Chicago PD's new promo photos have us stressed about this character's absence

   

CHICAGO P.D. -- "Open Casket" Episode 12021 -- Pictured: LaRoyce Hawkins as Officer Kevin Atwater -- (Photo by: Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

We're coming down to the wire on Chicago PD. The procedural drama only has two episodes left in season 12, and there is a lot of story to wrap up. The Burzek wedding is top of the list, but a close second is the takedown of Chief Deputy Charlie Reid (Shawn Hatosy). All hands will be on deck to ensure this crooked superior gets the outcome he deserves. Or so we thought.

The promo photos have been released for the penultimate episode of the season, "Open Casket," and several PD characters can be seen piecing together a case against Reid. There is, however, one notable cop missing, and it's Kiana Cook (Toya Turner). She's nowhere to be seen in the photos, which has us stressed, considering she missed the episode before ("Black Ice") as well.

Cook is seemingly missing in "Open Casket"

We know that Cook is the newest, and therefore least experienced member of the IU, but she has proven to be an invaluable presence during season 12. She's managed the very difficult task of filling the void left by Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), and her friendship with Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) has been one of the most intriguing developments in recent PD memory.

We know that One Chicago has made a point of benching certain characters in episodes in which they aren't needed. The franchise has been renewed with the caveat of cutting down on the cost of episodes, and as such, characters like Cook will miss the occasional story. We even ran out a piece on how it was a good thing One Chicago sidelined several characters during the episodes that aired on May 7.

Cook was one of these characters, and the assumption we had going into the two-part Chicago PD finale was that it was done in order to ensure Cook was around for the important stuff. After all, it was the actress playing Cook, Toya Turner, who promised the IU was "coming for Reid's a*s" during a chat with TV Line. We figured she would be part of this mission.