And Chicago PD‘s greatest villain ever has officially fallen.
But was it satisfying? Well, that’s an entirely different question, as Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 22 rushes to a conclusion on this arc.
The hour also falls short on delivering that epic Burzek wedding we were waiting for.
The Finale Loses So Much Momentum
We can all agree that Chicago PD’s penultimate episode was one of, if not the absolute best, of the season thus far.
We were all reeling by the end of Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 21. Reid decimated the Intelligence unit we know and love; Burgess faced one of her biggest challenges: losing her badge, and Dante went to prison.
The opening moments of the finale were a great follow-up, especially as we watched IAB rip through the bullpen, boxing everyone’s belongings up, tossing things on the floor, and destroying their home.
Little touches, like Voight’s pictures of Olinsky tossed aside as meaningless, struck particularly hard.
We even saw Torres sitting in a jail cell, chaos around him as he almost appeared to be dissociating for his own well-being.
The Finale Loses Steam Midway Through
Everything about those moments felt like we would have one hell of an adrenaline-inducing, heart-in-your-throat, emotional finale that would have us glued to the screens.
In some ways, the hour delivers that; it just loses the momentum it set up along the way.
It was like the finale suddenly realized it had a lot to resolve, and then it attempted to cram too much in, rushing through some arcs while taking too long with others.
By 45 minutes into the episode, we weren’t any closer to actually taking down Reid, and roughly five minutes later, it was still a question mark over how they could resolve things with this character.
So much was happening, but it didn’t feel like we were getting closer to a resolution. With a Burzek wedding playing in the back of our minds, as the minutes wound down, it was clear they would shaft us.
The Sudden Reid Switch in Finale was Jarring
We’ve repeatedly mentioned that Reid has been Intelligence’s most diabolical and formidable antagonist yet. And his reign was poised to continue.
In fact, by the time we had deliciously tense moments like him and Voight in the car as he laid down the threats on Voight, demanding his badge, that he submit to him in this Alpha-off, and confidently believing that he had won, it was easy to believe that he had.
The tables were not even remotely close to turning on this man, and Reid had all the power and leverage in the world to outlast Voight.
But then some things happen offscreen in the last few minutes, and suddenly, Reid is dead.
Having someone like Reid fall victim to an angry, disgruntled teenager taking him out felt a bit anticlimactic. Sure, Voight essentially orchestrated the hit by putting a loaded gun in Renny’s hand and setting him loose, but Reid felt more untouchable than that.
We already know Reid screwed over so many people that anyone should’ve been able to take him out at any time if that were the case.
Skipping Over Emotional Beats and Details Hinders the Story
The sharp turn from Intelligence’s defeat and not even coming remotely close to having the upper hand to Reid’s murder resolved all of their problems.
It was rushed through and didn’t play out organically, so a resolution wasn’t as enjoyable as the previous hour’s setup.
The editing during this hour didn’t help matters either. While the action sequences were great, from the shootout at the safe house to that nerve-wracking car flip, this installment’s actual editing and cuts were all over the place.
We missed the emotional gravitas of Kiana learning everything about Reid disbanding the unit, placing her, Kevin, and Ruzek back on patrol, and finding out that Dante was in prison.
Torres’ arrest loses all of its impact when Kim bails him out offscreen. He shows up at the warehouse without any real dialogue or moments to express how that impacted him in any meaningful way.
He had panic attacks the last time prison doors closed on him.
There were so many rich things to touch on for him, as the person who feels the most guilty about being at the root of Reid’s ammunition, and yet the series doesn’t come close to touching on any of that.
Chicago PD sidelines Atwater again, which is par for the course. I don’t even recall if he had any lines during the finale.
The entire situation invites so many emotional notes, and the finale never touches on them.
Chapman Gets a Reality Check on Voight
As you all know, I’m no stranger to pushing the Voight and Chapman agenda, but she severely underestimated who Voight is. It’s alarming because one of the things that they always had going on was that she had some suspicions within reason, but she accepted him anyway.
During the finale, she was on the verge of behaving as if she didn’t have any inkling of who and what Hank Voight was and what he is capable of, and it certainly put a pin in whatever could’ve brewed between them.
