Intelligence is officially back!
But is it better than ever? The verdict on that isn’t out yet, since we didn’t get the team together as a unit until the close of Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 1.
The hour mostly served to remind us that Voight is still the King of the Streets, the action still flows, and new officer Ava Imani is the scrappy new stray that Voight has brought into the fold.
Truthfully, I loved the intent behind the Intelligence Unit’s road to getting back together, but the execution was still off for me.
It’s this lingering arc from the Chicago PD Season 12 Season Finale that didn’t necessarily fit.
One of the reasons that the season finale didn’t work as well is that it was so rushed. By abruptly killing Reid off by the end of the season, it resolved a story arc that had more legs than it could properly develop and make a real difference.
Reid’s disbanding of Intelligence was shocking, but then we barely had time to breathe and let it sink in before we were shuffling him offscreen, wrapping things up.
Sadly, because this fell between seasons, it feels like all the juicy bits that allow the impact to truly sink in take place offscreen, so it doesn’t feel as impactful to viewers as it does to the actual unit, no matter how much they sell it to us during the premiere.
Their frustration is palpable, as we know it has been a month since Reid tore them apart, but we don’t feel it; we can only empathize with the characters when we see them.
But the premiere does something that feels reminiscent of Chicago PD’s early days by taking us to the streets again. One of the most interesting things about Chief Reid was how he became what Voight was in the streets, only worse.
Voight, having ties to the community, connections, and the ability to engage the public, has always been where he thrives most and can be at his most interesting.
Working the streets as part of the Rapid Response Unit takes him back to his roots. That puts him back into the community where people know his name and respond accordingly.
And it also drives him to be more passionate about the job than ever before, because he reconnects with the people of Chicago whom he serves.
We saw how much sway he had with Aggie and her nephew, and how driven he was to find her killer when he heard she died on her way to the hospital.
It’s that type of grittiness that has always made Chicago PD great, and the premiere delivers on that with so much street action.
Of course, it’s always fascinating to see how Voight operates when he feels like his hands are tied behind his back. He doesn’t handle that well at all.
Every run-in with Commander Devlin was oozing with tension, and you could sense how antsy Voight was about the unit disbandment. My issue is that Devlin didn’t have the balls to tell Voight outright what his issues were.
To this second, I’m still unclear about why he has an ax to grind with the Intelligence Unit to the point where he could acknowledge that crime was on the rise and the city was suffering, but it was somehow better that they stay apart.
Devlin made it seem as if he didn’t want to put his neck out on the line prematurely if it could bite him in the butt, but wasn’t he screwing himself further and harming the city in the process?
Even if he wasn’t actively responsible for the police’s guns in that gun raid, he knew enough about it, so the selective caution on what he does and doesn’t want to do was questionable — or cowardice.
I hated how much he kept stringing Voight along when it was evident that he did not intend to reinstate the unit. He could’ve just come out with it rather than leaving people in flux.
However, it also looked incredibly bad, as if this elite unit, with the highest case closings in the city, had actually taken down a corrupt cop, and their reward for it was to be disbanded, demoted, and banished, with two of them losing their jobs altogether.
It sounds absolutely ludicrous!
Of course, Voight does what he does well, and I appreciate that, just like in the finale, he’s in this place where he tries to do things the right way and walk the straight line before he resorts to alternative means.
He does it repeatedly. And we got a great look at that during the hour, because in the end, his own moral code trumps everything else.
It was always going to end with Voight blackmailing and threatening Devlin to get what he needed, but, hey, we can’t even blame him for it. Devlin was a cowardly weasel, and Intelligence’s return would not have happened without that move.
And much of that is thanks to Eva Imani as well. One can already tell that she’s Chicago PD’s newest prized character, and we got that through her very strong introduction that made a hell of an impression.
In the month since disbandment, they acknowledged that Kiana Cook had joined another precinct permanently. It’s an anticlimactic exit, and I’ll always maintain that the character deserved so much better, but I can’t have expected anything more as far as acknowledgement.
Now, we have a tenacious Eva Imani who is a force to be reckoned with. She’s certainly a colorful addition to Voight’s merry band of misfits when it comes to the unit. The hour goes out of its way to showcase why she’s a decent choice to join the team.
For starters, her dynamic with Voight is key, as they worked closely together and developed a healthy sense of respect for each other, despite Imani’s visible issue with authority.
By the hour’s conclusion, it’s evident that Voight respects how Imani is in the job for the right reasons. She didn’t mind fumbling up an investigation with ATF if it meant getting a perp who was responsible for the deaths of multiple people.
Imani is in it for the justice and the right reason, and she doesn’t mind burning bridges or pissing people off if it comes to that to ensure that the right thing is done.
It’s something Voight picked up on once he got past her defiance, rebellion, and disregard for him or his ranking. Imani is unapologetic, and it’s something that Voight respects.
They worked well together throughout the hour, so it wasn’t a shock that he would want her to fill in the slot on his unit. She covered for him twice, at the scene when she didn’t rat him out to Burgess, and when she lied for him regarding his involvement in the case.
Her strong sense of loyalty in that regard and her moral compass when it comes to the greater good align with all that Voight likes and looks for, and that makes her a solid addition to the unit.
However, her inability to play well with others will definitely be different from what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. In that sense, it’s clear they were “moving in a different direction” by pursuing this type of arc rather than sticking with someone who is a bit more harmonious.
It’s easy to see that Imani would cause conflict at times, and we’ve seen glimpses of how she interacts with others. She was a spitfire with Ruzek.
She ran roughshod with Atwater during the sting scene, and she seemed irked by Burgess, but there wasn’t anything too overt there. We still have to see how her personality works with everyone.
Voight is also giving her a long leash, by his own words, so that’ll make things interesting.
Imani came in hot with a strong personality, and there are aspects of that which still feel like they’re revamping some older dynamics.
It’s easy to see how someone giving Voight the business rather than immediately falling in line could appeal to many. It’s her approach with the others that may be a determining factor in things.
I’m still unsure, but I’m not trying to judge too much; I’d love to know what everyone else thinks.
Other Thoughts:
- Trudy nagging Voight was one of my favorite bits. I love their dynamic so much, and the series already wins by delivering on our favorite character in this way.
- Burgess going absolutely insane at home trying to do housework when she was itching to get on the streets was hilarious. I loved it.
- Eva Imani feels like a bolder, sassier version of Hailey when she was in her Mini Voight Era. We shall see.
- It’s actually too bad we couldn’t have both Kiana and Imani. They’d have a real Fire and Ice, Calm and Chaos vibe that would’ve been killer to watch. Bummer.
- Holy HOTNESS that Burzek opener sure as heck burned up the screen. Married life is treating them well, I see. Breaking beds and hearts with that one.
- Burgess kicking ass was everything!
- Torres didn’t even have to be in this episode. I’m curious to see how he reacts to returning to the job. He internalizes and beats himself up a lot; surely, he still feels guilty about all of this.
- So, Chapman is no longer speaking to Voight. It’s the end of an era, eh?
- Did anyone catch why Voight was looking at the fireplace?
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