TV REVIEW: Chicago PD “Erin’s Mom” Brings Nothing But Trouble

The best episodes of Chicago PD stick to the heart, soul, and gravel of the show. This week was one of those best episodes. The heart and gravel come in the form of Hank Voight who badasses it up one minute, then looks out for his girl the next. The soul of the show is Erin Lindsay who still holds out hope that mom will metamorphose into the loving, caring mother she always longed for but never saw.

“Erin’s Mom” highlighted Voight and Lindsay with the backdrop of capturing a child killing bad guy. This one offered up shootouts and punchouts galore, but its strength came in the strength of the two main cops we’ve grown to know and love, Voight and Lindsay.

Down the Rabbit Hole with Bunny

The case of the night is brought to us by one of the most unlikely of sparks … Erin’s mom. Bunny sets the wheels in motion for a fast paced chase to catch a killer. Voight is more than skeptical when Bunny shows up claiming she’s a “Good Samaritan” who thinks she spots a murderer in one of the renters at her husband’s car rental business. That soul of Erin makes us think she can change just about anyone she lays those dimples on. Nadia’s a changed young lady, taking classes, staying off drugs. All of it due to the faith of one Detective Lindsay. When Erin decides to trust Bunny, we can’t help but root for a reformation in bad mom.

The cops find the bad guys in the process of a robbery, some scheme where they kidnap family members to get check exchange managers to deliver the cash. They stop the theft but the husband and son of the manager end up getting killed by Miko, the really evil half of the operation. CPD does not shy away from the graphic, showing close-ups of the dead little boy.

Pictured: (l-r) Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay, Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, Jon Seda as Antonio Dawson — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

When the trademark Voight slap comes out in full force on Miko’s partner, we can’t help but cheer. Badass Hank is almost the best thing ever. Combine that with sensitive Hank, and we’ve got the makings of an amazing episode. He gets some Miko information, and it seems like the cops will have their man soon.

Bunny acts like she is just doing her civic duty and looking out for the good of society. This is the woman who couldn’t look after her own children. You may be in over your head, Bunny. We find out there’s a hefty reward offered for Miko, and now we have our motivation for the Bunny involvement. Voight calls her on it, but the woman sticks to her story. We feel a big ‘Erin welling up’ scene at the end of this one, but we hope we’re wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Bunny does want to change. That Erin hope is permeating our own souls.

Staying Warm with Sexy Time

There wasn’t much Linstead in this one, just a cute flirting scene at the beginning where Erin says, “I would take a bullet just to come over to your house tonight.” Luckily, she doesn’t take a bullet in this one, although we will have to wait to see how they handle the wrath of Voight when he discovers the relationship. There may be more than a slap coming Jay’s way.

Antonio was the lucky one in “Erin’s Mom” reconnecting with an old friend who’s now a detective on the trail of Miko. He got a little winter lovin’ in a scene that made us forget he was ever married to Lauren, Laurie, Laura… whatever the heck her name was. Hot!

Nadia and Platt continue to strangely bond in this one, tonight it was over Trudy’s failure to keep Miko firmly locked up. Nadia cheers up her, shall we say mentor, by using statistics of how many prisoners escape. Platt’s crusty exterior is being slowly chipped away by the young one with Trudy even offering a ride home. Pladia has arrived!

The Capture (For Real This Time)

The cops catch Miko pretty quick, locking him up, case over. Right? Not so fast, we have another 30 minutes left. The bad guy escapes in just one of the CPD twists of the night. The chase X 2 leads the cops down to a dark basement, bullets ringing out. Burgess and Roman lead the charge with Intelligence taking over. They creep around in the basement, guns blazing with the prerequisite gun battle. Miko’s finally caught, taken back to the precinct. Voight says, “Welcome back.”

Bad guy says he escaped once, he’ll do it again. Shots ring out and … Miko is gunned down! The shooter is the mom of the dead boy. She says she couldn’t stop thinking about Olinsky’s words to her earlier, “Some men don’t deserve to be walking the earth.”

Pictured: (l-r) Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay, Jason Beghe as Hank Voight — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Bunny’s True Colors Come Out

Because of Bunny’s involvement with the offenders, she’s not getting a penny of the reward money. Erin looks upset about it, actually fighting for mom to get the money. Lindsay gets a look at mom’s true colors when she goes ballistic over the lost money. No reformation tonight. Once a bunny, always a bunny.

“Did you really think you could get one over on me?” Hank asks. Bunny admits she really needs that money to pay off a pimp she borrowed money from. Way to class up the joint, mom.

Voight shows his true colors as well, offering money to the pimp. Is he doing it for Bunny? No, his only concern is Erin. He confronts Bunny saying her debt is paid off but now she owes him. Stay out of Erin’s life.

“You win Hank. You were the better parent. You are not going to keep her out of my life,” protests Bunny as she storms out. This will not be the last we see of her this season.

Voight gets a call from Erin. “Thank you.” She’s in her car across the street. Those hazel eyes welling up, pulling at our heartstrings. Every damn time. And now we are left wondering why Bunny didn’t have a transformation, why Erin still cares, and why we care so darn much? I’m sounding like a broken record, but it’s character. Chicago PD initially drew us in with interesting characters, but instead of keeping it all surface level stuff, it delves into these people little by little revealing a past so layered we come back week after week. Instead of being all over the place in plot or trying to do too much, it focuses in on its core group taking the time and crafting storylines that allow the viewer to become a part of this world that’s all heart, soul, and gravel.

Chicago PD airs Wednesdays on NBC at 10 pm.