Chicago PD season 6 character preview: Hank Voight

What should happen

The death of Alvin Olinsky will affect all of Chicago PD, but there’s no one who should feel the loss more than Hank Voight. Not only was Olinsky his closest friend, but Olinsky also was there to help him and balance him out on more than one occasion. With him gone, Voight not only has lost that shoulder to lean on, but also someone who could tell him what he needed to hear.

So in no way should Voight be the same Voight that we’ve seen for the past five seasons. He has to be an obviously different character. He doesn’t have to completely change, but there’s no way he loses someone that important to him and doesn’t have some significant effect—and one that lasts for more than an episode or two. If Voight just bounces back, that wouldn’t be fair to Olinsky, to Elias Koteas, or to all the fans who are still upset about that plot twist.

Also, it’s time for Voight to face some real consequences. There was every reason to have him be arrested at the end of the fifth season, instead of Denny Woods. Voight always seems to get off the hook, and you can’t call Olinsky’s death punishment for Voight, since Olinsky’s murder was for a totally separate reason from his own past.

Fans don’t know what Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) told the department review board about Voight shooting the man who ordered the hit on Olinsky. It’d be really interesting if Antonio told the truth and left Voight to twist in the proverbial wind. Let’s see him start at a disadvantage for once, and maybe even support other people’s storylines more, rather than usually being in control.