Chicago PD interview: Rick Eid on Olinsky’s dire situation, Halstead and Atwater’s undercover case
So was it always the plan for Olisnky to be a possible fall guy for Voight, and what does this say about him? Leading up to this episode we asked these questions to showrunner Rick Eid, in addition to him sharing a tease about the Halstead – Atwater storyline that is coming. This is the first part of a two-part interview with Eid; next week, get ready to see more of what he has to say about the finale and if he’s already been thinking about ideas for a season 6.
CarterMatt – Was it always the plan for Olinsky to find himself in hot water at this point in the story?
Rick Eid – It wasn’t decided at the beginning of the season that this was how it would go. It was one of those things that evolved organically. It was not something that we wrote towards — it wasn’t like we said ‘wouldn’t it be great if this situation happened?’ and we wrote towards it.
I think the main idea behind all of it was that we felt on some level, Voight needed to pay the price for some of his past deeds — that what he’s done needed to cost him something. Through that idea, the situation in episode 21 comes about.
What does it say about Olinskly that he is so unwilling to flip on Voight?
It speaks to his character — he’s a loyal friend, a loyal cop, and a part of a breed that doesn’t really exist anymore. He believes in loyalty with no conditions or exceptions. Voight’s his brother and he will remain loyal to him, regardless of the consequences.
We’re going to see Atwater and Halstead go undercover in this episode. What can you say about what’s coming up for the two of them?
It’s really fun to see two of our leads undercover in different settings and seeing the coordination of the actual police setup. It’s really interesting. You’re seeing Halstead undercover with one group and Atwater with another, and despite all of the obstacles, they are trying to manipulate their targets with one common goal: Trying to get these dangerous, high-powered assault rifles off the street.
Related – See a little more news now regarding Wednesday night’s new episode of the show
As always, we welcome some of your thoughts on this in the comments section below! Meanwhile, be sure to also like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want some other insight when it comes to all things Chicago PD including reviews, previews, and other news items. Remember to check back for the second half of our interview with Eid where we talk to him all about the season 5 finale! (Photo: NBC.)