Chicago PD season 6 midseason report: Antonio Dawson

What it means

Antonio Dawson is the most beloved character in the One Chicago franchise, so it’s not surprising that some fans haven’t liked the way Chicago PD has taken him this season. They’re not wrong to be concerned, either.

The season premiere had a ton of potential, to experiment with the idea of how Antonio would do things differently than Voight and if that would change Intelligence. It played with that a little bit, but was more focused on Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) feuding with Antonio than addressing the big picture.

As for the addiction arc, it’s kind of hypocritical. Audiences saw Antonio lecturing Ruzek earlier this season about not covering anything up but he didn’t seem to have any trepidation about covering up his problem until the midseason finale. Yet maybe we’d have more understanding of why, if the show had developed it more before that episode.

Until “Descent,” Antonio’s addiction was hinted at but just mentioned in a scene or two while the show was busy with other storylines. So it wasn’t something that built up suspense or that we were able to put clues together on; audiences were more confused than concerned or upset. Until, of course, that cliffhanger ending.

Chicago PD has taken away from Antonio the one thing that defines him the most—his integrity. It’s not only what drives him, but it’s the thing that separates him from the other characters; as Voight mentioned in the season premiere, Antonio is the counter-balance to his methods and his morals.

So this story is a pretty drastic change. It’s great drama, but time will tell if it’s a great storytelling decision.