Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 17 Challenges Atwater & Val’s Relationship (And Our Feelings About Shipping Them)

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

Just when I thought Atwater would be rolling up to Burzek’s wedding solo, he and Val pulled through in the end.

After the events of Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 17, they seemed like a doomed couple, so the fact that they ended on such a promising note was one of the biggest surprises of the hour.

“Transference” had relationship woes, a stalker, murder, robberies, and sadly, no Torres.

It’s always interesting to see how unit members catch cases; this was no exception.

One minute, Atwater was on a dinner date with Val, which got more awkward by the second, and the next thing you know, gunshots erupted, and a man died in front of Atwater’s eyes.

The suddenness of that was worrisome, as we didn’t know what to anticipate when Atwater headed toward the gunfire rather than away. Things intensified the second he happened across Nick in the alleyway, and we had to wonder if this kid was behind everything or had maybe seen it.

My heart went out to that older man because I couldn’t help but wonder if Atwater had gotten to him sooner, called the ambulance, or called back up quicker if he would’ve had a fighting chance.

With just Atwater on the scene, he had to choose between Nick and attending to a civilian; then, he had to clear the house before focusing on this man.

And the ambulance was too far away. I hated that for Kevin. How traumatizing to witness that, yet there was Val, and with her came a whole new batch of trauma.

I couldn’t figure out what the issue was with Val. Even before everything kicked off, she felt randomly cold toward Atwater. When she realized he had left a shirt at her house, she shut down on him as if he was trying to move in with her or something.

Sometimes, a shirt is just a shirt, not this ultimate sign of a lifetime commitment.

And it felt like she was withholding information well before she even knew what was happening in the case to hold back. I felt like she knew more than she let on the entire time.

It was surprising that she didn’t have the wealth of information she had kept from Kevin before they found out about Nick. Whatever it is about Val, she always reads as if she’s shrouded in secrecy and maybe has ulterior motives, and I don’t know what to do with that.

The whole situation with Nick was frustrating. By the end, we could adequately read between the lines and understand that she and Nick were both guilty of transference.

However, that didn’t make Val’s actions throughout the entire hour any easier to accept or accept. She felt more of a hindrance than anything during this case, which was maddening.

I understand that Nick wasn’t a bad kid and had some psychological issues, but it was more of a reason why he needed help she couldn’t provide.

In her efforts to shield Nick from everything, she constantly endangered herself, him, and others. She didn’t seem to look at things from that perspective, though.

Even a mostly harmless stalker is still a stalker, and that’s a problem. Sure, he transferred all these maternal feelings to her, but what if he did it to someone else?

Nick was creepy with how he went about things. When he called Kevin out by name, it was disturbing, and I don’t know too many people who would put up with something like that or extend grace because he’s mourning his mother.

Even how he orchestrated an apology from Kevin and a chance to talk with Val before he identified the actual killer was irritating. Where’s the genuine concern about the lives at stake?

The stalker as a red herring was a nice touch because it mostly served as a conflict point in Atwater and Val’s relationship.

Boyd was the actual murderer, and he had no qualms about taking Nick out, either. Fortunately, with another dead perpetrator on the books this season, we don’t have to worry about Boyd any longer.

I don’t know what to make of Nick, though. And it still bothers me that Val made this case so much harder by putting herself in harm’s way and not listening to Kevin when it called for it because he had the nerve to be concerned.

The hour placed Atwater and Val’s relationship under a scope and did it in front of his unit, too. Voight couldn’t fathom how Val was such an obstacle during this case.

Ruzek mostly tried to stay out of it, and in a rare but welcome Burgwater pairup, Burgess just wanted to ensure her best friend was okay and was there to keep him in line during the tense moments of this case as it continued to hit close to home.

By the end of the hour, we had more insight into their bond. Val and Atwater are more similar than different in approaching their jobs and people.

It’s part of why they clashed so much. But Val also seems to have a lot of emotional baggage that she can’t really unpack, and this didn’t make me confident about their relationship.

When she lost her mother, she shut down, which is why she had that connection with Nick, but it also keeps standing in the way of her and Atwater.

I don’t know if I can buy that she’s willing to go from keeping things light to jumping into a real relationship with Atwater so easily and quickly. It feels like she still has walls up.

After her experience with Nick and the co-transference, it makes you wonder if her suddenly reaching this conclusion with Atwater now is some response to trauma or genuine.

I hate that the hour leaves me questioning the legitimacy of this romance for Kevin, as goodness knows he’s had one of the worst love lives whenever the series bothered to show it.

Thoughts and Things:

• At least they told us that Torres took two comp days to explain his absence this time. I’m with Kiana, though, wondering where her partner is and what’s up.
• Do we think Torres has a case? Is he involved with something, or is Reid using him somehow? It seems odd that he took time off, and no one on the unit knows why exactly.
• Ruzek and Kiana are such a great team. I love it when they pair up.
• Voight was barely present during this one.
• Did we ever find Kevin’s shirt? I’m asking for a friend.

Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.

What did you think of this one? Are you sold on Kevin and Val as a pairing? Sound off below.

Chicago PD returns April 16 with an all-new episode!

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