Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 15 Finally Establishes the Depths of Reid’s Villainy

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

Reid really is a younger, eviler Voight!

One thing I can say about Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 15 is that it’s one of those installments that will require multiple viewings.

The hour juggled many moving pieces to lay more groundwork for how sinister the season’s antagonist is thus far.

As much as I wanted to throw all my energy into dissecting every bit of Queen Chapman’s return, the confounding Reid of it all overshadowed everything.

And there were bigger issues to address for those of us intrigued by the state of Voight and Chapman’s relationship when she departed during Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 with that jaw-dropping confession.

The two have their hands full attempting to expose and take down Reid or, at the very least, free Voight and the rest of Intelligence from beneath his thumb.

Have I mentioned how much I freaking LOVE Shawn Hatosy?! He’s one of my favorite actors and is particularly great and adept at playing a “bad guy.”

Every scene Reid appeared in was more discomfiting than the previous one. He oozes shadiness in everything he says and does.

It’s also challenging to determine if and when he’s telling the truth or flat-out lying. He’s difficult to read.

The only consistent thing about him is that he makes your skin crawl because even when he’s smiling in someone’s face and generously using words like “friend,” there’s nothing trustworthy about him.

The case was one of those convoluted ones that sent you in several different directions as you tried to dissect its many facets.

The shots ringing out and killing the bus driver at the top of the hour was sad. Voight was so fixated on trying to save that poor man that it didn’t even register that the guy was long gone until Burgess intervened.

From that point on, Intelligence was immersed in a gang war situation that resulted in more than its fair share of bodies.

The subsequent death was upsetting because the sister didn’t trust or believe in the cops and their ability to find who was responsible for shooting up her house and killing her brother.

As frustrating as it was for her to bite Kiana’s head off at the scene, it’s also one of those things where you sympathize when certain communities and neighborhoods have poor experiences with law enforcement, and the people who swear they’ll serve and protect don’t do either for them.

But Voight is always a man of his word and was willing to follow this case through to the end.

Voight’s seasoned time on the streets and interacting with the real people of Chicago come out in all these little moments. His slick move of retrieving footage of the shooting from a kid’s phone without making that child a target or hemming the boy up for “snitching” and talking to cops was brilliant.

It was a small scene that served as a reminder that throughout the series, Voight’s ability to listen to the streets and connect with them has always been where he shined.

However, it has taken a backseat for a while now.

Maybe the point was to remind us of what Voight used to be. Reid reflects some of the worst aspects of Voight’s operation back in the day.

We had a lot of back and forth. Kiana’s undercover moment was a particular standout.

She played that role perfectly, so much so I couldn’t stop laughing at her performance.

She was the ultimate badass when she tackled the one dealer and scored that arrest. It was great to see that action-oriented part of her character again.

But frankly, when it comes to Kiana, there are no misses. She’s been such a great addition to this series and genuinely refreshing as a character. She’s a natural fit for this team, and I cherish each of her moments.

The hour had Cookwater working together, which was fun all on its own. They pair nicely together, which is no surprise, especially for the two most amenable unit members.

It’s redundant to point it out, but Kiana hasn’t found a dynamic yet that she cannot make work. She’s great with everyone and plays off the other characters well.

It wasn’t lost on a girl that when things looked dicey when she was undercover, Torres was ready to take action. We’ve never gotten any more conversations between the two about Gloria and how he put Kiana’s life at risk, but it’s evident they reached an understanding.

Torres will never let anything like that happen again. The little nuggets we get of their specific partnership are great because they’re building in a manner that we used to see with some of the other great partnerships and duos of the past.

It was also hot as hell, but on a shallow note, everything Torres did during this installment was attractive. The leaning in the corner during the interrogation, or that shot of him with the gun as they breached the perpetrator’s house? All delectable.

But this was heavily a Voight installment. I’m at a loss for how he can kick Reid to the curb because it’s not looking great.

Chapman breezed back into town, smiling and elated to share a room with Voight again. He seemed a bit awkward and tried to deflect.

But then he filled her in on his experience with Reid, leading her to look into the guy.

Reid pulled the same stunts back in Detroit, threatening people and using things as leverage to get what he wanted and make others do his bidding.

It was concerning for Chapman that she not only got a front-row seat to how Reid manipulated Voight, but it felt as if they fell into his trap when that situation with the lawyer came up.

Having Chapman back means we have that one person who attempts to pull Voight from the edge and keep him grounded. With such a formidable foe in Reid, it’ll take both of them to possibly color outside the lines to bring Reid down.

The lawyer situation was where things got confusing and messy. One minute, Kaiden refused to cooperate and wasted their time, asking for pop and playing games.

Shortly after, he signed a confession, cried, and poured his heart out.

Reid arranged for this dirty criminal lawyer on the take to represent this kid, coerce him into taking a deal, and screwed him over to make this case.

The other victim’s sister from the top of the hour was dead by the end of it, joining her brother after all.

And once Voight called Reid out on his actions, he copped to what we suspected.

He has an unorthodox approach to running the streets by keeping the people he has deals with, like the big-time drug dealer he has on the take, in power and shutting down all the others.

Reid gets to control all sides, whether it’s judges, other cops, or criminals, and all in the name of his version of the “greater good.”

He’s similar to old-school Voight in that way. The reality check-in had to be jarring for Voight and maybe even some viewers. But what’s next?

Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.

How are you feeling about Reid?

Are you bummed we didn’t get more Voight/Chapman content?

Hit the comments below!

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