Chicago P.D. 9×11 “Lies” is about the lies we tell others, and the lies we tell ourselves. For Kevin Atwater, his entire life at this point is a lie. He’s not just lying to himself, pretending everything is okay, he’s lying to his friends, and he’s lying to the person he’s dating. And though deep down, he probably knows that the lies are just going to make everything worse, it’s hard to break out of the cycle once you’ve fallen into it.
It’s hard to decide which of those lies is worse. But they all add up to the same thing: Kevin is basically living a life that’s built on a very shaky foundation right now, and one way or another, everything’s gonna collapse. The quicker he comes clean, the more of a chance he has at controlling the damage.
So, let’s go into Kevin Atwater’s lies and the way this show shortchanges him by making him the odd man out in a dynamic that includes two OTPs as we discuss Chicago P.D. 9×11 “Lies”:
MY DUMB ASS NEVER TOLD HER
My favorite thing about this episode might have been Celeste giving it to Kevin straight. Because the thing about lies is that, in order to sustain them, you gotta tell yourself a story to justify them. So that’s what Kevin did. He told himself that lying to Celeste was the only way to keep her. The only way to be with her. That she wouldn’t, couldn’t understand.
He made that choice out of fear, of course, but bad intentions or not, the truth of the matter is that he decided for her. She never had a chance to decide what she could handle, or how she felt. Kevin decided that for her, and then acted in accordance with a decision she never made.
Right now, Celeste has a right to be mad at Kevin. She has a right to need some time. But if this episode showed me something it’s that she’s exactly what I want for Kevin Atwater, and that having her around would probably be a great thing for the storylines of cops who more often than not, play around in grey areas they shouldn’t be playing around in.
So, let’s keep her, please. Not just for Kevin, but for us. For the show.
KEVIN ATWATER DESERVES BETTER
One of the issues with Kevin Atwater’s place on the team right now is that he’s consistently the odd man out. In a way, you could say so is Voight, but since he’s the boss, it doesn’t exactly end up working the same way. Kevin, on the other hand, is stuck between two OTPs. This means he doesn’t get enough screen time, and when he does lately, it’s mostly in episode that focus on him and him alone, without giving continuity to any of his relationships within the team.
This episode does better than most in that regard. It at least remembers Kevin and Kim are friends, something I was starting to believe they’d forgotten. But there’s still much to be fixed when it comes to the way Kevin Atwater has been pushed aside. Of all the ways the show has failed balance, the character that has suffered the most has been him, because the writing means fans fixate on ships, and rarely on Kevin.
If Celeste is the choice for an OTP for Kevin, and I really want her to be, so be it. But she needs to be integrated somehow. The team needs to meet her. But more importantly, Kevin’s relationships with the people on his team need to be re-established. And explored. Not just with Adam and Kim, either. What about Makayla? Is he Uncle Kevin? Does he get to pair up with Hailey at one point? Go out for a beer with Jay?
The character of Kevin Atwater deserves more than being the outsider. And though, before, I had no hope we could get better, now I want to believe that, little by little, the show and the characters in it can get what they deserve.
Things I think I think:
- Right, I’m sure that’s how good police work is done, with your boss telling you to MAKE IT HAPPEN, NOW.
- Kim and Kevin need more screentime together.
- Where is Jay supposed to be this episode? Not even a throwaway line to explain his absence?
- Voight keeps yelling NOW like that solves anything.
- We got one line about Makayla and that feels like a win.
- I love Celeste. The way she called Kevin’s BS was pure gold.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think about Chicago P.D. 9×11 “Lies”? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays on NBC.
