TV REVIEW: Chicago PD’s “8:30 PM” is Arguably the Best Episode This Season

Tonight’s episode of Chicago PD picks up right where its older brother, Chicago Fire, left off last night. And talk about picking up and running like gangbusters. This was the best episode of the season, and its been an excellent, hell of a ride, way too short freshman run of this gritty cop drama. If only they still gave Emmys to shows that weren’t on cable or Netflix, this would be a contender. But we all know the series has to rhyme with Schrad Schmen or Shraking Shrad to be considered Emmy worthy nowadays. C’est la vie. Let’s get into it.

“8:30 PM” opens a second after Chicago Fire ended. .Shay (Lauren German) has collapsed and Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) rushes over to help. New doc, Holly Thelan (Amanda Righetti), is there too. They peel away her jacket and shirt, revealing a nasty gash that looks like something out of Saw 27. Oh Shay, why didn’t you say anything? You are too beautiful to die, not to mention your eyebrows are too fierce to be brought down by any bomb. Sharpie, color – tawny brown?

Back to the story, Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) is briefing Sergeant Voight (Jason Beghe) and his team on what went down before they finally rolled in after the prerequisite stop at Dunkin Donuts. Voight says, “We’ll get him” and we have no doubt that the terrorist will be caught and punished Voight-style by episode’s end.

In a distracting, but funny turn, Ruzek (John Flueger) shows up in a jacket that looks like Urban Cowboy meets the Muppets, maybe with a little Brokeback thrown in for good measure. I digress, but you’ve got to see this thing. Nolan from Revenge called. He wants to borrow it for next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Detective Lindsay (Sophia Bush) spies her hunky fireman, Severide (Taylor Kinney), and asks how it’s going. They exchange a few words and adios, they’re off in different directions. What? That was the all the Linseride we’re getting? Think again.

A bossy FBI guy shows up wanting to take over. He’s got all these rules. “Everything goes through me,” he commands. Voight’s look says, “Dream on, Suit, dream on.” The feds immediately suspect a Muslim orderly while Voight goes off in another direction. Who do you think’s coming out on top?

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

Holly’s sister, Imogene, was looking really bad last night … like “dead” bad. Dr. Arata (guest star Dylan Baker) has to break the tragic news to sister doc and both of these guest stars shine unexpectedly. On Chicago Fire, Holly was so leaden and stiff she seemed to be phoning it in. On tonight’s show, she about breaks our hearts. Dr. Arata was weird and quirky, but no real acting muscles were flexed last night. Wow, what a difference 24 hours makes. He is quirky in a Shibari kind of way (watch The Good Wife), but he’s also heartbreaking and intense. Come on back you two.

The Intelligence Team is questioning everyone in the hospital who can answer, dead or alive. One “victim” mentions seeing a guy with “olive skin” and we know that’s code for terrorist. Wait! Our super smart crime fighters are not falling for the old olive skin ploy. They end up discovering that HE is part of the bad bomb guys. They also uncover that the second bomb was supposed to go off at 8:30 PM.

On the way to solving this crime, Voight has to set the FBI boss straight, saying, “This happened in my city, on my soil. Don’t get in my way.” Get some, Voight.

Jin (Archie Kao) is let out of his nerd office to help investigate, using his techie skills to figure out it’s a dad/son team of white supremacists targeting the Chicago PD and Fire. One step at a time, they slowly unfold the mystery of the bombing. First, they find a link to a dead guy in his apartment, bullet to the brain. Lindsay’s not having it. She quickly discovers it was murder.

Next, Jin finds a link between dead guy and the “victim.” Our team surrounds him as he’s checking out, but he’s a shifty little thing and pulls out a huge knife holding it to Linday’s neck. Whoa! Lindsay, you’re off your game girl. Your spidey senses would have normally put him six feet under before he could pull that thing. Never fear, our ChiFi bomb defusing heroes arrive…

Mills and Cruz are on both sides of the guy, just out of sight. Cruz yells and Mills hits him with a pole. Voight grabs him and says I need a room. Oh yeah, I don’t think they’re going to tell secrets and braid each other’s hair.

Pictured: (l-r) Dylan Baker as Arata, Jason Beghe as Hank Voight, Elias Koteas as Alvin Olinsky, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

In his makeshift torture room, Voight tells bad guy, “You will not endure the pain I will put you through.” Bomb guys says he needs to see a doctor. Voight responds with, “I will tell you what I need to know. I need to know about 8:30.”

Voight performs an icky squish of the face while Olinsky calmly eats a sandwich outside the door. Hilarious.

Elsewhere in the hospital, we see that Shay is improving. Severide is there and we finally, finally get the Shayveride moment we’ve been waiting for on Chicago Fire. This is CPD? Oh, who cares. He has his concerned face on and says, “You weren’t gonna tell anyone about that enormous gash in your side?”

“I kept meaning to. Always looking out for me,” she answers. So sweet and real. This is truly the most authentic relationship on ChiFi and desperately in short supply this season. He kisses her hand and tells her to get some rest. She asks about the two little girls, but he’s been too busy saving Dawson to know about that tragedy. He leaves, and we all say “aw” together.