She has always wanted to help him walk the line rather than veer too far into darkness, but sadly, Chapman doesn’t know how to handle Voight’s darkness.
It doesn’t exactly bode well for their relationship, whatever it is.
Did anyone else find it weird that they’d have her confronting him in a church pew in the middle of the wedding rather than at the warehouse after he fed everyone all that horse poop about how everythig fell into place?
That’s what I mean about weird editing choices.
We watched as Nina’s love for Voight hit a wall, and maybe that crush she had on him had dissipated as the harsh, cold reality hit her.
He does whatever it takes for his family, unit, job, and Chicago.
It’ll be interesting to see how they carry on after this, especially since she’s been trying to be his voice of reason and comrade all this time. She just didn’t know what that job would entail, and maybe she’s not as ready for it as she thought.
The Fall of Chapman and Voight?
She faced an unapologetic version of Voight who had no qualms about moving pieces around like a game of chess to get the best possible outcome to spare him and his unit Reid’s wrath.
Ultimately, it was a neat wrap-up, but it has shifted the relationship between Voight and Chapman, so that’s a potentially interesting thread to explore next season.
The Burzek wedding probably suffered the most in the “rushed” department.
One minute, we saw Kim breaking down in the car. She couldn’t even fathom getting married in a week when she lost her badge, and all hell broke loose.
Next, she’s walking down the aisle.
Chicago PD Disappoints with Burzek’s Wedding
Again, the emotional gravity of that gets lost in the hour. Ruzek’s comforting her was nice and sweet, and there were more than a few stressful moments as they faced fire or Ruzek went over a cliff.
But the emotional payout from all of that felt lost. We never really delved deeper into how Kim felt calling off the wedding, and we saw some of her anxiety crop up, but nothing else.
Then, when we got to the wedding, they weren’t even the stars of it. It got crammed into the final moments of the hour, and there was little payout for something over a decade in the making.
We missed all the endearing little moments that would appeal to longtime fans, like a moment between Ruzek and Atwater as they get dressed or before she walks down the aisle.
It was hard to understand whether Burzek’s whole family and friends were even there.
A Legacy Couple’s Wedding Falls Tragically Short of Expectations
We didn’t get any sweet moments with Mack beyond a glimpse.
And, of course, the hour robs us of their vows — something that the Chicago PD’s only remaining (and frankly primary and longest-running) ship should’ve had.
We deserved to hear actual vows that summed up Burzek’s journey and had meaning. It was jarring not to see or hear any of that.
They didn’t even leave us with a kiss.
For One Chicago’s oldest and longest-running pairing (yes, you have that right, they’re the only original ship across THREE series), it’s genuinely shocking that they didn’t pull through on their wedding and give the fans something they’ve been waiting on forever.
Burzek Treated Like an Afterthought in Finale
Sure, at least they made it to a church and altar unlike Upstead, but compared to Chicago Fire‘s Stellaride and Brettsey — two pairings that haven’t even had the years put in like Burzek — this wedding was shockingly underwhelming.
It’s like they left most of their plans on the cutting room floor to make room for what? I don’t even know. But that’s not what should’ve been sacrificed. How do you title an episode “Vows” and not show them?
Again, do you see what I mean about editing?
I was entertained, no doubt. But I was also underwhelmed, too.
Thoughts and Observations:
- Shawn Hatosy plays such a great villain. I loved every Voight and Reid scene.
- Kim looked so beautiful in her dress. Just gorgeous.
- I thought we were getting some Kiante scenes? Boo. Hiss. Tomatoes.
- Did Voight use his secret money stash to bail Torres out?
- I love Chapman, but it’s throwing me off how shocking and hurtful she finds Voight’s actions. And all of that at Burzek’s wedding? Whatever the case, Sara Bues is so good!
- I expected Voight to be darker. I don’t know.
- Bringing Rabbit back was random, but he’s at least hilarious.
- Kiana seemed a bit put off and hesitant a few times during all of this, and I wonder if she may be someone who clashes with Voight next season. I hope not, but who knows?
- Joseph’s spiel about lawlessness, etc, felt very preachy.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. I am DYING to know how you feel about this finale and Burzek’s wedding, so let’s discuss it below!
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