Atwater’s Chicago PD episode is great, but not the best character story of Season 12

Chicago PDAtwater’s recent storytelling was one of the best, but this episode ignored the plight of one of the series’ strongest characters. Atwater was part Chicago PDcast since the beginning of the series, so it deserves strong stories. Once or twice a season, the long-running cop series offers an Atwater-focused episode, often exploring his conflicting loyalties as a black cop viewed as a traitor by some in his community and facing racism on the job.

Now that Hailey Upton is gone Chicago Police. Season 12 went in a different direction, highlighting the ensemble aspect of the team, while also exploring the psychological toll these violent crimes take on the officers investigating them. Thus, Episode 3 demonstrated that Atwater was under pressure in many aspects of his life and that stress was taking hold of him. It was part of a strong story for him, but the episode sidelined Ruzek instead of dealing with the consequences of Ruzek seeing Martel fatally wounded in front of him.

Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 3 introduces Atwater to a therapist

The woman he met at the bar works as a forensic therapist at the department.

Val was introduced as Atwater’s new love interest. However, there was an unexpected twist: Atwater learned that Val was a forensic therapist working for the police department when she was called in to consult on a case. the next morning. This development created awkwardness between Val and Atwater, who had not told anyone that he had already met Val. Additionally, the two clashed at work when Val recommended sending the only witness to a vacation home when Atwater wanted to continue searching for answers.

Val is romantically interested in Atwater and therefore cannot be his therapist. However, she noticed a tense situation involving Atwater and one of the tenants of the building he manages; later, when he came to her house to apologize for an earlier outburst, Val correctly identified some of his problems, especially that he spent too much time on his phone putting out fires. Val’s support was clearly greater than that of a therapist treating a patient, as she then kissed Atwater.but her suggestions probably planted seeds in Atwater’s head that he might seek out from a more objective therapist.

Atwater’s meeting with Val is a reminder of how Chicago PD ignores Ruzek’s injury.

Martel’s death was not mentioned in this episode

Atwater is undoubtedly overstretched and in danger of burning out. Val noticed that he was under pressure from all sides as Miss Roberta and the victim’s mother simultaneously cornered him with their problems, and Atwater seemed to temporarily withdraw during the scene before returning to full attention and dealing with both situations. However, this powerful story completely overshadowed Ruzek, who had also recently gone through a traumatic experience.

Ruzek saw his partner shot in the head in front of him and held her as she died, his hands stained with her blood, but in this story his entire role was to help find the perpetrators. who shot all of Diana’s employees. While the episode’s focus on Atwater was appropriate, the mention of Ruzek’s injury didn’t take anything away from him. It would have been more realistic and respectful of Ruzek’s character.

Now that she was back, it was blatant for Chicago PDKim Burgess shouldn’t have to ask Ruzek how he’s coping with the tragic events he witnessed while she was out of town. Additionally, Ruzek could have easily weighed in on the debate about whether Diane’s conflicting answers were the result of lying or memory problems due to her similar trauma. The fact that Ruzek’s injury was ignored suggests he’ll be headed for a downturn later in the season when it finally catches up with him. but references to it in the dialogue had to be for the sake of continuity.

Chicago PD Season 12 needs to revisit Ruzek’s trauma before he marries Burgess

Going into that wedding with unresolved trauma could lead to disaster later

Ruzek and Burgess are scheduled to get married by the end of the season. Chicago PD Season 12. However, Ruzek needs to deal with his trauma before the couple says their vows. If he doesn’t, it could cause serious problems in their relationship later on. That would be a disappointing direction for their story to go. It would also be unnecessarily cruel if Mac, who had so much turmoil in her young life, had to deal with Ruzek and Burgess’ divorce because Ruzek didn’t come to terms with losing Martell before the wedding.

With hope, Chicago PD will focus on Ruzek’s injury in its next episode. It’s incredible that he sat at his desk and helped with the investigation as if nothing had happened. Instead, Ruzek must deal with his trauma quickly so that he and Burgess can finally find a happy ending after all the ups and downs their relationship has endured over the years.