In the triple hanky story line of the night, we watch two little nine-year-olds tragically injured by the bomb blast. Burgess’ (Marina Squerciati) niece Zoe is clinging to life with a badly damaged liver while Holly’s sister, Imogene, is brain dead with “zero” chance of recovery. Holly’s parents make it in and are told by one daughter that their other daughter is basically brain dead.

Dr. Arata says, “There is something you can do.” He makes the liver offer we all know is coming. “Your daughter’s death won’t be meaningless. That I know is true.” The parents are distraught, but the dad says, “Imogene would want this.” This featured some of the most dramatic moments of any show in recent memory The scene of Burgess and Arata looking at Zoe and Imogene from outside their hospital rooms. Just feet apart but worlds apart, like opposite sides of a coin, and who lives or dies decided in one flip.

The police work continues outside the hospital where more unfolds for our cops. They discover that bad bomber has a white supremacist dad behind bars. When Antonio pays him a little visit, the racist spews such prejudice that Dawson channels Voight and kicks his chair out from under him. Love it when Antonio gets a little dirtied up.

Our cops are led to a garage with a connection to bad dad, and it looks like macho hour has arrived. Ruzek and Jay (Jesse Lee Soffer) go Mission Impossible on us and slide down ropes from the ceiling. Pretty cool even if the drop looks about as far as your typical Jungle Jim at McDonalds. They discover another dead guy inside, but this time they find where and when a third bomb is going off at 8:30 PM at headquarters.

Another road trip. They’re flying through the city looking for a van with a bomb. They find it pretty quickly and call the bomb squad. What? Were Mills and Boden busy?

Pictured: (l-r) Patrick Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Jason Beghe as Hank Voight, Eamonn Walker as Chief Wallace Boden — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

They chase after the main bad bomb guy, all the way to the roof. A shooting ensues with a bunch of back and forth until Voight walks straight towards racist bomber and shoots him. The bomb squad disarms the device with just seconds to spare while Voight hangs the bad guy off the roof. Surprisingly, he doesn’t drop him. Maybe next time.

FBI guy says, “Good working with you or watching you work.” Case solved.

In the final scene of the night, Erin Lindsay is in her apartment getting a beer out of her fridge. Knock at the door. Deja Vu. Could it be? Yes! It’s Kelly. “I should have called,” he says. “You don’t ever have to call.” Wait, they’ve done this before? You have some explaining to do.

They kiss and if she says she has to work in the morning, I’m saying she’s firmly on Shay’s team. Instead, I blinked and they’re naked … on the bed, really kissing.

“I just have one request,” Erin says. Oh boy, I’m thinking Shibari (like I said, go watch The Good Wife).

Kelly is pretty but he’s no dummy (at least tonight) and answers, “Yeah, name it.”

“Stay the night.”

Those smart genes are really showing tonight, so he says, “I’m not goin’ anywhere.” Linseride, you better not go anywhere either, really make yourself at home. Kelly hasn’t had a big boy relationship since Renee Royce and Erin just leaves a string of broken hearts (according to Voight). Let’s give this ship a chance, writers.

Pictured: (l-r) Patrick Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Jon Seda as Antonio Dawson — (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

I am left with one question. How can this super-sized crossover event be so lame on Chicago Fire one night and then so epic on Chicago PD the very next? Simple answer – ChiFi tackles too much. They have too many characters and too many story lines. We never get fully invested when the show is breaking to a new sub plot quicker than they break to commercial.

On tonight’s Chicago PD, there were two stories – The dying nine-year-olds and finding the bombers. We have the opportunity to go in depth with each plot line affording the actors the chance to show us what they got. They’ve got plenty.

I’m facing a couple of weeks of denial because there are only two episodes left this season. It has been a pleasure to watch CPD and is one of those shows that your husband will get into also. This one definitely passed the hubs-o-meter. Last night, he went to bed with 40 minutes left in the installment of Chicago Fire. Tonight, he stayed up even through the previews for next week. There you go Emmy voters. I think that should count for something.

What are we counting? We’re counting on a season finale that rocks, that leaves us in the fetal position, crying in a corner because we will have to wait three months for the next season. We are also counting on some strong ratings to usher in the summer. So, let’s meet up here next week, 9:00 Texas time (is that a thing?), and talk about how magnificent this show is and how the new Linseride scene is a testament to hotness personified.

Random Notes

Voight was leather and lace tonight. He is “take no prisoners” in his search for the bomber, but he also shows a tender side with Burgess giving her a few sweet words and even touching her cheek.

Dr. Arata tells a story of working with a Chief trauma surgeon who would decide if he got a fellowship. They were in surgery after surgery when he gets a call saying his dad has suffered a heart attack He asks if he can Ileave to be with his father. The doctors says, “Yes, but you’ll never get the fellowship.” Arata says, “We saved 16 people that night but my dad passed away. It’s a day like today that I understand why that surgeon did that.”

Apparently, the Intelligence Team means business when they shed their leather for all black including black bullet proof vests. What a beautiful cast. Sorry, couldn’t help myself there.

Voightisms: After trying to find the bomb location, he says he hasn’t heard “dick.”

He tells his team, “We’re gonna ask for forgiveness not permission. No one’s slowing down.”

The Walking Dead’s got nothing on Burgess. She’s sporting a zombie look from being light on sleep and heavy on worry. Ruzek is there to comfort, of course. He even gives her one of those full body hugs. No knuckle bump tonight, lucky lady.