Critic’s Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
4.4
It’s tempting to refer to this Chicago PD installment as “Kevin Atwater and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
For that and so many reasons, Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 3 was an incredibly resonant hour.
And Chicago PD Season 12 is overall keeping up its streak of delivering powerful, intense, and reflective installments. If this keeps up, this will be one of my favorite seasons of this series to date.
Chicago PD is Falling on the Right Side of Character Exploration During Centrics
As a character girlie, some of the best installments of this and any series balance out some great character work and exploration while still keeping up with the plot and other such things.
It can be a tricky balance for most procedurals, and it often gets lost in the case of the week or whatever other fact makes said procedural fall within the genre.
However, one thing Chicago PD has always done well is deliver some of its most compelling work during Atwater-centric episodes.
It’s the culmination of some of the storylines, combined with LaRoyce Hawkins‘ incredible performances every time, that make even the most frustrating Atwater episodes still miles ahead of others at times.
Part of the reason they tend to do so well is because we consistently get insight into Atwater and who he is as a character and person whenever he gets focused.
Sometimes, there’s a negative component to this, as we’ve also been vocal before about how frequently Chicago PD fixated on Atwater’s identity as a Black cop straddling two worlds, more often than not with no other character who could fully understand the plight.
Thank goodness for Torres’ addition.
Expanding Beyond Atwater’s Identity as a Black Man Serves the Series Well
But as frustrating as that pattern had become over the years, it was still poignant.
Blessedly, the series has recently chosen to expand its focus on Kevin to include other aspects of what makes him one of the best characters on the show.
Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 3 pulls from those bits to shift the focus away from burdening Atwater with the full plight of his Blackness at every conceivable turn and digs deeper into what has always made him click as a character.
The hour almost serves as the third part of a saga that intentionally addresses and adequately explores Atwater’s propensity for carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
It’s a great follow-up to installments like Chicago PD Season 11 Season 5 and Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 11, which ironically saw him investigating armed robbery cases while trying to balance his life, which saw him burning himself out.
Burnout is real, and it’s unsurprising that a man with a background has learned to run himself into the ground to elevate and help everyone around him.
Kevin’s Burnout Arc Is a Strong Continuity
Kevin’s compassion, empathy, and nobility are such strong markers for his character.
Yes, there’s so much validity in exploring how he navigates the world as a Black man, especially in his position. Still, my goodness, this particular unpacking of his characters is important, too.
Atwater is a character who has always resonated with me for a myriad of reasons, and that’s one of the reasons that he’s my personal favorite.
It’s easy for me to relate to him as a Black person navigating the microaggressions of White spaces or the judgment or questioning of identity and community.
But while many other people of color can relate to that, those aren’t our only stories either.
Atwater is just as, if not more, relatable because of his struggles to find his new role in the world, the burnout of trying to appease or care for many at the expense of oneself, or even the emotional toll of caring too much.
Viewers and the character win when the series delves into those things, too.
Chicago PD Lays the Groundwork for Atwater’s Growth
What’s exciting about Atwater’s current state as a character is how well Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 3 showcases his headspace and how life is catching up to him.
Nothing is in a vacuum on Chicago PD, and the series is doing this remarkable job of subtly connecting the dots.
We’re getting so much of that cohesiveness and continuity that we used to critique the series about.
The groundwork for Atwater reaching this point was laid out over time. Martel’s death catalyzes the season and its storylines forward in fascinating ways and allows for the introspective character work we don’t always get.
Yes, it is typically problematic when a show uses a female character to expand on other characters’ storylines. It’s especially problematic when they use a woman of color for something like that.
However, Chicago PD feels very intentional and conscientious about what it’s doing here, and thus far, it’s playing out nicely.
They didn’t make this move in vain, and we see the fruits of that in each installment.
Atwater has been running on fumes for quite some time, but what’s getting him most these days is how some of his roles have changed so much that he doesn’t quite know what to do with that.
He spent years taking care of his siblings, with so much of his identity wrapped up in serving as Jordan and Vinessa’s big brother and paternal figure.
Both of his siblings are okay now, to the point where Jordan could totally flake on meeting Atwater because he’s grown these days, and Atwater isn’t the center of his world anymore.
Atwater has also repaired his relationship with his father, making peace with and forgiving him and letting go of some of the issues that came with that.
