Something that Chicago P.D. has shown us over the years is how close they come to not discovering certain cases that they inevitably solve. Those families that live in the world not knowing what happened to their loved ones. But it’s episodes like “Don’t Read the News” that show us the power of voicing your beliefs and the passion of the Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit to solve the cases that could go unsolved.
In “Don’t Read the News,” the murder of a young woman leads our Intelligence unit to discovering a connection between her murder, along with two other girls, to the serial killings of 10 other young women in 2008. The hour weaves a complicated and twist-turning story that leads to a shocking revelation and brings some justice to those families that lost their daughters.
Let’s break this down:
“They’re Killing Our Daughters”
If it wasn’t for the very strong voice of a concerned mother who had lost her daughter, the Intelligence unit might not have solved a serial killing case dating back nearly 10 years. If it wasn’t for the attention of new Intelligence member Kim Burgess, Intelligence might not have learned of the connection and catch the serial killer responsible for the gruesome killings.
There’s more than meets the eye as we learned in this episode. A terrible murder, that appeared to be the only one of its kind, actually proved to be one murder in what turned out to be 13. For so many years this killer had gone free, never caught. Never paying the price for killing and raping 13 women. But in this episode justice was served.
Lindsay’s Daddy Issues
When we last left Lindsay in the midseason finale, she was left with a shocking revelation that her birth father was back in town and wanted very much to meet her. We got a small tease in “Don’t Bury This Case,” when Lindsay confided in Halstead and Voight that her father was in town and wanted to meet her. And we got to see the aftermath of it all in “Don’t Read the News.”
It doesn’t take long for Lindsay to come face-to-face with her father. And we got a heck of a lot of answers in the brief meeting. While Bunny has told Erin that her father has been locked in prison for years and years, Jimmy has another story. Turns out he’s been out of prison for years. More than that, he had another family. Talk about a jaw dropper. But now Jimmy, who was feeling serious guilt, wanted to be here for Lindsay now after the many years of not being a part of her life. But here’s the thing, he can’t do that. He can’t just disappear and live another life and decide to show up because it’s convenient for him. What about Erin? What about when it was convenient for her? When she was growing up? And she showed that he couldn’t just decide to be in her life now when she walked out on him.
After Halstead does some digging on Jimmy (and learns that he’s not here for money or selfish purposes), Lindsay decides to give him a chance. And that’s a huge thing for Lindsay. Here’s this man who has actively chosen not to be a part of her life, coming back into her life – and she’s willing to give him a chance to do so. It’s not going to be easy, but you can see how much Erin has grown with the chances that she’s taking.
Now that Jimmy is back in town he seems very eager to delve back into things, including buying a salon that Bunny set her sights on. Basically, he wants to charm Erin. While none of this excuses his past decisions to not be in her life, Jimmy is focusing on the now. He’s going to do whatever he feels he needs to do to be a part of his daughter’s life.
But Halstead also asked an interesting question: Are we sure that Jimmy is her father? Lindsay told him not to run a paternity test because she wanted to live in the dream for just a little while.
Implications for Linstead
With Lindsay’s father now in the picture, there’s no denying that she’s experiencing a myriad of emotions that’s likely to shape her progression this season. But something that makes it a little easier is knowing that Lindsay has someone like Halstead to lean on.
As far as boyfriends go, Jay has proven to be one of the best. He’s sat back and let Lindsay be the one to make the first move time and time again. That’ll likely ring true once again when the time comes for her to lean on him when it all becomes too much. We’ve seen the beginnings of it in the previous episode when she told Jay about her father. He was the first person she confided in. It’s really showing how Lindsay’s foundation is changing. Voight used to be the one she always went to. But now she’s slowly learning to lean on Halstead in her own way.
One of the beauties of exploring healthy romantic relationships is throwing conflict at a character and seeing how they handle it together. Obviously Halstead is very protective and wants to ensure that Jimmy’s not to trying to swindle Lindsay. So when Halstead asked Lindsay if she wanted him to look into Jimmy – and she said no – I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that he couldn’t leave it alone.
