Chicago PD season 1, episode 11 rewatch: At Least It’s Justice

Look back at where Chicago PD began this summer. Read our retrospective on the eleventh episode as we rewatch Chicago PD season 1, episode 11.

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 PD season 1, episode 11.

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

This episode is entitled “At Least It’s Justice,” and this is not one of the show’s better episodes. It feels disjointed, and its biggest moments are actually some of its smallest scenes.

The main storyline involves the theft of several million dollars, which is tied to a brutal gang (is there any other kind on this show?). But the episode meanders in a couple of different directions over the hour.

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The episode opens with Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) climbing back into bed with his high school sweetheart (guest star Allyson Carey).

And there’s the inevitably awkward scene where his partner Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) finds out about the rekindled romance.

This is an example of something that’s been a common device across all three One Chicago shows: starting an episode off with a personal scene, that may or may not have much to do with the plot that’s coming up.

The opening is the audience’s first impression, and a romantic or shipping scene isn’t always the best way to go there—something that this episode shows.

The only thing that knowing Halstead slept with someone else contributes is reminding us that he’s got romantic tension with Lindsay, who ended the previous episode kissing someone else anyway.

Plus, in retrospect, it’s a bit weird that his high school sweetheart’s name is Allie, when we’ll find out in Chicago PD season 4 that his ex-wife’s name is Abby. One of those instances where we’re using similar names again.

Personal subplots aside, “At Least It’s Justice” simply isn’t a very exciting episode compared to later ones. The best part of it involves Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) going undercover again, which is always fun to watch.

Chicago PD gives it an additional, and much more dramatic twist, by partnering her not with a teammate but with Nadia Decotis (recurring guest star Stella Maeve). A recovering addict by this point, Nadia makes a huge sacrifice to keep Burgess’s cover—she voluntarily snorts cocaine. Your heart breaks for her, knowing what that means for Nadia.

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Then there’s the twist ending, when the show wants to bring back its first big bad, Pulpo, to help track down the bad guy who gets away at the end of this episode. It’s a nice bit of continuity and genuinely scary—it’s only been eight episodes since Pulpo menaced Intelligence! Where is that going? But that ramps up excitement for the next episode, not this one.

You can rewatch this episode on iTunes and DVD.

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