Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 12 Review: Due Process
Lizzy Buczak
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Finally, an episode dedicated entirely to Voight!
First thing's first, Chicago PD Season 8 Episode 12 was a brutal reminder always to make sure you're getting into the correct rideshare.
Always check the license plate and share your location with friends! You can never be too careful.
The case-heavy episode found Intelligence pursuing a serial rapist and killer that was recently released from jail.
And it gave us Voight at his best.
Despite every bone in his body telling him to throw Caleb Hoff into a cage and mess him up, Voight remained calm (for the most part) and level-headed, which allowed him to put the guy away for good.
Kenny's car can't say the same, but it's better if Voight unloads his frustration out on an object rather than a person in this case.
Intelligence had to be very careful with how they handled the case because Hoff recently won a lawsuit against the city for police misconduct.
The detective working his case, Lisa Martinez, used force on his roommate to search his room and get evidence, which obviously meant that his case was thrown out.
Voight: Bring him in.
Man: I didn't do anything.
Voight: Then you've got nothing to worry about.
Police brutality is never encouraged, but this was an example of a situation where the monster walked free because of a technicality.
Lisa did what she thought was best to ensure that Caleb never killed another innocent woman again. Instead, he walked free, and his approach became even more brutal.
It's unfortunate because in a perfect world, Lisa, who broke the law, would be held accountable, but Hoff, who was clearly guilty, would remain locked up.
Sadly, this isn't a perfect world.
Despite her good intentions, by turning towards violence, she inadvertently gave the criminal too much power.
If Voight handled the situation the way he wanted to, Hoff's arrest likely wouldn't have held up in court again either.
He would've repeated the same mistake all over again.
Voight went through an internal struggle to do the right thing, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see Voight unleash his wrath on Hoff.
Some people deserve it.
Superintendent Miller: We need more evidence, we need to make sure the case is airtight, or this prick is gonna sue us again.
Voight: Can you believe this? We're tiptoeing around a serial rapist and killer trying to make sure we don't offend him.
And a case this gruesome is bound to get anyone riled up, but it takes a solid cop and detective not to let those emotions get the best of them.
Doing things "by the book" was the only way that Intelligence could be sure justice would be served.
If Lisa did things by the book, it likely would've taken her a bit longer to nail Hoff, but at least it would have been permanent.
The rest of the team seemed fine with whatever choice Voight made, but Halstead spoke out and made sure to keep Voight in check.
He knew that all eyes were on the case, and he understood the consequences of stepping out of line.
You have to hand it to Halstead for finding the courage to speak up when everyone else was being complicit.
He's been around long enough that he knows what Voight is capable of. He could feel him slipping up, but he didn't want those actions to taint all the progress they made.
It was easier for Voight and Intelligence to get Hoff because he'd become sloppy.
Justice and law don't always work in perfect harmony.
Upton
When Lisa was pursuing his case, there was no evidence to nail him on, but this time around, there was DNA on the bodies that were left behind.
And the trail of stolen and burning cars didn't help his situation either.
Even with Voight keeping his cool, Superintendent Samantha Miller still thought something shady might have been at play since Hoff "awkwardly" fell before getting arrested.
The funny thing is that Hoff really did fall.
Aside from covering up for Martinez, Voight didn't do anything wrong.
And his decision to spare Martinez made sense because he understood where she was coming from.
Voight understood why she did what she did, and he didn't want her to get burned again by doing something out of line.
Martinez was consumed with so much guilt that she would've risked her whole life to ensure that Hoff paid the ultimate price for his actions, but as Voight reminded her, it wasn't worth it.
Upton: So this guy slams back a breakfast burrito and goes on the hunt for young women.
Atwater: Cold-blooded, man.
Her career was already destroyed -- though, she should probably be reinstated for nailing a very dangerous man and making Chicago a safer place -- and she didn't need to make things worse for herself.
And hopefully, Hoff and his attorneys won't use this as yet another loophole to screw over the city.
Hoff should never see the light of day again.
And while Voight may not have been able to do what he wanted to him, you can be sure that he'll get what's coming to him once he's behind bars.
You want a lawyer? Kenny, you don't cooperate, you're going to need a priest.
Voight
One of these days, I hope that a Voight-centric episode gives us some insight into his personal life.
There's more to life than Intelligence, and I wish we'd explore it for the characters that aren't dating someone on the team!
The series has been setting up this great partnership between Voight and Miller, but will it ever take a romantic turn?
Chicago PD is going on a brief hiatus until May 5, but the good news is that when new episodes return, we'll finally tackle Makayla's adoption and the possibility of a #Burzek relationship.
Things with Burgess and Ruzek didn't end on good terms, but will she finally make things right and define their relationship?
After all, Ruzek has been involved in Makayla's life since the beginning.
What did you think of the episode?
Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to watch Chicago PD online to catch up on all the action!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
