Chicago P.D. 10×11 “Long Lost” is an infuriating hour, mostly because it is actually a really good episode, the kind that at times, it’s easy to forget this show can still produce. But if we think about it, it’s no surprise that an episode focused on the backstory of Kevin Atwater, one of the best characters on the show and one that has consistently not gotten enough screen time would be this good. Especially when the backstory involves something we’ve wanted to see for a long time, and that has barely been mentioned — his father.
Way too often Kevin’s storylines have had to do with race, or have been riddled with stereotypes. For a long time, the show didn’t have anyone else to tell these stories, and it started to feel like Laroyce Hawkins was being tokenized. The addition of Benjamin Levy Aguilar changes the game a little bit, and this episode does a good job of not ignoring the realities of who Kevin is but telling a story that is about more than what we usually get to see.
It’s still a hard hour, it’s just so for a different reason. Stories of fathers and sons are often complicated, in fifty million different ways, because every relationship has its own nuances. Kevin didn’t have a dad, not really — not for a long time. But his dad is still around, and perhaps, that means there’s hope that one day, he can. It won’t be easy or straightforward, because there’s a lot of pain there, a lot of anger to process. But it’s a possibility. And sometimes we want to hang onto that.
There’s a moment in the episode where Adam — and everyone from him to Kim, without forgetting Dante and even Voight was there for Kevin in this hour — tells Kevin that he can be angry about the hand he was dealt. Kevin’s response is that he doesn’t have the luxury of anger, but that isn’t always something we can control. It would be super hepful if we could just tell anger to stay away, but life doesn’t work that way.
And in all honesty, if Kevin is ever going to get a place where he can have a relationship with his dad, maybe he needs to feel that anger — and truly confront it, which is what he starts doing in the conversation at the end of the episode. He got a raw deal, and yes, he made it work, as hard as it was, but that doesn’t mean everything is okay. And yes, he is the parental figure for his siblings, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still feel things for his own dad — their dad.
The path of healing, not just his relaitonship (which might never be truly healed), but for himself, is not straightforward or simple. But thankfully, Chicago P.D. 10×11 “Long Lost” did a good job of showing that one thing Kevin Atwater is not is alone. He’s got his siblings, yes, but he also has something just as important, people he can lean on. Sometimes the difference between having that and not having it is …well, it’s moving forward or not.
Things I think I think:
- It’s good to see Kevin and Kim get some time together, and good to see them make plans to spend time together outside of work — and with Makayla! Sometimes I wish we could see even glimpses of it, but I’ll take the mention over nothing.
- Kim looking out for Kev first gave me feels. It wasn’t even about hiding something, it was about breaking it to him and giving him time to process, if he needed to.
- Laroyce Hawkins this hour is …again, procedurals don’t get enough credit for the level of acting and it’s a shame.
- Adam is also really good this hour, being there, offering advice and also backing down when it feels like that’s what his friend needs.
- Good episode, all around. Imagine that.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. 10×11 “Long Lost”? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
