Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4 Review: Unforgiven

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The teaser for Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4 promised an episode of unexpected twists.

And don't get me wrong, they delivered. But unfortunately, all the twists made the case-of-the-week hard to follow.

Mike Blaine, a cop that Voight knew very well, was murdered. Intelligence played it by the book, which wasn't surprising at all since they've been doing that a lot of these days.

Holding a Grudge - Chicago PD

A handful of suspects were introduced: Marco Perez, a shot caller for the Latin Joker's who borrowed Blaine money, Zach, a man Blaine arrested who threatened and stalked him, and Maria, a domestic abuse survivor. 

And none of them were responsible as the final twist revealed Maria's ex-boyfriend, Jose, pulled the trigger. 

Ruzek: So, I'm guessing...
Voight: Well, you don't get to guess, not on this one.

It was definitely unexpected, but if the writers hadn't anchored the case to Upton's storyline about her abusive father, it wouldn't have made as big of an impact. 

Having the case parallel Upton's was really the only reason I remained invested. And it provided some solid arguments about who deserves forgiveness. 

At the Crime Scene - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

Blaine's integrity was questioned throughout the case as he did some questionable things. 

Zach had his beef with Blaine, and it was truly annoying to see Upton and Halstead try to tell him how she should feel about the situation.

Zach's experience was just that -- his experience. If he thought Blaine was a bad cop, that was his prerogative.

Also, I get that Upton and Halstead are hooking up now, but really, do they have to be so inseparable? Would it kill them to work/interact with anyone else?

Everyone, Follow Me - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

It would be nice if the series allowed couples to have different partners at work to shake things up a bit. 

Blaine was far from perfect as he took money from an ex-con and failed to report a domestic abuse incident, which if you think about it, would have likely saved his life. 

But Voight hit the right note when he said that in this situation, you have to weigh the good against the bad. 

Ultimately, Blaine's motivations were pure; he went out of his way to save a young woman from a terrible and dangerous situation. 

Manhunt - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

In other words, he was far from perfect, but he was a good man. 

It's nice to see that Miller isn't out to get Intelligence and is open to teamwork.

She may have disagreed with Voight initially, but she listened to him and her press conference about Blaine's death echoed what Voight said about Blaine being a hero. 

Is anyone else sensing some serious chemistry between these two? Raise your hand if you want Voight to have a love interest! 

Don't Stop Until We Find Him - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

Upton empathized with Maria having been exposed to abuse throughout her childhood.

We haven't really dug into Upton's backstory too much, but it's nice that the narrative circled back to the little we have learned about her previously. 

You could tell the decision of whether or not to visit her dad at the hospital weighed heavily on her.

However, her decision not to face her father and re-open old wounds was valid. 

What About That Kiss? - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

The narrative that women have to go back to or forgive their abuser is exhausting, as is the idea that speaking to the abuser offers some kind of closure. 

Upton has spent years working through the trauma, and speaking to her father solely because he's sick is unnecessarily opening old wounds.

It's not part of her healing process.

Not everyone deserves forgiveness, and in this case, the good did not outweigh the bad.

Always Ready to Help - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

I think it really resonated with Upton when Maria said that she'd never forget how Jose hurt her, but knowing that he was out of her life gave her what she needed to move on. 

Upton had what she needed to move on without confronting her father or listening to his deathbed excuses. 

Look, I know who your dad was, and I know what he did. But if something happens, and you don't go see him, then you're gonna carry this for the rest of your life. So don't do it for him, just do it for you.

Halstead

I'm more concerned with her decision to lie to Halstead. I think holding back on telling him the truth stemmed from not wanting to disappoint him since he seemed very determined to get her to visit her dad. 

I also think he knew she was lying -- he knows her well enough at this point. They both acknowledged what happened but didn't feel the need to verbalize it. At least not yet. 

Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

Hopefully, this doesn't ruin their relationship. If we're going to go down the #Upstead route, I'd rather not see their relationship destroyed before it even has a chance to get started. 

How is it possible that the preview for the upcoming episode was way more interesting than the episode at hand? 

Halstead: Okay, so he made a mistake. Just like every other human being on this planet. So can we rise above this petty anger? Maybe see the bigger picture?
Zach: Why would I want to do that?
Halstead: Cause that's what good people do. They realize that people are flawed. They do stupid things sometimes.
Zach: What he did to me was not just stupid. It was an abuse of power and a violation of my civil rights.

Maybe it's cause I'm partial to #Burzek. . . or maybe it's the fact that we're finally getting a continuation of a storyline?

Or, I'm almost positive it's because it proves that I was onto something when I said I thought Burgess and Ruzek were going to adopt Makayla after her whole family was brutally murdered on Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 3.

Burgess and Ruzek Working Together - Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4

Burgess was rethinking her stance on motherhood and after forming a connection with Makayla, it made sense that she would consider fostering/adopting her. 

Hopefully, this isn't Burgess' way of filing a void or replacing what she lost when she miscarried. Burgess-centric episodes always shine bright since Marina Squerciati brings it, so I hope that's the case with the one coming up.

Miller: Blaine was far from perfect.
Voight: You're right. But he was a good man. He died trying to protect a scared, vulnerable young mother. And how he did it? I mean, what rules he chose to ignore? Who cares? He was trying to do something good, that's what matters. You know, there was a time we actually forgave people for their mistakes. We understood that human beings are fallible. So you look at the sum of the parts. Does the good outweigh the bad? I mean, Mike Blaine, he gave his life doing something good... brave... noble. And that makes him a hero.

Are you interested in seeing #Burzek become parents?

With everyone getting a personal backstory, it's time that the same happens for Atwater and even Voight. 

We've seen them both kill it with every work-related storyline (particularly Atwater), but we never get to see them outside of the precinct!

Atwater of all people deserves a love interest because when the episode isn't focused on a black versus blue storyline, he's sidelined so hard that I can count how many times he appeared on the screen throughout the hour on one hand.

What did you think about the episode, TV Fanatics?

Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your thoughts. And don't forget to catch up and watch Chicago PD online!

Unforgiven Review

Editor Rating: 3.7 / 5.0
  • 3.7 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (5 Votes)

Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..

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Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 4 Quotes

Ruzek: So, I'm guessing...
Voight: Well, you don't get to guess, not on this one.

Look, I know who your dad was, and I know what he did. But if something happens, and you don't go see him, then you're gonna carry this for the rest of your life. So don't do it for him, just do it for you.

Halstead