The only takeaway I have from Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 18 is that Hank Voight does not play around.

He's been on the beat for long enough to know that gang violence, specifically gang violence between two factions fighting over the same turf, does not end well.

Bodies were dropping like flies when a bunch of young GP bangers clashed with older members who were recently released from Statesville and wanted to claim their land back.

Even a block full of cops didn't stop the gangs from firing shots.

But here's the thing about gang wars -- they always end with innocent people getting killed.

In this case, it was a young woman and mother who was gunned down while walking home from the grocery store.

Voight tried to tackle the situation head-on, but the problem with these newer gang members is that they don't follow a code.

There are no rules, there are no loyalties -- they do whatever they want.

The episode painted a terrible depressing picture of the realities of crime and drug infested neighborhood's in Chicago where kids 15 and younger are reaching for guns to solve their problems.

There were multiple times when the writers honed in the idea that Chicago is violent and corrupt.

But, Blair's right, despite all the bad things people say about Chicago, we're a damn proud city.

Sometimes, I wish the show would highlight the positives instead of always the negatives though I get it, it is a cop drama.

It was refreshing to see Ray Price and Kelton put aside their political agendas to work towards a common goal.

I even appreciated the Voight put aside his hatred for Kelton and growing support for Price to work the case.

But sadly, things between them all couldn't end on a high note.

Blair: See, and that right there is the best part. That weird Chicago pride that you all have, even though y'all admit that this city is too corrupt, too violent, too cold, it's still a great city.
Burgess: You're so gunna miss this place.

Permalink: You're so gunna miss this place.

Kelton got a little too giddy about their 'win' and publicized that a witness helped then land the 16-year-old shooter, Lamar.

Now, that would have been fine if his press conference wasn't just before Alyssa was supposed to testify.

By announcing their victory prematurely, he put a target on her back and let the killer walk free.

Seriously, who hired this guy?

Don't you think the Superintendent should know better than that? He should have just mentioned her name in the press conference at this point.

And yes, I understand he was trying to elevate his campaign, but at what cost?

Was anyone else rolling their eyes for him taking all the credit despite not contributing much to the investigation?

Testifying, especially when you're from a bad part of town, is already dangerous enough as it is without blasting it all over the news.

Upton wanted the killer so badly, she basically talked Alyssa into 'doing the right thing,' which irritated me.

Upton is a white woman who has absolutely no right to lecture a black woman about proper shady neighborhood protocol.

As Atwater said, she's not the one who has to live with these realities.

She may have been right about people who come from bad neighborhood's refusing to help the cops out, but do you blame them?

Ray Price: Two generations fighting over one neighborhood. It's not good.
Voight: Yeah, it's called a gang war.

Permalink: Yeah, it's called a gang war.

In a perfect world, everyone does their part to keep the community safe, but, in this case, talking to the cops oftentimes ends up in retaliation against the 'snitch' and the snitches family.

Atwater took a more realistic approach and tried to protect his people even though that's technically not encouraging.

He knows from personal experience how much weight comes with testifying. He understands the pressures set forth by the community and knows exactly how it can disrupt and break up your family even if things don't go south.

And just because you put away the killer, doesn't mean the rest of his followers won't retaliate.

Things weren't looking up for Alyssa from the get-go, but Kelton had to go and make them even worse.

This left Voight with no choice and forced him to do the unthinkable if he wanted to end the senseless violence.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Voight really encourage Eric to kill Lamar, right?

Technically, eliminating the problem in the neighborhood and nominating a new "shot caller" restores order, especially if the shot caller agrees to operate under your terms and conditions.

If I don't get a name, I'll cut your head clean off and give it to your mother.
Voight

Permalink: If I don't get a name, I'll cut your head clean off and give it to your mother.

But man, encouraging a kid to kill another kid? That's colder than Chicago winters!

It's also a play I've never seen before even when it comes to cops including dirty cops.

And please, if I interpreted this scene the wrong way, let me know!

I also found it interesting that Voight was willing to turn a blind eye to all the dope dealing if they would agree to peaceful conditions.

I guess you care about drugs to a point until there's something more important to care about.

As long as the shootings stopped and the death toll didn't rise, everything else was fair game.

Burgess and Blair's fling has been the focus of the last several episodes.

They're cute, and though Blair said he only had three weeks left in the city, it truly felt like maybe there was potential for something more long-term between them.

When Blair stopped by with lunch and informed Burgess he'd be sticking around for a new gig, the possibility of their fling developing into something more romantic grew.

And then, NBC aired the promo for Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 19.

The words "her lover was murdered" flashed on the screen, and all I could think was "what idiot put together this promo?"

Antonio: He's probably some wannabe-banger looking for attention.
Atwater: They're all wannabe-bangers looking for attention, that's the problem.

Permalink: They're all wannabe-bangers looking for attention, that's the problem.

I've been trying to avoid episode previews because oftentimes, they reveal too much about the upcoming episode, but I've never seen a teaser blatantly give the storyline away.

Why wouldn't they frame it in a 'will he or won't he' die kind of way?

I don't even want to tune in on April 24 because I'm already furious that they killed the only out-of-the-office relationship on this series.

Blair had potential. Burgess and Blair had promise. We could have explored so much between them.

At the very least, we have to find out who Ginny is!

15 Bromances That Turned Deadly

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But I think the thing I'm most upset about is that the writers can't ever give Burgess a break.

Every relationship she's had has failed for absolutely no reason. It seems like happiness just isn't something she can attain and hold onto.

And if this is the writers' way of getting her back together with Ruzek, I'm even more upset because I've moved on from this relationship.

I would have much rather they allowed Blair to leave town like he was supposed to instead of having him suffer this fate.

And was anyone else surprised that Upton and Burgess are close enough to be having boy discussions mid-assignment?

When did Upton even find out about Blair? And does that mean Ruzek knows?

As my previous Chicago PD reviews have reflected, the writers seem to be trying their hand at these case-of-the-week episodes and finding success.

While the storylines are entertaining, I'm definitely missing the overarching storylines and feel like there isn't much character development happening these days.

We have such a solid cast of talented folks who have proven that they have what it takes to spearhead episodes.

I'd really love to continue giving them the spotlight!

Drive Around the Block

Ruzek was so bad at pretending to be a drug addict. No wonder the kid turned him down.
Is there a reason why cops always take witnesses to motels? Don't you think hotels would be safer?
When Eric called Voight a 'dumbass' in hopes of putting up a front in front of his friends, I really wanted to slap him.

Be sure to watch Chicago PD online and catch up on all episodes this season!

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