Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
4.1
Are your heads still spinning from Nina Chapman’s parting words, Chicago PD Fanatics?
With Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4, we get a disturbing serial rape case that haunted Voight because of it being one of his few unsolved cases.
On top of that, it was the first case he took on after his wife died, leading to an hour of Chicago PD that touched on that lingering grief while presenting new opportunities.
Voight Revists Grief and Loneliness Since Losing Camille in Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4
Chicago PD Season 12 has done well thus far by exploring its characters during select installments while still balancing cases and many of the other unit members.
In many ways, this installment was no exception.
The focus shifted toward Voight from the moment Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 started, and we saw him dealing with the grief that bubbled to the surface when water damage nearly ruined all of Camille’s things.
The fact that Voight still has so many of Camille’s belongings only confirms that he’s never gotten over or rather moved past grieving his wife.
Camille’s death still weighs so heavily on him, and it largely has influenced how he’s carried himself for as long as we’ve known him.
As awkward as it was that Nina made such honest observations about Voight in the middle of a stakeout, she isn’t wrong in admitting how difficult it is to picture Voight as someone who belonged to a person.
We’re Learning New Sides to Voight in Chicago PD Season 12
He’s been a lone wolf for as long as we’ve known him, trying to keep everyone at arm’s length and maintain a level of emotional distance even from those closest to him.
Clearly, Voight has never loved the same way, and we’ve accepted that part of him for as long as the series has been on the air.
As much as we’ve gotten to know Voight over the years, it’s interesting that the episode chose to explore this particular angle for him.
Voight’s loneliness is this heavy cloak that lays over him that largely goes unaddressed even though everyone sees and knows it to be true.
We’ve seen glimpses of moments when happiness didn’t seem like an illusion for him, whether it was spending time with his grandchild, his deep connection with Anna, or his attachment to Noah.
He innately craves some deeper connection, and interestingly, with Hailey’s departure and his near-death experience, he’s at a fascinating crossroads.
A Rape Case Sparks Voight’s Desire to Make Right on Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4
Instinctively, he wants to still shut people out, but he’s also taken to expressing his care with many others.
But no matter how panicked he sounds when he fears one of Intelligence is in trouble or how often he slips and calls someone by their first name, it doesn’t compare to what he’s developed with Chapman.
The second Nina rode shotgun with Voight to a crime scene; it was clear that she would be devoted to this case and work alongside Intelligence full-on.
And frankly, it’s a good thing she did, as she offered a fresh perspective and great energy and proved to be an asset.
Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 was one of the first installments in which we saw how capable Chapman is on the job.
She was remarkable with the original rape victim, offering that soothing and reassuring quality and tone that put that poor woman at ease.
Nina Chapman was a Great Asset and Breath of Fresh Air
She stepped in instantly, recognizing that the woman probably didn’t feel comfortable around men after what had happened to her.
Her approach was reminiscent of Torres’ soothing nature and asking for permission when he worked a rape case last season. Both would be great on Law & Order: SVU.
By being there for that situation, Nina was committed to the case all the way through, but the other angle was learning that this case was connected to an unsolved one from Voight’s past during a particularly difficult time in his life.
Nina was so curious and eager to prod into Voight’s life to learn more about him, and while you couldn’t blame her, given how enigmatic he is, it was so bold on her part.
Nina’s meeting with Suzanne, who thought she was the last of this predator’s victims, also contributed to her wanting to see this through.
Nina’s Devotion to the Case Stemmed From Multiple Places
And once she got invested, there was no stopping her.
It was nice having her play such a prominent role in this episode, especially given the topic.
Trudy also made her appearance and was valuable in assisting with the case.
Burgess was there, but not really, so the female’s perspective was appreciated.
In a case like this, Nina showed that she isn’t afraid to bend or break the rules for the greater good.
She cut corners that hopefully won’t affect her or Voight later on when she acquired that warrant under false pretenses.
But if she didn’t go that route, Penn would’ve assaulted and killed the woman he held hostage.
Two Offenders Made for a Frustrating Case
Penn was a sick individual, and so was Hogan for assisting him.
Not even his illness was enough to stop Penn from assaulting women again; he only found a new method to meet his needs using Hogan.
Hogan was a beast. Inarguably, the most exciting moment of the hour was watching Atwater and Torres go toe-to-toe with this hulk of a man.
He whooped both of their asses for a bit, but the fight sequence was exciting to watch all the same. Torres managed to get in more licks and have better luck, but that’s not surprising since fighting is his middle name.
We also had some great partnerships with him and Voight, which was a less-used but just as fun dynamic to explore.
Burgess took such a backseat that she probably didn’t have to be in this particular episode. And Ruzek had some shining moments, including using the battering ram.
Dropping the Effects of Martel’s Death is Unusual
Treating some of these episodes like one-offs has worked in many ways, but it falters when the entire unit, especially Ruzek, is dealing with Martel’s death.
This traumatic thing happened, and we’re barely addressing it anymore.
It’s probably something that we won’t revisit again until we get a Burgess or Ruzek episode, preferably Burgess, since she has reappeared with little fanfare, and we haven’t gotten to see or hear much of her reaction or how she’s dealing with this either.
That’s where it feels like we’ve missed out on some things.
But we’re getting interesting elements in return for them.
Nina Doesn’t Hold Back on Feelings for Voight in Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4
Even with how things were building between Nina and Voight during this entire installment and Nina increasingly sharing things that were tipping her hand, it was still a shock when she confessed her feelings for Voight.
In typical Nina Chapman fashion, she did it in a direct, rather badass way while telling Voight about himself and confidently acknowledging that they don’t have to mention it again.
Then she left for her two-month trip to Denver, and, like Voight, I was left tongue-tied and trying to figure out how to react to all of this.
Nina has been interested in Voight since they first met, so it’s not even a surprise that she has feelings for him; it’s just shocking that she acknowledged them out loud to him and that the series dared to address it.
She was right to question Voight’s constant assertion that it’s somehow his job to protect everyone around him and that they can’t and shouldn’t do it in kind.
He’s gone off on almost all of Intelligence over trying to look out for him in some capacity or another.
But he can’t approach Nina with this same attitude because she doesn’t work for him and doesn’t have to answer to him.
She’s right that Voight genuinely struggles to let people care for him, which speaks to him not feeling worthy of care in the first place.
A Symbolic Hour Suggests that Nina is a Possible New Chapter for Voight
It’s not lost that in an installment where Camille’s boxes of clothes and belongings were damaged because they had been sitting in the basement too long, prompting him to figure out what to do next with them, Nina expressed her affection for Voight.
It’s like Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 forced him to confront his grief over Camille and acknowledge that she’s gone while introducing the prospect of something more for Voight in the future.
But should Chicago PD Season 12 go there after all these years?
Let us know in the comments below.
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