Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 4 ‘The After’ is about Voight, and about grief. Perhaps it’s about Voight processing the grief of his wife’s loss, at last. But for Voight, there’s always grief over grief that he has not let himself process. He’s lost too much. In fact, at times, it feels like all Voight has done is lose people, over and over again. And sure, sometimes that’s on him. But loss still piles up.
That’s particularly true about loss you don’t deal with. And if there’s one thing Hank Voight has never been good at is introspection. This episode forces him to do some of that, if only because ADA Chapman has become one of the few characters who not only pushes back — Hastead and Upton did that to a point — but who asks sincere questions, who wants to know Voight better.
MORE: Here’s our review of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 1! And here’s our review of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 2! And Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 3.
But it’s not just that she asks, that she tries, it’s that Voight lets her. It’s that he answers. That doesn’t necessarily have to turn romantic, though it wouldn’t really surprise me if the show were to go that way at this point. She’s already put her feelings on the table, and there’s no doubt that Voight feels something too or he wouldn’t have been so upset at what Chapman did. Either way, the connection feels more important than most of Voight’s relationships have. And, ironically, for a character that felt at first like she would just be another tool in Voight’s arsenal, it’s also starting to feel real.
Whatever the show chooses to do with their relationship, this episode is a monumental step forward for a character that has been stuck in the same place for what feels like seasons now. The problem with Voight has never been that the’s a morally grey character, the problem has always been the show’s unwillingness to allow any sort of growth to touch him.
Does a possible romantic relationship solve things? No. We’re far from making a character like Voight truly sympathetic, let that be clear. But the end of Season 11 and what we’ve seen of Season 12 do showcase a willingness on the part of the show to try. That feels like nothing to write home about, but considering it’s Voight, it’s actually a big deal.
MORE: What did we want from Chicago P.D. Season 12 and how are we doing on the scoreboard?
And sure, the copaganda is still strong in this episode. That part, well …Chicago P.D. hasn’t really reckoned with and it doesn’t feel like they’re any close to doing so. And yes, the Intelligence team is always in the right, so we’re supposed to look the other way when they’re a little rough with suspects, or when they break rules. The police are always right! They always have our best interests at heart. They always catch the bad guys!
Except we know, we’ve been known, it isn’t so. It never has been, really. But perhaps asking the show to allow Voight to grow and reckon with that is asking too much. They’ve already done more than I expected with the Voight storyline, I’m not going to lie. And right now, I can’t say I love it, but I can say I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would. Maybe I’m even kinda curious to see where it’s going. Shocking, I know. This is still Voight, we don’t have to forgive and forget. But we’ll take better writing every day.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 4 ‘The After’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
Voight cannot get romantically involved with Chapman ! That’s not who he is !!
And she’s NOT right for him !! She’s a good woman, but he has to be in control ! And she’s not under his control !! And she won’t be able to control him !! But it was a good episode, there’s just not a future for him with Chapman !!! He may never have a love interest!! What he needs, is his grandson back in his life !! Let’s see that happen !!
you definitely run an #upsteadforever twitter account