Chicago PD season 5 episode 12 review: Atwater pushed to the limit
At the center of this episode was the capture of Kevin Atwater, coupled with the plans by Intelligence to do anything and everything in their power to save him. This was, unfortunately, a life-or-death situation for him as he was tied up and forced to confront a difficult situation in the past: The death of Ronnie.
We don’t often see episodes of Chicago PD go in a direction like this, one where they isolate characters from the group and force them to confront some of their own demons and find some of the inner strength within themselves. We know that Atwater can be cool as a cucumber, but at the same time this was not a situation where he could rely on that. This was one of the darkest, most harrowing crises that he’s ever found himself in. His entire future was at stake and he had to figure out a way to utilize every single tool in his arsenal in order to figure out a way out. At first, that meant conversation. From there, it meant determination. At the end of the day, it meant action.
What was also remarkable about this episode is how we constantly expected the police to turn up to put a stop to the chaos. Yet, that didn’t happen. Even when Joe, Ronnie’s father, had him at gunpoint, Atwater didn’t even need the police to get him out of this. He did it all himself using his words. Consider this yet another reminder as to the character’s skill set.
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In the aftermath of the life-or-death crisis Kevin got a chance to reunite with the team, and there were of course emotional moments aplenty throughout this. It was a reminder that the little things in life that matter; even though Atwater had just went through hell, he still cared about missing Trudy’s birthday. He also still cared enough to visit Joe in the hospital; it was another reminder of Kevin’s humanity. He can see the bigger picture. He doesn’t just hold grudges. It was a small, emotional way to end a big, dramatic episode.
Final Verdict
Chicago PD season 5 episode 12 was a great episode when it comes to drama, let alone one that also featured some great performances — we’ve already given Hawkins some credit, but how about Patrick John Flueger? His emotional scene after Antonio was forced to shoot the only lead on Atwater’s location was one that will stick with us for a while.
All in all, this episode of Chicago PD was yet another justification to give Hawkins even more great material. It also showed that you don’t need the entire team together the entirety of an episode for the the series as a whole to shine.
What did you think about Chicago PD season 5 episode 12, and were you as impressed as we were about this story for Atwater? Share right now in the comments, and be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook now for other Chicago PD updates. (Photo: NBC.)