Chicago P.D. Season 12, Episode 20, “Black Ice” saw the show focus on Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger) as the team investigated a case involving sex trafficking. But the episode was pretty notorious not just for the focus on Ruzek and by default, on his partner and wife-to-be, Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati).
It was also pretty notable because of who wasn’t in the episode. We’ve already seen Dante Torres missing from multiple episodes of the show this season. But this time, Dante (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) wasn’t the one missing. Instead, it was Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) and Kiana Cook (Toya Turner). So, where were Kevin Atwater and Kiana Cook on Chicago P.D.?
Where are Kevin Atwater and Kiana Cook on Chicago P.D.?
The entirety of One Chicago has suffered from a case of disappearing characters this season, likely because episode minimums for all series regulars were lowered in an attempt to lower the costs for all series. That means that series regulars are no longer expected to appear in all episodes, which is why this episode had the absence of not one, but two of them. Typically, the show has been better about making sure only one of them was missing at a time, so their absence isn’t as obvious, but they might have felt that with a case focused on Adam, everyone would be focusing on Adam and Kim anyway.
It is indeed so, though Dante pops up to help in the investigation every now on then, likely because he was been missing for enough episodes that he doesn’t need to pull a disappearing act any longer. Voight is also around, though for Voight’s standards, he isn’t in the episode all that much.
With the last two episodes focusing on the team’s pursuit of Deputy Chief Reid (Shawn Hatosy), this was likely the last chance the show had to have an episode without any of the series regulars around. Chicago P.D. seems to be the one show of the One Chicago shows that has it easier when it comes to the budget cuts the other two are facing. They have a smaller cast, and could conceivably keep everyone going into Season 13 and then just play russian roulette of who is in which episode, just do it more often.
Or, if there is indeed a need to really cut someone, chances are they wouldn’t cut the characters who have been the longest. That, however, would be a real shame. Both Kiana and Dante have brought a lot of interesting dynamics that have yet to be explored to the team. With the promise of a shorter season next year and the way the show can just write out characters one episode or two at a time, often without giving explanations, why not just do that and not cut characters that they could keep?
Let’s hope they’re listening.
Chicago P.D. is available to stream on Peacock.
