Chicago P.D. 11×11 “The Water Line” is a disappointing mega-procedural hour for a character that, more often than not, gets the more procedural “character-centric” hours in this show. It’s not very deep, and it doesn’t give us too much insight into who Kevin Atwater is, or reveal anything particularly new about his character. Instead, it’s just …an episode of TV. That’s it.
In Season 11. Not just that, but in episode 11 of a 13-episode season. In one of the few hours that is supposed to be about Kevin Atwater. And this is what we get, an episode that feels like it’s fulfilling a contractual obligation.
The issues are not with LaRoyce Hawkins, who as always delivers a great performance with a character that isn’t always as deep as he makes it seem. There’s warmth in Kevin Atwater, and there’s quiet confidence, and sometimes joy and quiet friendship and so many of these things are just there, in the background. Not always the type to be written into a script, but the things that being part of a long-running procedural gives you, particularly when the actors have time to inhabit their characters and become close with their castmates.
But writing-wise, Hawkins always gets the same kind of storylines and rarely gets to play in a different sandbox that allows him to flex his acting muscles. We haven’t even really seen the show focus on the two close friendships he has within the Intelligence team, Kim and Adam, in a while. It’s always either his family or a racially tinged case. That’s what this show likes to use Kevin Atwater for.
That is all they like to use him for.
His relationships within the team don’t grow. For a second there, it looks like he was going to bond with Dante, but we really haven’t gotten to see that. If we’re supposed to believe he did bond with Hailey, most of that happened off-screen. His relationship with Voight is ….eh, is. The show has never really cared to go deep into that.
Instead, let’s focus on his family! But not all of his family, just the bad parts. Bring in the dad! Only when he can bring drama, though. If he gets his life together, what’s the point? Oh, and a love interest for Kevin? One that lasts? Why would we do that? That’s not interesting!
Chicago P.D. 11×11 “The Water Line” is not the exception, it’s the rule, the latest in a long line of mistakes this show is determined to continue making, particularly with Kevin Atwater. Eleven seasons in, it’s hard to keep alive any hope that they will, at any point in the near future, figure it out.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. 11×11 “The Water Line”? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays on NBC.
The show is stale and recycles plots over and over. I miss the early seasons and the humor. I think they should do a finale where Voight and Trudy retire, Kim and Adam have a wedding, Kevin’s siblings come back (remember Vanessa?), and the three remaining originals, Adam, Kim, and Kevin, finally get promoted to detective. Then call it a day.
Omg you are literally saying all the things that my sister and I talk about. This show was so good in the early seasons and did a great job of bringing the personal lives and cases together. Now they just lack in every sense of the word. They either need new writers or a new show runner because the storylines are STALE. Kevin’s storyline even more so. I even agree with the previous comment here.