Chicago P.D. Season 13, Episode 17 ‘Partners’ continues on a storyline that has made this season of the show one of the most enjoyable of late. The distribution of character-centric episodes has been off (I’ve seen too much of Dante and too little of Kim), but overall, the show is better because of the introduction of Imani and her dynamic with Voight. And Voight is better because of it, too.
Voight has been a hit-and-miss character for me, and it’s not because he’s morally grey. Morally grey characters are often some of the most interesting ones. At times, though, the show refused to let him be morally grey, even though they established him that way. At times, they came pretty close to portraying him as a hero who did what he had to do. And that… that doesn’t work.
A Voight who believes the end justifies the means works, however, when the show understands that in reality, they don’t. That the answer to a horrible thing shouldn’t be another horrible thing. And that Voight works better when he’s got a counterpart that can act like a mirror to what he’s doing.
But Voight isn’t used to that mirror. He isn’t used to having a partner, not anymore. He’s had people he’s been close to, including Jay and Hailey. But they never felt like his partners. No, the last partner Voight had was Olinsky. And he’s been gone for quite a while. So this is an adjustment for him. It’s an adjustment for Imani, too.
The fact that it’s not easy makes sense, and it also makes the storyline more interesting. Trusting someone is sometimes complicated. We don’t know enough about Imani. But what we do know points to her being someone who doesn’t trust easily. We do know enough about Voight to know the same applies to him.
Having a partner means sometimes relying on someone else’s instincts. And it also means asking for help when you need it. Neither of those things comes naturally to Voight or Imani. There are moments in this episode where Voight could have trusted Imani and where Imani could have trusted Voight. But in the end, they get there. In the end, they both take a leap.
Imani is going to need help to solve her sister’s case. Voight also needs a partner; he really, really does. That’s what the speech Rabbit gives Voight in this hour is really about. Voight needs that person. He hasn’t had it for a while. We thought he might with ASA Chapman. But here we are, again. With the promise of another dynamic that works even better than the one he had with Chapman. And honestly, we haven’t been this interested in where this show is going in quite a while.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Chicago P.D. Season 13, Episode 17 ‘Partners’? 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.
