TV REVIEW: It’s a Face-Off on Chicago PD’s “Get Me My Cigarettes”

Chicago PD gets right back into it this week, with guns and faces going off, but the heart of the show remains planted in the hearts of its team of cops.

Last week Voight came clean to his unit, Erin’s mom Bunny hopped on the scene, and Jay’s head was put on the chopping block. “Get My Cigarettes” begins right where we left off. The show never relies on a lazy time jump to get its plot moving along. It’s old fashioned and creates its stories one step at a time. Tonight we get a look at the soft side of Voight, the relationship between Erin and Hank, and the not storybook childhood of Detective Lindsay.

Voight Sheds a Tear (almost)

Erin does not mess around. She immediately calls out Voight on his super secret IA dealings. She’s mad and pouting, obviously hurt that he didn’t confide in her. He messes around even less and says, “If you don’t like it, put in for a transfer.”

She gets to him by recalling how Voight and the Mrs. took her in at 15, how she tells him everything. “You shoulda told me.” Point made. A call comes in setting up the crime that will be the case of the night. An old crony of Voight’s is dead. Hank arrives on the scene to find old friend Nick’s face blown off. Voight looks about as upset as we’ve ever seen him and we know someone’s going down for this, or going in the cage, or going to the docks. Is that a tear, Hank? No, forget I said that. Voight doesn’t cry, he gravels.

In that trademark rasp, Voight asks his buddy’s wife who could have it in for dead hubby. She admits there was someone he had a problem with and it’s off to the races for our cops. The first suspect isn’t the shooter although he unloads an AK47 in the direction of our good guys, luckily missing everyone.

Ruzek tries to show he’s more than a pretty face claiming he did some “financial forensics” and came up with some intel. It’s so cute the way he uses those big words. Hank sends Antonio and Halstead to check out a dry cleaner owner who may have been “squeezed” by the old friend.

Voight investigates another lead, sauntering into a wise guy retirement home/social club like he owns the place. He meets another childhood friend, Enrietto, who’s part of the dry cleaning scheme. “Did you feel the temperature drop when you walked in here. The word is out you were working with IA,” says old “friend.” The guy’s no help, telling Hank to never come in on police business again.

Pictured: Jason Beghe as Hank Voight — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Meanwhile, another old guy with a dry cleaning connection shows up dead … face also blown off. Erin discovers a scared girl in the dead guy’s trunk and they share one of those “everything will be okay” looks that the detective delivers like Severide does sad face. No face guy is her dad. We’ve got our first break of the night when she reveals she got a good look at the killer.

Ruzek is taking art classes on the weekends and decides he’ll do a quick sketch up of the suspected gunman. He tells the girl, Colette, to “pop a squat” and he’ll start on the composite. His crayons are crap, and he ends up with a nude of Burgess, so he decides to go with a new software program instead. He looks more bumbling than usual with Colette asking, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

Apparently not because he drags her to a friend who can do the sketch by hand. Told you the show is old fashioned.

Voight’s torn up about old friend’s death and looks through old photos he’s stashed in his office. You know things are going dark when a box of old pics get pulled out. I think I saw another tear… He decides to question his buddy’s widow again. “Was Nick on the outs with Enrietto? Did Enrietto want him dead?” She won’t answer which is an answer, right? They hug it out and Hank’s got another lead.

Bunny with a Capital B

We get a little glimpse into the personal lives of Jay and Erin tonight. Separately for the most part. They haven’t hooked up yet although I’m sensing the writers will go down predictability road soon and our two pretty cops will have pretty sexy time soon.

Halstead’s in his favorite bar flirting with a cute bartender. He gets a phone call that his place has been broken into. No other units hit, just his. Gotta be connected to that bounty on his head, right?

Erin’s in another bar talking to bad mom Bunny who says, “You look amazing. Well, you have my genes.” Way to mend fences.

“I’ve been clean for 7 months,” Bunny adds, waiting for a medal or something.

Keep waiting girl, Erin isn’t having it. “I’ve been down this road so many times,” she tells mom, unimpressed.

Bunny says she’s so grateful to Hank for “everything he did for you, but he’s not your blood. I am.” Erin’s sweet face is gone and and she heads out.

Erin has another mom reunion, this time in a diner. They reminisce about cute things like Bunny ODing on the kitchen floor, and Erin dragging her to the bathtub hoping she wouldn’t die. “Do we really have to bring up all this negative stuff?” asks Bunny.

“I was nine. Do you know what you said to me? Get my cigarettes.” Mom is a piece of work. Turns out she wants Erin to meet “new guy” and help her create that illusion of “normal” woman, not crazy-eyed former druggie. Lindsay is polite but leaves abruptly. Bunny needs to hop out of our favorite detective’s life before she breaks our girl’s heart.

Pictured: (l-r) Markie Post as Bunny, Sophia Bush as Erin Lindsay — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

A Twisty Surprise

Colette helps Ruzek’s sketch artist friend render a drawing of the suspect. It’s the dry cleaner’s son (no way)! The team rushes off to Enrietto because the boy’s tried to take old gangster’s face off. He missed and only got his shoulder.

The kid is still there and gets the drop on Halstead. The killer kid lowers his gun and runs. Halstead gives chase with Erin and Atwater close behind. They end up on some tracks with the kid maybe getting pancaked. Atwater tells a cute little story about a guy who got hit by a train and it took days to find all the body parts. No body parts here. The kid escaped up a ladder and heads to the hospital where his mom is. Jay goes in and says, “I was in the army. I know exactly how you’re feeling. You’re seventeen.” Somehow, this works and the boy drops his gun.

The kid killed the cronies for squeezing dad’s place. Semi-justifiable face removal? Nah.

The last scene of “Get My Cigarettes” has Jay back at his favorite bar, flirting with his favorite bartender. Erin joins him obviously ticked off at mom. She ribs him about the bartender. “She’s cute. What’s up?”

He switches gears quick saying, “I need a place to crash. Can I crash with you?” Into you?

Oh, I hear the Linstead squeals of joy right now through my Twitter walls. “Maybe we can work something out,” she coyly says barely remembering some guy named Seversomething.

Chicago PD hits us with an ending that shocks but fits perfectly in place as a twisty last piece of a puzzle. Hit men rush in and start shooting the place up. Erin saves Jay, pushing him out of the line of gunfire, but cute bartender is shot.

Previews for next week show an out of control Jay looking for some vengeance. Seems that pretty barmaid doesn’t make it!

So, what did you think of PD’s second episode of the season? Is Linstead coming soon or will Voight cut that thing off at the skinny jeans? More importantly, why did we get no Platt and her snarky wit tonight? And most important of all, is it just me or has Atwater doubled in size and is giving The Rock a run for his guns? I’m not complaining, people, just a random observation.

Chicago PD airs Wednesdays on NBC at 10 pm.