Hank Voight doesn’t need a partner; he needs a therapist.
However, we know the latter will never happen, of course. Nevertheless, the first bit is something that I feel strongly about as we’re heading into Chicago PD‘s 13th season, and it’s evident that this Lone Wolf likes to be alone.
And that’s why I have reservations about the upcoming dynamic between him and Imani.
Chicago PD May Struggle to Pick Up from the Rushed Finale
Like most One Chicago Fanatics, I’m excited about the upcoming season, simply because these are series that make Wednesdays worthwhile, and they’re as comforting as a cozy sweater on a crisp day.
But that’s not to say that some of the bits and pieces we’re learning about the upcoming season aren’t enough to give a person pause.
It’s thrilling to be heading into Chicago PD Season 13, but is anyone else thrown off by the little we know about the upcoming plot?
The premiere will take place a month after the events of Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 22. However, the series also wrote itself into a corner with that incredibly rushed and weaker season finale, which had a polarizing effect on viewers.
They resolved everything with Reid too quickly. Suddenly, we went from 50 to 100, and by the end of the season, Voight orchestrated Reid’s murder, and they were able to expose him for his corruption.
The Disbandment Window Should’ve Closed
So, why are we a month later, and the Intelligence remains disbanded?
Initially, the idea of disbandment was shocking. It was admittedly promising to have the gang scattered all about, trying to take down Reid, reclaim their jobs, and so forth.
However, because the finale rushed through so much of its plot, we didn’t get a chance to fully appreciate it and enjoy the angst and drama that ensued from everyone feeling aimless.
Now, the premiere may attempt to tap into that, with us catching up with the unit a month later, as each of them tries to find their footing on the job outside of this elite unit they’re in.
However, it’s too little too late, isn’t it?
It makes the montage scene in the finale, where they look into Reid, a bit confusing. Are we to believe that it’s taking them a full month to wrap up this investigation before reinstating Intelligence?
For the most part, it felt like that entire story arc had concluded, so it doesn’t seem like it flows properly, as it tries to still incorporate bits of it into the new season.
Clearly, the Disbandment is the Quick Way to Wave off Cook and Introduce Imani
Presumably, this disbandment will also be the explanation for why Kiana Cook is no longer with the unit. She’ll likely be stationed somewhere else, and the job will stick.
Given that her limited presence in the finale gave the impression that she was uncomfortable with the lengths Voight was going, they’ll likely use that as justification for why she doesn’t return.
And, of course, since the new season will also still have Torres feeling out of sorts and lost, and untethered, removing a partner he seemed to have a surprisingly comfortable, though tragically underrated and unexplored, dynamic with serves as more fodder for him to be unsettled.
However, this also means that newcomer Imani comes in to potentially serve as Voight’s partner in the midst of this disbandment, and we know that her dynamic with Voight will be different from his with the others.
In the teaser, she appears to be a total badass, who could be rough around the edges, snarky, and refers to the unit as the Brady Bunch.
But there’s still something irksome about her possible standing on the team when they come together.
PD Squanders Chapman and Sacrifices Her Characterization and Role
And it has to do with the other women.
A great deal of Chicago PD Season 11 and Chicago PD Season 12 had Chapman slowly becoming a bit of a partner for Voight. They had a great, strong rapport, working incredibly well together. The refreshing part was that she wasn’t directly on the unit, so it didn’t detract from how they functioned.
It made sense why Voight and Chapman could be a strong partnership on equal footing, and even how they served as confidantes for one another worked.
However, the series shifted things when it introduced the romantic element, and even that wasn’t enough to truly deter me from enjoying their dynamic.
However, the problem arose when it seemed as if Chicago PD sacrificed the Real Nina Chapman to turn her into a pining schoolgirl type who couldn’t handle who Voight was, even though she had always known who he was.
It was such a jarring switch-up for her character, not to mention that the series felt it was important to showcase that, rather than focusing on the Burzek Wedding, which was a whole other debacle.
So now we’re supposed to assume that he and Chapman have fallen out because what? She can’t be professional anymore? Which is why we suddenly need someone to fill that void for Voight in a new way, hence Imani?
Did we have to sacrifice Chapman and who she used to be in the first place? And now, instead of just rectifying that, does it mean they’re doubling down, so we can have a fresh new take?
My Fear is Imani Feels New and Refreshing, but Really Recycles Old Dynamics
So Chapman, as a character, takes a hit, and no, Imani will step into some of that void, which is also, presumably, similar to the same void that Hailey left behind, too.
It feels like we’re not getting a combination of what Hailey and Chapman were to Voight in Imani, which I have mixed feelings about.
In some ways, Imani’s background and personality make her sound like a hybrid of Hailey and Halstead, which could liven things up (although it may be more of the same, as we still have to see her in action).
But now it also sounds like the idea of Imani is to be this action-oriented, badass, equally as passionate person in the field who doesn’t serve as a subordinate to Voight or even one of his “kids” like everyone else.
Why Does It Already Feel Like Imani Displaces Burgess?
It sounds like she’s supposed to be closer to his “Second” or even his genuine partner, which also has me frustrated with how that potentially displaces Burgess.
Sadly, they already stripped Burgess of her detective shield because of Reid and his nonsense, so something that she worked so hard for is now lost to her.
Even before that happened, the series never really spent as much time showing how her and Voight’s dynamic evolved with her serving as his second in command.
With a character like Imani, there’s going to be some conflict, and maybe that’s the fresh new direction of interest that they plan to explore, and that’s the whole point.
But it definitely sucks for Kim, no?
It sounds like Imani will be in the position that she should be in to some degree.
Voight is Best Alone, and the Unit Has Enough External Conflict
What’s interesting is that it’s not exactly a new type of thing to explore, when one of the biggest complaints for a few seasons was how Voight and Hailey felt like they were on an island by themselves, excluding the others.
And in the latter seasons, Hailey fashioned herself a bit of Voight’s second, often opting to emulate and challenge him.
As a newbie and someone who may not subscribe to the status quo of falling in line under Voight rather than beside him, Imani could be a source of tension on the team at times.
It’s a totally different vibe than the seamless, easygoing thing they had going on with Cook. This lends credence to the notion that her departure was a deliberate creative decision.
However, it’s still unfortunate that we didn’t get to see that type of vibe for the team blossom fully before we move on to something new that’s potentially more contentious, while also not feeling wholly unique either.
Wouldn’t the whole thing with Chapman go to prove maybe Voight doesn’t need a partner type after all? That ended in disaster, presumably. And Hailey and Halstead both had to bail because it became too much.
Should they have left well enough alone? Or is it too early to say?
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Agree? Disagree?
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