Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 19 Review: What Could Have Been
Lizzy Buczak
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The hiatus worked wonders for Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 19!
The series picked up with a gut-punching episode that thrust Burgess, and her relationship with Blair, into the spotlight.
Based on promos, we already knew Blair wasn't going to survive the episode, but I can't be the only one who was holding on when they said he had a pulse after Burgess found him with two gunshot wounds.
Sadly, Charles Michael Davis, the good looking man who brought Blair to life, succumbed to his injuries, probably because he has prior commitments on Younger.
I won't hold it against him.
Knowing Blair wasn't going to make it didn't lessen the blow of Burgess finding him bleeding to death.
Related: Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 17 Review: Pain Killer
And while heartbreaking, Blair's death took us on a winding mystery as Intelligence tried to figure out if he was the neatly dress political assistant we've come to know or if there was a darker, drug dealing side to him.
I know. Blair?! But hey, you never know.
We didn't know enough about Blair's background to know what he was capable of or what he was mixed up in.
Except Burgess knew.
Even after they found a suspect who had a motive for killing both Blair and Dennis, Burgess knew that the story didn't add up.
Call it girlfriend's intuition.
Because Burgess voiced her concerns -- thanks Ruzek! -- Intelligence delved into Blair's murder to find out the truth.
And what they dug up, well, I don't think any of us were expecting.
Burgess was right -- Blair's vice wasn't cocaine, it was politics.
He was so devoted to the game at the time of his death that he was digging up dirt on Ray Price in hopes of forcing him to resign.
Would you expect anything less from Kelton's political advisor?
Intelligence tracked down Jasmine Price, Ray's allegedly squeaky clean daughter who had quite a rowdy past with Dennis, the other victim and the man Blair was last seen around.
It didn't take Intelligence long to uncover a video of Jasmine bragging about selling coke to a woman who died shortly after of an overdose.
If Blair, an amateur in comparison to the Intelligence Unit, could dig this up, it was only a matter of time before someone else found it too.
And yeah, the video was something worth burying, but Ray Price should have been upfront with Voight when he gave him the chance to be honest.
It's mind boggling that people still attempt to lie to Voight and assume he isn't going to find out the truth.
Jasmine I can understand, but how many times has Voight confronted Ray about a lie?
Voight will always get to the bottom -- you can count on it.
Kevin: You want me to take you to the airport so you can meet the family when they land?
Burgess: No, I cannot do that. I was meeting him last night to break up. So, I was gunna tell him not to move to Chicago. Not for me anyway. So, I can’t sit with his family, Kev. I don’t belong there.
However, what transpired shortly after was completely mind-blowing and unexpected.
Ray wasn't behind Dennis and Blair's murder, and he didn't hire anyone to kill him.
Related: Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 18 Review: This City
It was his wife, Alicia, who made the kills to "protect her family and the campaign."
When she came into the room confessing despite being told to shut up by both Voight and Ray, I was feeling so many emotions.
But Alicia's explanation was weak.
She was trying to protect her family, but destroyed them quicker than Blair or Dennis ever could.
If Blair exposed the truth, Ray would have lost the election, but at least he family would have stayed together and kept their dignity.
Ray Price: I was so close Hank, really close. Three weeks away from being the damn Mayor of Chicago.
Voight: Yeah, It would have been a hell of a thing.
Instead, she destroyed Ray's only chance at becoming Mayor and landed him behind bars because, of course, he had more pull and could negotiate a lesser sentence.
Voight pulled some strings, as he always does, and got a taped confession from Ray, who used virtually the same excuse as his wife for committing the crimes.
I understand that Voight was put in a tough spot.
He pursued the truth as a favor to Burgess because she was in a relationship with Blair, but he was also friends with the Price family.
But my issue with Voight covering up what happened and getting Ray a lenient sentence is that it's completely unfair.
Blair was playing dirty, but it's Chicago politics. What did Ray assume was going to happen when he put himself out there and vulnerable to attack?
Aside from the political game though Blair was a good man who didn't deserve this.
But what I did, I did for one simple reason. I love my family.
Ray Price
Dennis wasn't as upstanding of a citizen, but he still didn't deserve to be gunned down for something from his past.
The worst part is that Ray tried to steer the case in a different direction by hoping to convince Voight that the shooter was some drug dealing gang member.
Seriously, Ray?
On the other hand, the Mayoral race ended on a sour note despite the possibility of Chicago getting someone in office who was only slightly corrupt (a win!) and who wanted to invoke real change.
Ray wanted to make Chicago better; the same cannot be said for Kelton who has only given Voight and his unit problems.
It was a disappointment all around, especially because Ray seemed rather promising the last few episodes.
I was convinced Kelton had something to do with it after Antonio mentioned Kelton's campaign ad his team were both sinking, but Blair was optimistic about a new opportunity.
Alicia Price: That smooth-talking prick was going to ruin our lives.
Voight: Alicia, I think your husband is right, I think you should stop talking.
Alicia: He didn’t care about us, our family. All we had been through. All we were gunna do. He was just trying to win some damn election.
Ray Price: Okay, Sergeant Voight doesn’t wanna hear it.
Alicia: I told him he was making a big mistake.
"What Could Have Been" was one of the strongest episodes and it's because despite the crappy hand she was dealt, Burgess carried this episode like a pro.
I felt her pain as she tried to throw herself into her work so that she didn't have to face the reality that Blair was gone.
And I felt it even more when she finally solved the case and realized knowing the truth didn't lessen the pain.
Gone is gone.
Despite not wanting to admit it because she was afraid of her feelings, Burgess was falling in love with Blair.
And seeing the necklace he left her on the nightstand, he was falling in love with her two. These two could have had a real relationship had the series not decided to kill him prematurely.
Burgess has been hurt before, so her hesitancy to get involved in something serious is understandable.
Blair wanted to stay in Chicago, but I was going to tell him to leave, that I didn’t see us together long term. I should have told him to stay. Yeah, I should have told him I was falling in love with him. He was a good person. He was an honest person.
Burgess
Though finally admitting to his sister that they were together was progress.
Life has a funny way of putting things into perspective for us sometimes.
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She wanted to break up with him just before his death, but afterward, the thought of living without him was too painful.
It was surprising that Voight allowed Burgess to remain on the case despite being so close to it.
Usually, he sidelines anyone who has a personal connection to a murder, and that should have happened with Burgess.
She was still rational, but she was acting on emotion.
Ray: Hank, what’s going on?
Voight: You tell me, Ray.
When she busted through a suspects door without reason, it could have ended badly for all of them.
I was also surprised that Upton wasn't the gal pal Burgess was leaning on in her time of grief.
Given how the show sprung their friendship on us -- Upton was just asking Burgess about her relationship on Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 18 -- it would have been a fitting continuation.
Instead, they pathetically did everything to bring Ruzek and Burgess closer together.
Did anyone else notice that they were paired up together more than usual?
Having Ruzek offer comfort may have been intended to remind us of their romantic connection, but it had the opposite effect.
When Burgess opened up to Ruzek about how she was falling for Blair, it highlighted just how far apart they've grown.
There are no feelings there; they're just two friends being there for each other.
And I'd like to keep it that way.
It would be a bad look if Burgess just got over Blair and jumped into a relationship with Ruzek.
You can watch Chicago PD online to catch up on any episodes you may have missed and comment below to share your thoughts!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
