Even the other shows in the One Chicago universe aren’t immune to this type of storyline. Lenox appeared to be something of an antagonist when she first joined Chicago Med. The man who killed Monica Pascal in Chicago Fire isn’t technically an antagonist, but his actions carry through multiple episodes in some unexpected ways. But Chicago PD is better set up to incorporate true villains into its season-long story arcs, and some seasons have accomplished that much better than others.
Chicago PD Season 6, Episode 22 Is Jesse Lee Soffer’s Pick For The Show’s Best Outing
He Felt It Was The Best Episode They’ve Done To Date
Speaking with Access Hollywood in 2019, Soffer opined that the season 6 finale “Reckoning” was the best Chicago PD episode they’d ever filmed to date. Remarking on the series’ overall quality, Soffer stated, “And it keeps getting stronger, too. Our episodes are even better.” Soffer didn’t need to be pressed for more information. Without missing a beat, Soffer specified that, “Like, we just filmed our [season 6] finale, and I think it’s the best episode we’ve ever done.” This is undoubtedly a bold claim for any one episode of a long-running series, but Soffer’s opinion certainly isn’t without merit.
Why Chicago PD Season 6, Episode 22 Is So Great
It Raises The Stakes In More Than One Way
When comparing earlier seasons of Chicago PD to now, it’s clear the show has changed significantly for the better. Unsurprisingly, season 6 fell in the middle of that transition, when certain aspects of the series had improved yet Voight playing dirty was still very much part of the show’s identity. What makes “Reckoning” such a great season finale is that Voight’s more corrupt practices are actually being used to fight legal corruption at a higher level. It raises the intriguing moral question of whether Voight’s corruption is justified for its use in stopping an even more corrupt politician.
“Reckoning” concludes the story of Brian Kelton, a CPD superintendent and front-running mayoral candidate with ties to several murders and coverups. To keep Intelligence occupied and off his back, Kelton has Internal Affairs investigate Dawson’s accidental killing of suspect Jason Rizzo, which results in Ruzek being arrested for obstruction after it’s learned that he lied to help clear Dawson’s name. With the polls declaring Kelton mayor and Ruzek sitting in jail, it seems as if Kelton’s won until he’s found shot to death that night. The last few moments of the episode establish both Dawson and Voight as potential suspects.
What Chicago PD Season 13 Can Learn From “Reckoning”
Blurring Lines Between Justice And Corruption Makes Things Interesting
Chicago P.D.'s storylines try to represent real police work with its characters. As a result, each Intelligence Unit member has a unique call sign.
Many refer to media in which these actions are characterized heroically as “copaganda,” but that never feels quite like the case in Chicago PD season 6, episode 22. The powerful cliffhanger, in which Kelton seems to have beaten the CPD from beyond the grave, works because Voight’s believable as a murder suspect. The episode’s cliffhanger ending succeeds in raising whether good or evil will triumph, partly because the line between the two is already blurred. Given the political climate in which the show is currently being made, that could be a powerful question to revisit in upcoming seasons.
