TV REVIEW: Chicago PD’s Season Finale “A Beautiful Friendship”

PD has been my favorite new show this season.  It’s the grittier, rough around the edges Chicago Fire cousin.  It has all the prerequisite crimes of the week, but the real star is the cast of characters.  We’ve gotten to know them little by little and tonight revealed a couple of major layers to Erin Lindsay.  That’s the positive.

If there’s a positive, you know there’s got to be a negative. I’m kind of thinking the series went two episodes too many. When NBC announced they were ordering a plus two for CPD, I was thrilled. Now, not so much.

We know how those Fire and PD writers love their cliffhangers. Well, the ones tonight came a out of left field and didn’t ring true in the series that’s been authentic and real from the beginning. End with Antonio being shot, and we don’t know if he’ll pull through. It makes sense; it gives us the chance for a little more Pulpo in season three, but NO.  Antonio’s almost fully recovered, and some what the heck moments come shooting at us at the very end.

Let’s get to the story line we care about. Erin’s old boyfriend, Charlie (and he really is an “old” boyfriend) is back again.  He’s roughing up Annie his baby mama, and threatens them both with the name Sandoval. They look like he’s just said “Voldemort,” so we know something bad went down years ago.

He says he’s getting his payday or he’s running his mouth. He hands Erin a piece of paper with his demands on it. I thought they only did that at shady job interviews.

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

The cops check out a construction site robbery, finding a dead security guard, missing explosives, and, wait for it … a Charlie connection. Jay meets with his CI, a jumpy little guy called Mouse who makes Steve Buscemi look like he’s on Valium.  ADHD arranges a meet with some guys connected to the construction pinch, and who shows up wanting to buy blasting caps?  Charlie.

Jay knows something’s up. Those skinny jeans haven’t cut off all oxygen to his brain. His first clue is the way Erin walks around like she just lost her dog, or maybe her fireman was blown up in some other finale.  No, it’s not that.  Charlie needs some city planning and zoning blueprints from her or he’s going all Sandoval on her.  She gets Jin to download them and gives them to the shady guy from her past. Here’s an idea, Erin. Talk to Voight!

After not handling her Charlie predicament all night, she finally tells Voight she needs his help. The cops discover that Charlie’s targeting a jewelry exchange. They bust him before he even lifts one diamond, and he spews off something about a murder, Ricky Sandoval, and 2002.

Erin and Charlie have one of the best scenes of the night in an interrogation room.  She says, “You know what Sandoval was doing to Annie. And she snapped. Just so you know I’m gonna say I killed Sandoval.”  She goes on to berate Charlie for being such a loser and tells him to get his life together. He gives up the guy who killed the security guard and puts the Sandoval tidbit in his pocket.  Erin’s secret seems safe, at least until season two.

Meanwhile, Atwater’s officially one of the gang rolling into Intelligence like he owns the place. He’s really busy contacting his thuggy friends in the hopes of tracking down the security guard killing bad guys. He’s hardcore like that. I think he listens to Eminem and Macklemore in his free time.

If Atwater goes Superfly in this one, Jin goes Superslime. He meets with Stillwell and forks over the request by Lindsay for the blueprints.  Jin!  Why, super nerd, why?

Pictured: (l-r) Patrick Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Archie Kao as Sheldon Jin — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

I think I cheered out loud when Voight confronts Jin after meeting with IA villain Stillwell. He takes him for a ride and once they stop, a trademark Voight face slap is due.  Jin tearfully says he’s working for Voight.

On to the cliffhangers or semi-cliffhangers of the episode.  Burgess and Ruzek do it.  Okay, not much of a cliffy but they do.

Antonio’s wife, Laura, leaves him. They argue all episode with Laura wanting the family to move out to the country. Doesn’t sound so bad after being shot twice in a year. Antonio looks at it like he’d be Barney Fifing his life away. So, she leaves a note, takes the kids, and is vamanos.

In the big, heavily promoted shocker, a man is lying dead on the street. Voight’s called and discovers it’s … Jin!  RIP super nerd.

Hashtag of the night…#DidVoightDoIt. Nah, my money’s on Stillwell.

Great show, great first season, but a less than stellar season finale. Jin’s dead, Antonio’s alone, Burzek’s a thing, and Voight’s giving five grand to Stillwell.  In spite of the mish-mash of random events in the finale, Chicago PD will be one of my most missed shows this summer. I’ve fallen in love with the cast of characters and can’t wait for more exciting shoot outs, gross discoveries, emotional feels, and, most importantly, Voight face slaps.

See you back here in a couple of months, same time, same place.

Random Notes

• Burgess is partnered up with a cop so old he needs a nap during the day, while on shift.  I think he dozed off during the big shoot out at the end. Platt again has the best line of the night when she tells young cop, “I thought you’d.crumble like a chocolate chip cookie” when you didn’t make Intelligence.  She promises Burgess a better partner. Aw, we love you sergeant.
• Nadia is back fresh out of rehab and looking for a job. Erin tells her not to break her heart again. She promises she won’t.  Great scene.
• Erin and Jay make goo goo eyes at each other.
• The jacket will not die. It you’ve read my past two reviews you know what I’m talking about. C’mon, Ruzek.  Take that thing out to the docks.  Please.