contemplating what’s next in her career trajectory.
As a result, it’s easier to accept her absence when we know it’s for a worthwhile cause.
Also, it helps that they manage to introduce exciting characters amid that.
Reid May Bring New Energy
Shawn Hatosy’s Charlie Reid is already appealing, not just because Hatosy can convince me to tune into just about anything, no matter what.
Reid is a boots-on-the-ground guy who has decent energy and wants to get to know everyone on the team on the scene and give proper due.
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We’re so accustomed to superiors and the team having contentious relationships that it’s genuinely refreshing.
Meanwhile, Emily Martel was a lovely addition who came onto the unit after Hailey left and had to juggle Voight’s new method of working through his trauma via overworking everyone.
She took all of this in stride despite never having an official welcome, and she was great with the banter and fun.
Her backstory was also intriguing once we learned that she not only went to the academy with Ruzek but was also getting her feet wet again in a unit after her partner died in the line of duty.
It makes her fate all the more tragic, and Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 1 makes us connect and sympathize with this character quickly.
Martel’s Death May be the Catalyst of Season of Identity and Reflection
They also do something clever to re-create the instant shock and devastation that the series premiere delivered when Jules Willhite died.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Martel’s death have some ripple effects on Ruzek, Voight, and the others, as Jules’s death did on Antonio and Intelligence.
Even the fact that Ruzek could draw some parallels to Antonio, given their at times contentious relationship, is an engrossing concept.
Ironically, Emily went from stepping into de-escalating a situation when Ruzek’s life was in danger (despite the situation possibly triggering her after losing her previous partner) to meeting the same fate as her own partner.
It’s so twisted and dark, and typically, I’d acknowledge this series’ penchant for trauma-dumping on its characters.
But this is such a real aspect of the job, for one.
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Given that this season promises a deep exploration of the characters and their identities, I’m willing to see how this death could catalyze deeper character exploration for the unit.
Sudden deaths often spark reflection and changes in those who remain, and it seems like Martel’s death could be a launching pad for that as well as an opening for a long-arching case.
After all, what the hell happened, and who was shooting at them?
Could Martel’s Death Also Introduce a Season-Long Arc?
This premiere will undoubtedly roll into a more Ruzek-centered hour that will surely be emotional and worth looking forward to, as the unit must track down who is responsible for taking one of their own.
Voight’s new relationship with death, combined with his deep desire to protect his team, will undoubtedly result in a dark and intense situation.
He takes every death on his watch personally, and this man has had way too many deaths and lost too many people.
Given his current state, one has to wonder what this latest development will do to him.
But goodness, it’s Ruzek who your heart aches for as the dual traumas of facing his own potential death and witnessing the actual one of a partner and friend consumes him at once.
Chicago PD kicked things off with a hell of an installment.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.
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How did you feel about Emily Martel, and how upsetting is her death?
What’s your impression of Voight’s new approach to the job?
Do you enjoy the Voight/Chapman dynamic?
Let’s hear all of your thoughts below!
Watch Chicago PD’s thrilling season premiere online if you missed it!
Watch Chicago P.D. Online
