Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 5 ‘Water and Honey‘ is a very good episode for Dante Torres and Kiana Cook, and an episode that breathes a little life into a show that has started to feel stale. The case isn’t important, it hardly ever is in procedurals, what matters is that this hour proves that this show can be more than Voight and more than the same dynamics we have come to rely on.
That’s not only a great thing, it’s a necessary thing. The show has lost two main characters in the last two years, and it’s never about replacing them with the same, but it’s about finding new ways to tell stories people find interesting. Chicago Fire and Chicago Med have managed to do that better than Chicago P.D. And this hour, of course, doesn’t solve all this show’s issues. But it feels like a step in the right direction, nonetheless.
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!
WELCOME TO THE TEAM, KIANA COOK
Some things just work. It’s hard to explain why. Actors have chemistry, storylines take off and sometimes it’s hard to predict what will go well and what won’t. But Kiana Cook always felt like she was going to fit in with Intelligence and in her first time interacting with the full team, it’s easy to see that she does. That she will. That there’s a place for her in this team.
This is especially important in light of her instant connection with Torres, who has always felt like a man on an island on this team. Kim, Adam, and Kevin already have a bond, one that’s been forged through many years of being there for each other. And Kiana can obviously come and become part of the unit, but it’s good to see that her very specific first connection outside of what we saw with Adam is with Dante. That grounds her with the team, but it also grounds him and makes him feel less like an outsider when we’re in the middle of group dynamics.
It is only the beginning, of course. The story of these characters is far from over. But if this is the beginning, then it bodes well for what comes next.
MORE: Here’s our review of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 3. And here’s our review of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 4.
SO THIS IS WHO YOU ARE, DANTE TORRES
We knew some things about Dante Torres, already, of course. But considering how long he’s actually been around at this point, he’s still mostly an enigma. And part of that is that the show lost the character that had the best connection to him right after they brought him on in Jay Halstead, so it was hard to tell personal stories with him unless he was in the middle of it.
In this hour, though, because of the case, and because of the presence of Kiana Cook, we see a different side of Dante. We learn about a part of his past we didn’t know before. And we get a glimpse of what he could be …with a partner. It’s not all we want, but it is way more than we’ve gotten. And considering the door has already been opened, it’s likely we will learn much more as long as these characters are allowed to interact.
Like recognizes like and, in many ways, Dante and Kiana are the same. In many ways, though, they aren’t. Their paths have been different, and the ways they react are different as well. But perhaps, even those things will be good for them. Perhaps they can complement each other. And I don’t even mean that in a romantic way, I think.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 5 ‘Water and Honey’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
