Chicago P.D. Season 13, Episode 11 ‘On the Way‘ is a case-centric episode, as so much of this show’s hours are, but it’s also an episode about Kevin and what he wants out of his life. And that, well, that’s a really good thing. Even if we spend the entire episode waiting for him to send one measly text. Even if it’s all building to that final, big moment.
Sometimes we get case episodes on this show that give us nothing other than a case, whether it’s well-done or not. This one gives LaRoyce Hawkins a chance to have Kevin sit with the question of: what does he have outside of his job? And almost as importantly, what does he want? What steps can he take to actually build something else? As Kim says, the job can’t be everything. It shouldn’t be.
Hilariously, it’s Kim who has to say this because for everyone else on this show, the job is basically everything. Dante doesn’t really have a life, and the less we say about his romantic entanglements, the better. He has his mom, and that’s about it. We don’t know too much about Imani yet, but it doesn’t seem like she’s got much of a support system of her own, either. She’s too much like Voight for it.
And then there’s Hank Voight, who has done his very best to push away anyone he might have had, so now he has nothing. And in many ways, it feels like he prefers it that way. If you don’t have anyone, if you don’t care about anyone, then no one can hurt you.
So, seeing Kevin struggle with sending that text to Tasha, seeing him reach for something other than what the unit has led us all to believe he can have, is a great thing. Particularly considering he’s had some bad luck in love. But it’s also a good thing to see him connecting to someone while on the case, in a way that feels real.
Because who does Kevin actually connect to? Who are his friends outside of the precinct? He has a family, yes, one he mostly takes care of. He’s had girlfriends, and every one of those relationships has ended. He has Burgess and Ruzek, yes, but they have each other and a kid and Disco Bob and a life, so it’s hard. And sure, this kid isn’t actually his friend, but for a moment there, it feels like he could be.
Kevin deserves more than a life that is just about duty, about the work. People around him know it. And by the end of the episode, he knows it too. He reaches out. And what he finds is that… there might be more out there for him. There might be a life he didn’t think he could have. One he didn’t even know he wanted until it was right there in front of him. And one he’s meeting with a smile.
Look, I gasped when Tasha said she was pregnant. And I sat there, like you probably did, just waiting to see what Kevin’s answer would be. But deep down, I already knew what he was going to say. Because we know Kevin. We know the kind of guy he is. A good man. And if given the chance, probably a good partner and a good father. Now, we get to go on that journey with him. And I’m as excited as I’ve been about a personal story in this show in quite a while.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. Season 13, Episode 11 ‘On the Way’? 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.
