5 reasons Chicago PD will regret losing Antonio Dawson

1. He balances out Voight

The character of Antonio Dawson is far from played out. Chicago PD has something it can do with him—in fact, he can fulfill a critical function that the show desperately needs.

Voight specifically mentioned in the Chicago PD season 6 premiere how he doesn’t want Antonio to change because Antonio does things differently from him. They may butt heads every now and then, but Voight recognizes that it serves a purpose for the Intelligence Unit. So why doesn’t the show recognize that, too?

This series absolutely needs someone who is actively going to question Voight’s behavior and the behavior of the Intelligence Unit. Right now, it’s a pretty single-minded group, and thus a pretty single-minded show. Everyone follows Voight’s orders or point of view, even if it ends up hurting them or breaking the rules. They might get mad for a scene or an episode, but ultimately, part of being on this team is not going against the team.

And while Chicago PD has talked about having some more internal conflict, and being timely, it really hasn’t quite delivered on either count. The Intelligence Unit continues to get away with all sorts of things, and it’s not just that they’re breaking the law to get justice—sometimes they’re doing things that aren’t morally right either (see: Voight enabling a few murders).

Especially with the increasing scrutiny toward police in this country, there needs to be a counterpoint on the show. It would go a long way to making the show feel more well-rounded, and it would also make for even better storytelling, since Intelligence routinely has to get into grey areas and complicated issues.

Antonio is the character who would take that head on; we’ve seen him lock horns with Voight before. But now Chicago PD is dismissing him, so where is that second opinion going to come from? Who’s going to address the issues that come up inside and outside of the unit? Without him, the show is giving up on some of its best storytelling.

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