TV REVIEW: Chicago PD Goes Obvious in “We Don’t Work Together Anymore”

Tonight was the big episode that hordes of Chicago PD fans have been waiting for this entire season – Erin Lindsay started her new job with the Feds.

Just kidding, the huge hookup that so many viewers have been clamoring for materialized in a surprise to no one, considering the title of this installment is “We Don’t Work Together Anymore.”

Let’s get to the other things that went down first. Detective Lindsay really did leave Intelligence to play with the big boys, Roman dealt with some major “my partner got shot” guilt, Burgess contemplated her new IU job offer, and all of our cops on the team dealt with not having their favorite dimpled detective in the unit anymore.

The Grass Is not Always Greener

Lindsay joins the task force and immediately has second thoughts about her decision. In the opening scene, Erin’s asking Jay if she’s making the right move. He pushes her along to her new gig – the first big fed assignment is bringing down a major drug cartel player, Damian Mendoza. The good guys have the girlfriend, Kylie, working for them, shelling out information. What could possibly go wrong? Being an hour-long drama, things spiral southward immediately.

Lindsay and new boss Lang raid a building that will hopefully yield the coveted Mendoza arrest. Kylie’s assured the agents that bad boyfriend will be there. The building’s empty and Kylie’s vanished. It looks like Mendoza caught wind of the sting and has now kidnapped his girlfriend.

Throughout the case, Erin struggles with her decision to join the Feds. All signs point to Get Your Ass Back to Intelligence, NOW.

Sign #1 that she needs to return to IU: new boss Lang makes her give up her favorite gun for a fed issued 45. Taking a girl’s gun? Not an auspicious beginning.

Erin calls IU for help tracking down Mendoza. So that’s how they’re going to weave the storylines together until Lindsay returns to her family. The feds will need Intelligence’s help and perhaps vice versa in upcoming episodes.

Sign #2 Erin should high-tail it back to her old unit: Lang is an A-hole. “Working with your old unit’s not a problem? As long as you understand, they work for US now.” Nice.

Sign #3: Lang doesn’t tell Erin that Kylie has a daughter. “You should have told us she had a daughter. It means she’s not playing us.” Lindsay is definitely not enjoying her first day.

IU gets a lead on a cartel connection, Emilio. They track down his girlfriend who gives up the little information she has … the car Emilio’s driving now. They chase him down, arresting him in a convenience store and discover two million dollars in the gas tank of his vehicle.

Voight’s interrogating Emilio and Lindsay pays a visit to her old team having a little one-on-one with Jay. He says, “We no longer work together so a lot of the old rules no longer apply.” Is anyone doubting that Linstead is so on for tonight?

Hank’s slapping Emilio around but Lang wants to make a deal with the scum, going directly against Voight’s wishes. Erin steps in on her old boss’ side.

“Don’t undercut me again,” Lang warns Lindsay. Refer back to Sign #2, please.

Hank gets his “I told you so” moment when cutting Emilio loose leads to a whole lotta nothing.

Lang finally passes the search for Urbina torch to Voight, who has a little one on one time with the bad guy. “How do we find Mendoza?” He’s reluctant to give up any intel until Hank mentions the finder’s fee of over $800,000 and the word he’ll put on the street that he’s a rat. Urbina conveniently has a tracking card on Mendoza and his money. The Feds and IU are led to a wayward truck and the prerequisite action scene follows, complete with almost shootout. Lindsay finds Kylie alive while Lang focuses on the bigger prize for him, the cache of cash. “That’s gonna photograph real nice,” fed boss says.

By episode’s end, Erin tells Kylie that Damian’s going to prison for the rest of his life. She also promises to get the woman her money for turning against her boyfriend. Lang says it’s a huge amount of paperwork; Kylie may not be getting any money at all. Erin’s so upset she skips the big press conference. So how much more can she stomach? I’m thinking not more than a couple of weeks. This leads us to Sign #4 that these are not the people for Erin: Lang’s a liar.

