Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 9 ‘Friends and Family’ is a surprising episode—in a good way. Kiana Cook was shaping up to be the kind of character we knew, the kind of character we could predict… until Chicago P.D. threw a curveball our way. Yeah, in many ways, she’s still the person we predicted she’d be, the person she has shown herself to be so far. But, she is also in so many ways, very much not. And that’s interesting.
Characters who go against the stereotype or are infinitely more interesting than characters who stick to the stereotype to a “T” and Chicago P.D. has often been guilty of the second, particularly when it comes to POC. The fact that they didn’t when it comes to Kiana Cook is a good thing, and it will make getting to know more of her and seeing the contradictions in the way she reacts to different situations in the future even better.
Because yeah, she’s the daughter of a hard-working dad. She’s hard to work hard to get to where she is. She’s got a chip on her shoulder. But she’s also the daughter of a rich mother, a rich family, one who placed expectations on her that she likely could never fulfill. One who now, apparently, has expectations on her again.
MORE: What did we want from Chicago P.D. Season 12 and how are we doing on the scoreboard?
How does that person become a cop? We don’t know yet, but one thing is for sure, I’m really, really interested in finding out. Way more than I was before I got all of this backstory on her. Just as I’m interested in how the person Kiana Cook is, considering that backstory, forms a relationship with the people in Intelligence.
We’ve gotten to see a little bit already. With Adam, with who she already seems to have a good basis for friendship, if not already what I would call one. Kim, who she’s already had a few moments with. With Dante, and there’s truly so much there now that feels like could work because they’re alike and yet they’re so different. And with Kevin, because similarly, they’re alike but they’re so different. And in this episode, she even had a really nice moment with Voight.
So yeah, it’s only been a few episodes, but the verdict is clear: Kiana Cook works. She’s already made this show much better than it was before she became part of it. And we’re really, really glad to be saying that.
Are you excited for Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 9 ‘Friends and Family’? Share with us in the comments below!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
As far as a crime show episode though this was badly written and if you had to say it out loud you would think it makes no sense. Kiana is a decent character but the fact that she comes from money and just so happens to witness the father in the car accident is a strange premise forced so we can see her POV. In the end when they finally interrogate the accomplice he confesses that the kids are at the boyfriend’s cousin’s house. Kiana runs out of the room to take action. No context to confirm which cousin or address. The house turns out to be an abandoned old building which again makes no sense. The police not being able to supply 300G to save kids also makes no sense.