Atwater is on a Journey to Put Himself First
Since then, we’ve seen Atwater pouring his all into his work, victims of cases that he works on, or distracting himself with serving as a landlord to an apartment building.
In many ways, Atwater likes to keep busy and have other things and people to focus on because it doesn’t leave room for him to sit with himself.
But now, he has no choice but to start doing that.
The penchant for keeping himself busy and burying himself in playing hero or caretaker to others is taking its toll on him, and we got a perfect glimpse of that during this hour.
Every time Ms. Roberta texted him, you could see Atwater’s anxiety spike.
The stressors of this case most likely reminded him of his previous handling of the armed robbery and his silent promise to himself that he’d do and be better.
Expanding on Mental Health Exploration is Refreshing
Martel’s death still hangs heavily over everyone, even without the other characters directly saying as much.
One of the best scenes of the hour was the exact moment when you could tell his anxiety was getting the best of him, so much so that he practically had to disassociate before doing what he does best: mediate and problem-solve.
The editing during that scene was fantastic.
Considering all of this, Val’s addition and what she could offer Kevin Atwater are promising.
She’s a strong-willed woman who doesn’t mince words and stands by her convictions, and she and Atwater share that.
It was sometimes difficult to see how much they challenged one another throughout this case. While there’s still leeriness about how well she’ll match with Atwater in the long run, I could appreciate the vision by the end of Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 3.
Sure, Val was forceful at times and wasn’t afraid to challenge Atwater when it came to Diane, but she’s also a woman who is easy with her forgiveness and grace and incredibly intuitive.
Atwater needs all of that, and it was a relief when she inquired about his “off-switch” and encouraged him to let her be that for him.
There was a sense of relief when he finally gave in and accompanied her for an evening of possible sexytimes and no judgment.
Val Challenges Atwater, But That Can Be a Good Thing
Val’s involvement with the case was also fascinating, as the series has rarely explored the mental health angle.
In reality, police frequently collaborate with all types for the job, and it’s refreshing to see that centered a bit more and the mental health of those involved with cases taken into consideration more, even if it’s briefly.
It was heartbreaking to see Diane struggle so hard to give them the information that they needed on the robbers, especially once it was clear that she suffered from Declarative Memory Disorder as a result of her PTSD.
Val was a decent bridge between Diane and the police because even their most compassionate and victim-friendly cop, Kevin, could push too hard.
In the end, both Atwater and Val were right.
It was evident that Diane knew more than what she was saying and held back about Jackson, and Kevin probably could’ve gotten something out of her if he dug into it more.
His motivations were valid, and his instincts were on point.
Val Holds CPD Accountable
But Diane needed someone to advocate for her mental health and well-being, and Val took that seriously.
Val’s position would never be questioned in a world where we don’t instinctively root for our favorite characters.
The race to get these robbers was as thrilling as the previous installments.
Seriously, the editing, direction, and cinematography this season have been out of this world, and you feel it most in those moments that fixate specifically on the character of the hour and, of course, during the many wonderfully crafted action sequences.
The hour was heavy on the Atwater, but they continue to do a significantly better job balancing out the team alongside the character they’re centering.
We wanted more Trudy Platt, and they’re giving her to us. To my utter delight, she has appeared in every episode so far and is as useful and endearing as ever.
Centrics are Still Balancing Out the Cast Well
I always appreciate the Torres/Atwater dynamic, and we got a nice dose of it between moments with Ocean smirking at Atwater and Val’s “first meet” and how he calmly (and hotly) stepped in to diffuse things between the two at the crime scene.
Torres also came in clutch when he spotted the gunman, who unleashed holy hell at everyone in the vicinity while trying to shoot him and Ruzek.
There are so many shootouts this season, and they need to stop shooting at Ruzek!
Of course, Burgess was back, too, a welcomed sight. Her pairing with Ruzek not only gave us some sweet Burzek action, but her energy was different.
Burgess and Atwater’s Journey Makes You Nostalgic
There were moments where, with both her and Atwater, the growth they’ve experienced and their journey hit hard.
They both started as partners on patrol and now they’re seasoned pros with maturity and confidence that make you genuinely appreciate their longevity in this series.
These are the little ways and moments when Chicago PD Season 12 feels like it is truly basking in its tenure.
Over to you, Chicago Fanatics.
Did you like this Atwater-centric?
Are you shipping him and Val?
What are your thoughts on the season so far?
Let’s hear it below!
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