Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 22 Review: Homecoming
Lizzy Buczak
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Goodbye, Alvin Olinsky.
The Intelligence team, along with viewers, said goodbye to Olinksy on Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 22. Sadly, he did not make it out alive after being stabbed repeatedly during his short stint in prison.
Ugh, there are no words to describe the heaviness I felt when the doctor nonchalantly told Voight that his best friend, his partner in crime, didn't make it.
Every time I remember that Al's last memory was of him looking up at Voight's worried face, I tear up. What a powerful scene.
The only way I can describe my emotions would be to say they were a mix of anguish and rage, both for and directed at Voight.
When he lashed out at Osha and accused him of "burying" Al, I found myself screaming, "You did too!"
Understandably, Voight is gutted and infuriated with how everyone handled the situation, but he's just as much to blame. He could have done something sooner, but instead, he allowed it to get dragged on until his friend eventually died for his sins.
Lashing out at those around him was his way of punishing himself.
But before he could let the emotions fully take over, Voight broke the news to his team and then told them that before they grieved their friend, they had to get justice by finding "the son of a bitch" that did this to him.
And so, with heavy hearts, they did just that for much of the episode.
Voight: Let’s say, hypothetically, I confessed to killing the son of a bitch who murdered my son. I’d tell you I hunted Kevin Bingham like a dog, made him dig his own grave and then shot him in the face. I say that on the record, would that be enough to drop all charges against Olinsky?
Woods: I think it would.
There's probably nothing worse than Voight out for blood. Man, I would not to mess with him or be the guy responsible for killing his best friend.
And one-by-one, Voight got them all, and he didn't even flinch as he delivered what was coming.
First up was the security guard that was initially trying to "help" Al. It turns out, he turned a blind-eye and stood by idly as he got murdered just so he could make five thousand dollars. Pathetic.
That right there is the reason this dude never became more than a corrections officer. And if he was so set on pulling it off, why didn't he account for cameras? You'd think he'd know the prison like the back of his hand.
When it was revealed that it was a paid hit, I was certain that Woods would be revealed as the mastermind who paid off the corrections officer to "roughen up" Al to corner Voight into telling the truth.
I was slightly disappointed when it turned out to be some random dude that had a grudge against Al for killing his son during a case that wasn't even featured on the show.
Al has lived through so many situations, and this is what got him killed? Some punk with a grudge? A punk who withered at the mere sight of Voight?
Related: Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 21 Review: Allegiance
I'm not even surprised that Voight shot the guy who ordered the hit, point-blank, without even checking for witnesses. He was probably irritated that it was a cheap backstory, too.
But even though Voight's reaction was expected, it was careless considering Kevin Bingham's murder was still looming over him.
If they could prove the shot wasn't justified, it would likely impact the other case against him. Why give them more ammo?
And there's something to be said about handling a guy who killed your best friend the same way you handled the guy that killed your son, which is why your in this mess in the first place.
Voight: I interrogated the prisoner. He was not cooperative. I am convinced he’s involved.
Antonio: For God's sake, Hank.
Voight: He tried to choke me with his handcuffs.
Of course, the only person that was near/around when the shooting happened was Antonio, the only person in Intelligence having a moral dilemma when it comes to Voight's extreme violence to get things handled.
Bless Ruzek for offering up some comedic relief during this tense episode. I was laughing so hard when I saw him standing by and calmy peeling his orange while Voight "took care of business."
Anyway, fans were not happy with me when I said that Antonio would turn on Voight in a heartbeat on my Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 21 review, but here we are, at a crossroads; will Antonio sell out his boss?
He tried to pull a "diplomatic" answer off by saying he didn't see what happened but that's basically an admission of guilt.
Antonio is trying to walk the straight and narrow, but man, he could not have picked a worse time. Now is not the time to go "by the book" or "do the right thing." They can attempt all of that after Olinsky's killer is eliminated and his memory honored!
We probably won't know what Antonio said in his statement, but I think Ruzek knocked some sense into him so for Hank's sake, I hope he kept his mouth shut.
However, would Hank scoring a "W" across the board be too easy?
If he's cleared of Bingham's murder and shooting Olinsky's killer in addition to getting rid of Woods, on what will the next season focus?
Still, it was time for Woods to get what was coming.
You don’t give a damn about Chicago, you never did. You care about you, Denny Woods.
Voight
A huge smile spread across my face when Woods walked into Voight's trap blindly. Can I get a "finally"?
Woods could have figured this out -- he questioned why a witness suddenly came forward, why she was willing to tell her side of the story, and why she wanted money -- but his ego got in the way.
He was so desperate that he ignored all the warning signs; he didn't even flinch when the girl agreed to lie about what she saw that night.
Yes, people will do a lot for some money, but after months of plotting and hitting dead-ends, why would someone appear and give him exactly what he wanted?
I've been so conflicted on this case; Voight has done unspeakable things, but now, I realize he's not the villain. Not completely, anyway.
His speech right before Woods as arrested convinced me that everything he's done has been for the greater good and necessary.
He only kills those who don’t deserve to waste taxpayer money. On some level, I can appreciate it.
His team gets things done; they restore order to Chicago. Those "goody" street cops aren't capable of going the extra mile like they are.
And it's why Voight never shows any remorse -- he honestly believes that he's doing the right thing.
Thank god he checked his phone before confessing everything, on the record, to Woods and Osha! Can you imagine how terrible it would have been if Olinsky died and Voight still ended up getting locked up?
Seeing Wood's face when he realized Voight played him at his own game was glorious.
Voight may have been withholding the truth about a murder, but what Woods was doing -- lying under oath and framing a cop -- is, in my eyes, much worse. He's the real dirty cop! How can he possibly stand there and judge anyone?
Voight: You don’t get it, do you? After all this time.
Woods: Get what?
Voight: The difference between dirty and necessary. Like it or not, you and all your self-righteous friend in the ivory tower, you need people like me out on the streets. Doing the things regular cops aren’t willing to do. Going the extra mile to make sure the truly evil, the truly dangerous, go away. I thin the herd for the greater good.
But even though he technically came out on top, Voight is completely broken.
It was tough to watch him break down at the end; he'll have to live with it the rest of his life. Did anyone else think he was going to jump off the building? It was a little too close for comfort!
On Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 21, I mentioned how random it was to have Al's estranged wife, Meredith, suddenly back in the picture after she hadn't been around and didn't make much of an effort to be in his life before the arrest.
You'd think that the woman who claimed to "still love him" would be waiting with his unit at the hospital to see if he made it out of surgery.
But, alas, she was nowhere to be found! The writers didn't even care to bring her to the hospital for continuity sake, and that's frustrating on so many levels.
If I see her at the funeral, which I'm sure will be the focus of the Chicago PD Season 4 premiere (it was renewed tonight!!), I might throw a fit.
Random Guy: I can’t, he’ll kill me.
Voight: What do you think I’m gonna do?
Burgess got a brief moment to shine when she slapped the woman who was withholding her husband's location. Although, that was probably just a make-good for forcing her to clean off Al's desk. Too soon.
Overall, this was one of the best-written episodes of Chicago PD to date even though it hurt like hell.
Good news from NBC came just before this airing that we can expect a lot more from the Chicago universe. All of the Chicago series have been renewed as well as Law & Order: SVU.
So while there was some much-needed closure on this finale, we'll be starting new adventures on Chicago PD Season 6, Chicago Fire Season 7, Chicago Med Season 4 and Law & Order: SVU Season 20. Wow!!
You can watch Chicago PD online and leave your thoughts below!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