While looking in the records department for a case, he asks about Lindsay’s father Jimmy and with some charm and Bit o Honey candy bars gets the info. Unknown to Lindsay. But something that I truly admire about Chicago P.D. — and One Chicago shows in general – is how they allow these couples to work through problems. They don’t conjure contrived drama for the sake of it. Sure, they throw obstacles at them. But when they’ve progressed to where Linstead has, they allow those in the relationship to be in the relationship and handle things together. So it was refreshing to see Halstead come out and tell Lindsay that he looked into her father. But it was even more refreshing to see that Lindsay didn’t jump down his throat for doing it. It’s that kind of faith and trust that shows the strength of the relationship.
Lindsay is someone who’s been shaped by her past. Even though she’s done a good job of turning her life around, there are certain aspects that are easier to hide. One of those characteristics is how she’s not one to easily trust or confide in people. But we’re starting to see her open up more and more. She’s turned from Voight to Halstead, with the people she confides in. But she’s also putting forth more effort, which we see when she invites Halstead to dinner with her father and Bunny. Erin is choosing not to face this alone. She’s accepting the fact that the man that she loves is right by her side supporting her every step of the way. He’s there for her to lean on when the time comes. And the time is going to come.
Ruzek’s Replacement
If I hadn’t be forewarned, I’d have been hella distracted for most of the beginning of the episode at the new face in Intelligence that is “Ruzek’s replacement.” And to be honest, I’m still not sure what that means at this point. While Voight shines some light on the situation – Ruzek has taken an undisclosed undercover job – there are still so many questions surrounding the situation. How permanent is this situation? When will Ruzek return? Will Ruzek return? Why did he leave? Am I going to end up liking this new guy?
Anyway, Ruzek’s replacement is a guy named Kenny Rixton, who Voight knows from his old gang unit. He seems like a good enough guy. But it’s still too early to get a read on him. It was his first day on the job and unlike Burgess or Atwater before her, Rixton didn’t have the luxury of being acquainted with the team. It’s going to take a little time to really get a good idea of who this guy is. Luckily it sounds like we’re going to get that time.
One person who’s not taking Ruzek’s departure well is Burgess, who throughout the episode was shaken by it. Whether it was asking the “why” question or thinking it through in her mind (and to Platt), Burgess cares a whole lot for someone that has supposedly moved on. Which begs the question: Has she moved on? What’s going to happen when Ruzek returns? If he returns. He better return. So many questions.
Five Things…
- Talk about a gruesome case. It’s not like there’s ever a happy episode of Chicago P.D., but this one was definitely one of the more emotional ones given the subject matter. A serial killer that had not only murdered 13 women but also raped them. These poor families seeking justice of any kind. It felt damn good to see them get that resolution.
- Burgess is killing it in Intelligence. While her first day was far from perfect, there’s no denying that Burgess is off to a hot start in Intelligence. She’s the reason that Intelligence was able to make the connection between Grace’s murder and the 2008 murders of 10 women. Proof that Burgess is real police.
- Lindsay is slowly letting Halstead all-in. Perhaps there’s something good to come out of Lindsay’s drama with her father. We’re starting to see her lean on Halstead during times like this. And it’s showing just how strong their relationship is. It’s so refreshing to see the portrayal of a healthy relationship where a couple works through things together.
- How long can we expect the new guy Rixton to stick around? Not that I dislike him. But I just miss Ruzek. Also, I’m wondering if Ruzek’s “undercover job” is short term or long term? Like is he going to be back before the season finale? There’s a lot of stuff with Burgess that has been left unresolved. Speaking of…
- Burgess is bothered by Ruzek’s absence. Could that mean … feelings? Burgess spends a lot of the hour questioning Ruzek’s absence. Clearly it bothers her. Perhaps part of it is that she is worried that Ruzek left becase of her. But the other part might be that she still has feelings for him just like he does for her. We need resolution, people!
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.