Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 13 ‘Street Jesus’ feels like a step forward for a show that has been very inconsistent of late. Kevin Atwater episodes are always a highlight for Chicago P.D., even if the fact that we gotta refer to them as “Kevin Atwater episodes” is part of the problem. And yet, ‘Street Jesus’ doesn’t just give us more about Kevin—and even tease his new relationship, it also surprisingly remembers that this team is that, a team.
It’s just little moments, but when you’re watching a weekly procedural, that’s all you need. Sure, Adam and Dante being there for Kevin’s fundraiser is just a convenient way to have all of them together when the case starts. But even that is more than we actually get, particularly outside of the Intelligence bullpen. I was starting to believe these people never spent time together outside of work.
Here, there’s not just that! There’s Kim comforting Kevin, and even joking around with him in the middle of a case. There’s Kevin trusting Adam and Adam keeping a secret for Kev because his friend asked it of him—even if he doesn’t think that’s the right call. There’s even Voight telling Kevin not to lie to him, to tell him the truth so he can lie. And then there’s Adam being the voice of reason when Kevin needs him to be. Again, tiny moments, but moments that feel fundamental not just to Kevin Atwater as a character, but to the team dynamics.
Even the little we get of Kevin and Val is great because setting up a romantic love interest for anyone on this team is hard even when the characters are on screen all the time, like Burzek, but almost impossible when one character only pops up every few episodes. For us to be able to invest in Kev and Val we need these moments. We need Val advising Kev not to try to be “all things to all people.” Because that proves she understands him.
In the end, the episode ends up being too much about the case, as a lot of Chicago P.D. episodes are. And we still have to put up with a tiny bit of Voight acting morally superior over Kevin Atwater keeping secrets, like he has any moral high ground. But there’s enough in the hour to feel hope that this show can, somehow, take the necessary step forward into a procedural that utilizes its ensemble cast instead of one that treats every series regular who isn’t the “character of the week” like a well-paid extra.
The fact that they can do it doesn’t mean they will, however. That’s always been the problem. Chicago P.D. can be better. It just consistently refuses to be.
Are you excited for Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 13 ‘Street Jesus’? Share with us in the comments below! And if you have your own opinion on the show, leave a review/rating on our Chicago P.D. hub!
Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
