Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 8 ‘Penance‘ is an episode about Torres, and an episode about the way this show—and this unit, can be a bunch of hypocrites when they choose to. Because I don’t remember Voight screaming “This is on all of us now,” when he killed someone, or when he was literally a dirty cop. No, it’s only on everyone in the unit when it’s someone else doing something they shouldn’t have.
And let’s be clear, we shouldn’t be defending Torres here. That’s why cop shows are so complicated. When the cops are doing good things, it’s basically the show selling the idea that cops are all good. And then the cops are breaking the law left and right, and they get away with it, though more realistic, the show is glamourizing the kind of cops that routinely get people killed by subscribing them altruistic reasons for what they do.
That doesn’t make Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 8 ‘Penance’ any harder to swallow. Within the fictional universe of this show, everyone, except Kim, is judging Dante hard. And again, if they were all innocent, I’d agree with that. But they’ve all made their questionable choices before and haven’t been judged as harshly as Dante was.
MORE: What did we want from Chicago P.D. Season 12 and how are we doing on the scoreboard?
Let’s not even get on Voight, who has made questionable choices a part of his DNA. This is what Chicago P.D. is, what it’s always tried to be, a show about a cop who doesn’t follow rules, who doesn’t care about them, but who somehow we’re meant to believe is doing it all in the pursuit of justice. It’s just that this only applies when it comes to Voight.
Ironically, the end of the episode introduces a wrinkle for the Intelligence Unit, though mostly for Voight. He’s always been the top dog, no matter what. Now, Chief Reid has something against him (which, does he have them bugged or what? how does he know?), and what he wants in exchange is for Voight to be his “friend.” We don’t know what that entails, but that friendship is sure to be costly for Voight, and for everyone else.
Of course, Voight will do it. He will play Reid’s friend until he either becomes his friend or Reid becomes a problem. And honestly, if Reid is willing to overlook what Torres did and the fact that the unit kept it secret, he’s not really someone to root for. But then again, isn’t that the point? No one in this show is. They never have been. This is why there should have been no real moral superiority in this hour, at least from anyone not named Kiana Cook. She’s now, so we can give her a pass.
The rest? They have their hands as dirty as Dante, if not more. That’s the premise of Chicago P.D., after all.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 8 ‘Penance’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
Our Chicago P.D. reviews:
Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 1
Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 2
Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 3
Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 4.
Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 5
Reid is dirty. I’ve never had a good feeling about him. How did he know the truth about Torres? Honestly, I kind of expected to find him dead when they opened the door after the gun fight. But that would be too easy.its not going to end good for him.
Voight would have never condoned sleeping with an informant at any point in his career. Heck he never really condoned romance in the unit. With that being said I do believe the episode was poorly done or frankly all of the new season for that matter. I personally believe the show lost its touch and we don’t really know who anyone is anymore. We might get an episode on them but then that whole plot line disappears for 10 episodes. In my opinion a show like Chicago PD is supposed to tell a story it’s not supposed to be hyper realistic. It’s about the gray area when it comes to doing the legal thing or illegal thing for the right cause. I don’t think anyone is supposed to look up to any of the characters but it does ask the viewer good questions. And to touch on Voight being a dirty cop. Voight want ever really “dirty” sure he crosses the line a lot for that matter but it’s never been about him but about others. Again that doesn’t really make what he does right but it’s an interesting storyline.
yes the team has made mistakes before but none of those mistakes ever put the team in jeapordy. also voight was mad mostly because torres took this long to tell him
“Because I don’t remember Voight screaming “This is on all of us now,” when he killed someone, or when he was literally a dirty cop.”
him killing people wasnt on the unit because they didnt know about it and were not involved at all. only people who knew were al and erin. if he ever get caught for his past killings only he would go to jail not team. in this case torres, kim, voight would go to jail.
teachers have made mistakes when they were students but they still criticize their own students no? same with parents with their children. its the same situation here. just because you make mistakes in the past doesnt mean you cant judge someone when they make mistake especially if that mistake could put in jail! adam has made many mistakes but that doesnt mean he cant be mad and scared the woman he wants to marry and has a kid with could go to jail.
okay jim then stop watching and fuck off! i hope something happen to you that make you cant watch show ever again!
voight, kiana, adam all had reasons to be upset with dante. voight was upset dante let it get this far. if he had come clean a year ago voight would be disappointed but not this upset. like voight use to say “tell me the truth so i can lie for you” kiana is upset she didnt have all the information before going undercover. adam is upset that kim could go to prison because of dante. yes kim made her own choice but she wouldnt have to make choice like that if dante didnt do crime in the 1st place. kim is right adam would do same as her but adam is right too. just because he would do it too doesnt make it right. and he would rather he go to jail than her anyday
didnt you praise jay when he punched voight? 😂 hypocricy