Chicago P.D. is finally giving Voight the story he deserves after hinting at it throughout this last season. Chicago P.D. season 12 started strong by focusing on Voight in the aftermath of the season 11 finale, which saw Voight getting kidnapped by serial killer Frank Matson. This experience pushed Voight into his work even further, highlighting his motivation and passion for justice, something that is finally coming up again after the Chicago P.D. midseason break.
Since the beginning of Chicago P.D. season 12, the show has teased the moral compass of Charlie Reid, the new deputy chief of the Chicago Police Department. As Chicago P.D. is one of several shows in the One Chicago franchise, having suspicious characters is not new to the series. However, having suspicious colleagues is less common, and recent episodes have cemented the belief that Reid is dirty, something that Voight has found out too. With no Chicago P.D. season 13 announcement yet, Voight will have to solve his Reid problem soon, and I am excited to watch him do it.
Voight & Reid's Complicated Situation In Chicago PD Explained
The Pair Started Off As Adversaries From The Start
Reid first appears in Chicago P.D. season 12, episode 1, "Ten Ninety-Nine," and has appeared on and off since then. Despite his major role in the series, Reid starts as a side character before his storyline starts to slowly ramp up as the new Chicago P.D. season 12 villain. When he first appears in the premiere, the timing of his arrival is suspicious. He introduces himself to Voight and his team at a crime scene. However, his arrival is too quick, and his introduction is too friendly. Voight feels like something is off about Reid.
Reid's introduction also follows an intense mental breakdown for Voight. Following his abduction by Matson and his hallucination of Al revealing that it is not Voight's time to die yet, Voight has been using work as a way to ignore his overwhelming stress. With Voight's mental health in the balance, he knows he is close to crossing a line, and Reid's introduction is just what Voight does not need. That and the fact that Voight literally has blood on his hands when he meets Reid is a clever foreshadowing of their relationship.
Later, as Reid becomes a larger character, he somehow learns about Torres' relationship with his CI and the fact that Voight and his team covered for him. Rather than punish Voight's intelligence unit for crossing boundaries, Reid uses this information as blackmail. Now that he has Voight under his control, he can call in any favors he wants. While Reid's corruption is for the self-proclaimed greater good, he is a strong adversary to Voight, and that is enough for Voight to want to take him down.
Chicago PD Has Forgotten Voight's Ability To Play Politics
Voight Knows When To Wait
Voight's fight with Reid is a slow-burn storyline, and it is probably the best way the show can emphasize the stakes of the fight. With other Chicago P.D. villains, Voight has been known to go for the throat, but he can not do that this time. He needs to be slow and calculated, and the anticipation for the moment he and Reid finally have a stand down is almost too much.
Voight Gets A Credible Foe In Chicago PD That Actually Has Stakes
Reid Isn't A Regular Villain
The thing about Reid is that he is not like one of Voight's usual adversaries, like gang leaders or mob bosses. Instead, Reid is Voight's boss. He is also not entirely evil. He is most definitely corrupt, but so are most officers in the Chicago P.D. universe. However, Reid made a mistake. He thought he could use Voight as a means to achieve his plans, and he does not mind hurting a few innocent people while he is at it, as long as it measures out in the end.
