Reviewer Rating: 4.1/5.0
4.1
Are Nina Chapman’s parting words on Chicago PD Fanatics making your head spin?
In Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4, we saw a disturbing serial rape case that has haunted Voight since it was one of his few unsolved cases.
On top of that, it’s the first case he’s taken on since the death of his wife, leading to an hour of Chicago PD that touches on lingering grief while presenting new opportunities.
Voight navigates grief and loneliness after losing Camille in ‘Chicago PD’ Season 12 Episode 4
Chicago PD Season 12 has done a great job so far, exploring its characters in select episodes while still balancing the case and its many other unit members.
In many ways, this issue is no exception.
Beginning in Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4, the focus shifts to Voight, as we see him deal with the grief that comes to the surface after a flood destroyed nearly all of Camille’s belongings.
The fact that Voight still has so many of Camille’s belongings only confirms that he’s never gotten over, or rather never gotten over, his grief for his wife.
Camille’s death still weighs heavily on him, and it has shaped much of his behavior since we’ve known him.
As embarrassing as it is for Nina to make such honest observations about Voight on stakeout, she’s not wrong to admit how difficult it is to imagine Voight as someone who belongs alone.
What we’re learning about Voight’s new cast in ‘Chicago PD’ Season 12
For as long as we’ve known him, he’s been a lone wolf, trying to keep a certain emotional distance from everyone, even those closest to him.
Clearly, Voight has never loved in the same way, and we’ve accepted that part of him since the show aired.
Even though we’ve learned more and more about Voight over the years, it’s interesting that this episode chose to explore this specific angle for him.
Voight’s loneliness is like this heavy cloak covering him, and even though everyone sees it and knows it’s true, it goes largely unresolved.
We’ve seen moments where happiness no longer seems like an illusion for him, whether it’s spending time with his grandson, his deep connection with Anna, or his attachment to Noah.
He has an innate desire for some deeper connection, and interestingly, with Haley’s departure and his near-death experience, he’s at a fascinating crossroads.
A rape case inspires Voight’s desire to right wrongs in ‘Chicago PD’ Season 12 Episode 4
Instinctively, he still wanted to keep people away, but he also began to show his concern to many other people.
But no matter how panicked he sounded when he worried an intelligence agent was in trouble, or how often he slipped up and called someone by their first name, it couldn’t compare to what he developed with Chapman.
The second Nina rides shotgun to a crime scene with Voight; it’s clear she’s going to be dedicated to the case and fully cooperating with the intelligence community.
Frankly, she did a good job as she provided a fresh perspective and tremendous energy that proved to be an asset.
Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 is one of the first episodes where we see Chapman’s capabilities at work.
She did an excellent job with the initial rape victim, providing a soothing and reassuring quality and tone that made the poor woman feel at ease.
Nina Chapman is a great asset and a breath of fresh air
She immediately intervened, realizing that after what had happened, the woman might not feel comfortable around men.
Her approach is reminiscent of Torres’s conciliatory nature and permission-seeking approach to the rape case last season. Both would be perfect for Law & Order: SVU.
Through her presence, Nina is committed to the case from start to finish, but another angle is that she learns that the case is connected to an unsolved case from Voight’s past during a particularly difficult time in his life.
Nina is extremely curious and eager to delve deeper into Voight’s life to learn more about him, and while you can’t blame her, considering how mysterious he is, she’s so bold in doing so.
Nina’s meeting with Suzanne, who believes she is the predator’s last victim, also fuels her desire to fight to the end.
Nina’s investment in the case comes from many aspects
Once she’s invested, nothing can stop her.
It’s great that she has such a big role in this episode, especially given the subject matter.
Trudy also shows up and plays a major role in assisting with the case.
Burgess is there, but not really, so the female perspective is appreciated.
In situations like this, Nina shows that she’s not afraid to bend or break the rules for the greater good.
She takes shortcuts in the hope that when she gets a search warrant under false pretenses in the future, it won’t affect her or Voight.
But if she doesn’t go that route, Payne will attack and kill the woman he’s holding hostage.
Two criminals sentenced in upsetting case
Penn is sick and so is Hogan because he helped him.
Even his illness wasn’t enough to stop Payne from attacking women again. He just used Hogan to find a new way to get his needs met.
Hogan is a beast. Without a doubt, the most exciting moment of the hour was watching Atwater and Torres go toe-to-toe with the burly man.
He had them both cheering, but the fight scenes were still exciting. Torres managed to rack up more wins and had better luck, but that’s not surprising since fighting is his middle name.
We also get some great working relationships with him and Voight, which is an interesting dynamic that’s less used but equally worth exploring.
Burgess’ status is so low that she probably didn’t have to appear in this particular episode. Ruzek also had some shining moments, including using a battering ram.
Dropping the fallout from Martel’s death is unusual
Treating some of these episodes as one-offs works in many ways, but it falters when the entire team, especially Ruzek, is dealing with Martel’s death.
This traumatic thing happens and we almost don’t address it anymore.
This is probably something we won’t revisit again until we get an episode with Burgess or Ruzek, preferably Burgess since she reappeared with little fanfare and we haven’t seen or heard from her yet Any of her reactions or how she handled it.
This is where we feel like we’re missing out on something.
But we get fun elements in return.
Nina shows off her feelings for Voight on Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4
Even though the relationship between Nina and Voight continues to develop throughout the film, and Nina increasingly shares the things that turn her on, it’s still jarring when she admits her feelings for Voight. People are shocked.
In typical Nina Chapman fashion, she does this in a direct, rather badass way, while introducing herself to Voight and confidently admitting that they don’t have to mention it again.
Then she left for a two-month trip to Denver, and like Voight, I was left speechless, trying to figure out what to do with it all.
Nina has been interested in Voight since they first met, so it’s no surprise that she develops feelings for him; shockingly, she admits them out loud to him, and the show Dare to address the issue.
She’s right to question Voight’s constant assertion that it’s his job to protect everyone around him when they can’t and shouldn’t do it in the same way.
He was invested in almost all the information, trying to look after him in some capacity.
But he can’t approach Nina with the same attitude because she doesn’t work for him and isn’t accountable to him.
She’s right, Voight does have a hard time getting people to care about him, which suggests he feels like he’s not worthy of being cared about in the first place.
A symbolic moment suggests Nina could be Voight’s next chapter
Notably, Nina expressed her fondness for Voight when the clothes and belongings in Camille’s suitcase were damaged from being left in the basement for too long, prompting him to figure out what to do with them next .
It’s like Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 4 forces him to confront Camille’s grief and acknowledge that she’s gone while simultaneously introducing Voight to the prospect of more in the future.
But after all these years, where should Chicago PD Season 12 go?
Let us know in the comments below.
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