Chicago Justice season 1, episode 4 rewatch: Judge Not

Look back at where Chicago Justice began this summer. Read our retrospective as we rewatch Chicago Justice season 1, episode 4.

Over the One Chicago summer break, we’re looking back at where it all began by rewatching the first seasons of our shows—and today we’re revisiting Chicago Justice season 1, episode 4.

If you want to rewatch this episode along with us, you can find Chicago Justice season 1 on iTunes and DVD.

“Judge Not” is Chicago Justice‘s first backstory episode, giving us the backstory of Assistant State’s Attorney Anna Valdez (Monica Barbaro).

That was something the series did well: doling out the history for its new characters through the course of the first, and ultimately only, season.

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Over the first season, the show gave us installments that looked into the histories of three of its five main characters—one could argue Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) didn’t need one since we knew his history from Chicago PD, and we never got an entire episode focused on State’s Attorney Mark Jefferies (Carl Weathers).

But we learned a fair amount about the other trio, starting with Anna Valdez, and not in the way we were used to.

“Judge Not” involved the murder of a judge after he and Anna had shared a drink together at a bar, which naturally cast aspersions on the nature of their relationship.

And one of Chicago Justice‘s most head-scratching moments occurred when Anna repeatedly refused to define what that relationship was—she could’ve made things a lot easier by talking more. But that’s a little bit of dramatic license, because if she had, it would’ve taken out the whole central conflict of the episode.

The whole Anna butting heads with her boss Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) concept is what makes this episode go, because it’s interesting to see them not as a united front, similar to the Law & Order episode “Strike” that had Michael Cutter and Connie Rubirosa on opposite sides.

The two stories have vastly different circumstances, but they shake up the dynamic and when you have two actors who pair well together, it’s always entertaining to see how they do apart.

The best scene of the episode is when Anna inevitably gets involved with the investigation over Peter’s orders, choosing to jump into the interrogation of a suspect, and Peter storms into the interview room before telling her off outside. It’s one of his angriest moments in the entire season and it highlights something that can go overlooked in episodes with a similar premise: that having her there is a walking conflict of interest.

Plus, Jefferies is naturally dragged into the fray as well, and we see how he handles problems when they involve someone who works for him. He doesn’t mince words (as if he ever did), and we see that he’s a very tough boss—fair, but probably the toughest One Chicago supervisor to work for.

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If there’s anything that doesn’t work in “Judge Not,” it’s the end of the episode. Naturally, the death of the judge turns out to be about something totally unrelated, and the explanation Chicago Justice gives for Anna not being straightforward isn’t entirely convincing. The resolution is as predictable as this show ever got.

But on the heels of two really great episodes in “Uncertainty Principle” and “See Something” it’s natural this episode would feel different. It had a very tough act to follow. It’s entertaining at least and extra screen time for Monica Barbaro is always welcome. Give this episode a second look on iTunes and DVD.

Next: Where are the Chicago Justice stars now?

Join us every Sunday this summer for our Chicago Justice season 1 review. For more Chicago Justice related news, follow the Chicago Justice category at One Chicago Center.

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