Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 15 Review: Burden of Truth
Lizzy Buczak
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Part two of the #OneChicago crossover continued on Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 15.
While the crossover wasn't nearly as compelling the earlier crossover in the fall -- which found Chicago's best battling a man-made disease -- it found a way to bring these two squads back together again.
In Jessica's review of Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 15, she mentioned that the crossover didn't find a cohesive way to meld these two shows, but I found that the transition between them was so seamless, it was hard to tell where Chicago Fire ended and PD began.
However, I have to agree with her on the plot holes concerning Brian Geraghty's return as Sean Roman.
It was nice to see him again, but it was random, especially as his character's approach to the whole situation was a little troubling from the get-go. Everything he did went against his police training.
It wasn't the Roman we've come to know and love, and while it's understandable that he's changed or toughened up since leaving the force, it was a difficult adjustment to accept.
Finding his sister was his top priority, but at what expense? Roman was putting himself in danger, he put Severide in danger in the first part of the crossover, and it wasn't how an ex-cop, much less a good ex-cop, would ever act.
Though, I'm glad Roman's desire to keep Intelligence away from the case had nothing to do with his fallout with Burgess.
Burgess went through a failed engagement with Ruzek and managed to have a civil and functional relationship with him this whole time, so it wouldn't make sense for things to remain awkward and testy between her and Roman since their relationship barely got off the ground before he got injured and left.
Instead, the explanation offered was that Roman was trying to find his sister himself because he was worried that she would be punished for selling the tainted drugs that killed several teens. He didn't want her to be charged for it.
While it wasn't a fool-proof reason, it worked.
Roman: You lose a victim? Cause PO at 21 said 'sorry for your loss.'
Burgess: Ruzek and I got together, I got pregnant, and I'm not anymore.
Intelligence couldn't blame him for trying to protect her, and in turn, Voight allowed Roman to be included in the case.
Voight always had a soft spot for cases involving one of their own, and this time, it was no different.
While it was necessary from a plot standpoint, it wasn't his smartest police decision since Roman was a civilian who could do a lot of damage.
I'm not sure if it's because of Roman's return, or the rough and gritty nature of the episode, but it felt like we time-traveled back to the good ole' days of Chicago PD Season 1.
Voight had a different, more authoritative aura about him despite Burgess taking the lead and running point with Roman.
She's been getting a lot of screentime lately, which has allowed her to express her range and really dig into a character that was often sidelined in the earlier seasons.
Seeing where the storyline was headed with Roman, it was slightly concerning that they were going to make his character commit a crime he couldn't bounce back from. It had the potential of destroying him, his life, and his reputation entirely.
Alright, you can roll with Kim. On a short leash. Let me tell you something, you go off on your own while you're with my unit, you're going to see a whole other side of me, you understand?
Voight
And while Roman will be forever changed by these events, at least he was spared as a character.
The writers not only found a logical way to redeem him and make us feel bad for him, but they also drove home a poignant point about loss that led back to Burgess' emotional storyline.
It was obvious that Roman was behind Logan Peters' murder.
Roman's behavior on Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 15 was careless and indicated that he would do something mindless since he was willing to do cross any and all lines to find his sister.
When he found out who the killer was, he didn't think twice about retaliating. And, as we saw in the church, he was ready to pay the price for his sins.
But, as a former cop, Roman should have covered his tracks better.
Nothing may have been outright linking to him, but Intelligence would've figured it out eventually with or without Burgess' help.
She was simply able to make the connection quicker because she recognized the car that was linked to the scene belonged to his cousin, whom she met, and was able to connect the "witness" as his former informant.
Once she began piecing the evidence together, it seemed like it was over for Roman until Voight decided to look the other way.
Voight's decision was equally as surprising as it wasn't.
It was surprising because we haven't seen this side of Voight in awhile, but it wasn't because he's known for letting things slide if there is a good reason, and in this case, there was.
Not only did his leniency allow PD to salvage a character, but it also showed that when it comes to family, all limits are off.
And that's something, as I mentioned beforehand, Voight understands perfectly.
Also, Logan had it coming. He responsible for multiple overdoses caused by his tainted drugs, and he strangled, beat, and raped Sarah before leaving her to freeze to death under a pile of snow.
While the "right" thing would be to lock him up for all his crimes, I can't say I felt bad that the monster got what he deserved. The world was a better and safer place for high school girls without him around.
I also wonder if Sarah's "friends" knew she was dead the whole time because of the comment made that "she doesn't look like that anymore" upon seeing her picture.
While Roman may not have been punished by law, the guilt he felt and will feel over leaving and not being there for his sister is punishment enough.
Not only did he blame himself for his sister's addiction and death, but so did his parents.
His father's decision to strike him was a heat of the moment reaction, but it painful to watch nonetheless since we saw the great lengths he went to find his sister.
Since this was the first time Roman and Burgess saw each other since their break-up, and she just went through an equally as traumatic situation, they needed to address her loss.
Roman was pretty perceptive of how everyone was treating Burgess, and despite trying to keep what happened a secret, she eventually told him the truth.
I love how nonchalantly Burgess tells people what happened. It feeds into her masking her true feelings, but it also made me chuckle because she was so blunt and straightforward about it.
They have to carry it with them. Burgess has been pretending that she's fine because the pregnancy was unplanned, but that's just a lie she's been telling herself because she doesn't want to face the reality.
She's angry; she's angry at herself for what happened, for putting herself and the baby in danger, and for losing the baby.
A loss is a loss no matter how you look at it.
She made that clear during her conversation with Ruzek, who wasn't expecting her to blow up like that.
However, it assured me that she'd be okay. It would be more worrisome if she wasn't affected or hurt by the loss.
After hearing Roman's eulogy, Burgess realized that it's okay to feel the pain; it's the only way she'll ever move on.
That last scene of Burgess walking out of the church with her whole squad surrounding her was so powerful because it showed that she's not in this alone.
She's surrounded by people who love and care for her, be it Voight, Platt -- who offered to be there for her multiple times -- and Ruzek, who now knows the gravity of Burgess' pain and can help her deal with it.
Burgess wanted to punish herself, she wanted Ruzek to punish her, and it was incredibly heartbreaking to see her tell him that as he didn't blame her for anything and understood what she did was purely instinctual and part of what makes them all love her so much.
The only flaw with Ruzek during the crossover, as Jessica pointed out in her Chicago Fire review, was that he was a hypocrite when judging Roman for putting his family first when he did the same thing not too long ago on Chicago PD Season 6 when his own sister was in danger.
It may have stemmed from his jealousy over Roman and Burges, but it was annoying, and seeing Voight put him in his place was awesome.
If you watch Chicago PD online, you realize this is the first time we've seen Burgess opening up to Ruzek and letting him in, but I think it's a good first step in the evolution of their relationship.
What did you think of the crossover?
Did you like it?
Did you find the case to be too forced?
Share your thoughts in the comments below, TV Fanatics!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
