Chicago PD season 7 midseason report: Vanessa Rojas
By Kari Highman
How has Chicago PD season 7 gone for Vanessa Rojas? Before Chicago PD returns, we’re reviewing the season for Lisseth Chavez’s character.
Before Chicago PD returns in the new year, we’re taking a moment to look at the current season for each character. What important events do fans need to remember?
What plot developments have been good for the character, and which ones need to be improved? And of course, where could they go next when new episodes start Jan. 8?
In this article, we’re profiling Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez). Click through our slideshow to see how season 7 of Chicago PD has gone for her.
What’s happened so far
Audiences first met Vanessa Rojas in “Assets” as ‘Nina Rodriguez’ aka: Vanessa’s undercover name as she bartended at one of Darius Walker’s (Michael Beach) establishments. Vanessa had been deep undercover for months, unbeknownst to Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), who was also trying to gain intel on Darius’ crew. The two even got a little flirty during their couple of brief encounters.
The same episode served as Lisseth Chavez’s debut to Chicago PD fans, and her character quickly became an integral part of the Intelligence unit. Even though Vanessa’s cover had accidentally been blown when Detective Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and Atwater drew guns at a buy, she was still willing to team up with them to solve the case.
She managed to plant a device in Darius’ office, which then led Intelligence to find the drug dealer. We learned more about her character during this moment, including the fact that she was pulled from the police academy to go under – much like Officer Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) was plucked from the academy by Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) back in season 1. She was very adept, and had a bevy of street smarts that the team could later use.
Her talents came to the forefront in the next episode, “Familia,” when she was put under to get close to a restaurant owner who took in troubled girls. It was then that Rojas’ upbringing was revealed, as well as being taken under the wing of Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). There was a touching scene at the end of the episode where Vanessa needed a place to stay, and Hailey offered up her home.
Rojas’ past would be mentioned again in episode 7, “Informant,” when Hailey asked her why she kept cleaning up minuscule messes. Vanessa explained that she was bounced around to a bunch of different foster homes growing up, and it was a skill she simply picked up.
Between her intriguing story and her obvious sparks with Atwater, it’s clear that Vanessa Rojas has made her mark on Intelligence.