Pictured: (l-r) Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay, Bailey Chase as David Lang — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

A Little Platt Therapy

Burgess is recovering from being shot and has returned to duty … at the front desk. She’s not too happy that Sergeant Platt heads out to partner with Roman while she’s on the mend. Oh boy, this is gonna be good.

Throughout “We Don’t Work Together Anymore,” Platt offers Roman her own brand of mental therapy for the guilt ridden cop. I’m thinking Chief Boden should bring her in as candidate to get Severide back to normal. Just a thought.

She starts off reminding him he’ll need a new partner now that Burgess is moving upstairs to Intelligence. He thinks he’s “cursed,” but Platt’s not having it. You know Trudy isn’t going to put up with any nonsense. Their assignment is tracking down cartel boss Esteban Urbina who ends up leading them to Mendoza and missing girlfriend Kylie.

During the Ploman bonding, Platt tells the story of how her gun jammed on a call and she was convinced she’d screwed up even though her partner told her the opposite.

“Ball players need a short memory at the plate. Same goes for cops. What happened to Burgess happened. Let it go. Get your ass back in the game,” Yoda Trudy imparts.

By the end of this one, Roman finally talks to Burgess. “I shoulda been there to cover you at that house.”

“I don’t blame you. I don’t blame anyone. You can’t carry around this guilt anymore. I won’t allow it,” sweet Kim replies.

“I’m gonna miss working with you,” Roman adds looking like someone stole his puppy or he’s losing a partner he may have a wee bit of a crush on.

“They’ll be lucky to have you.”

Kim walks out with a faraway look on her face. She heads up to Voight’s office to discuss the new job offer. Burgess “respectfully declines” his offer. “I’m not ready to be off the beat yet. My heart’s in the uniform, at least right now.”

She’s happy, Voight’s happy. Wow, who saw that coming? Not me. Now on to something we all saw coming…

Pictured: Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Linstead. Happens. Tonight.

The final scene of the night is the most highly anticipated by many CPD fans who’ve been mercilessly teased by Chicago PD writers for months.

Erin shows up on Halstead’s doorstep, looking sad and dejected.

“You wanna talk about your day?” Jay asks.

Nope. No talking. Just some heavy kissing and making out and ripping off of clothes. Linstead has arrived.

My thoughts on the pairing will not be popular, but I’m going to let my protestations roll. I’m not in favor of the coupling right now for three reasons.

Reason 1 – It is so early in the life of our favorite cop drama to be going for what could be end game in the showrunners’ minds. You really want to pair them up so soon? For all those thrilled that Linstead hooked up, I ask you to consider this – where will they go from here? Let me remind you of Dawsey on big brother show Chicago Fire. There is only one place for them to travel, to the land of splitsville. There’s no drama in having them live happily ever after from this point forward.

Reason 2 – Things were left so unfinished with the crossover romance Linseride. Yes, Kelly Severide lost his best friend Shay, so his life spiraled out of control. But who buys the idea that Erin wouldn’t be there for the fireman in some capacity other than one 30 second snippet in episode two? They didn’t have a big breakup scene, a “you got married to someone else, you crazy jerk” scene. The relationship was left so undone, it’s as if the writers are hoping we have amnesia and will pretend, along with them, that Linseride never happened. That’s not happening.

Reason 3 – Linstead is SO predictable… partners as more than partners has been done by every show EVER. I was hoping PD would do the unpredictable and decide that the couple would figure out that they are more family than lovers. They would perhaps kiss and discover that there was a little sibling flavor in the lip lock. You’ve got to admit, these two look like they could be brother and sister.

But alas, Linstead has arrived and looks to be here for a while. What did you think of tonight’s episode? Wasn’t Therapist Platt just awesome? Didn’t you feel for Erin not digging her new job? And was the big Linstead moment all you hoped for? Another big crossover event is coming in a couple of weeks as both shows do all they can to track down #WhoKilledShay. That should be an epic, pulling at all the heartstrings two night event that just might give us a little Linseride closure.

 Chicago PD airs Wednesdays on NBC at 10 p.m.