Chicago PD season 7 midseason report: Hank Voight

What it means

How Chicago PD season 7 has written Hank Voight is kind of odd, in the sense that he hasn’t had as much to do plot-wise as other characters in Intelligence—but despite that, he’s still the leader of the team (and the show) unquestionably.

Voight’s season has been uneventful compared to people like Upton and even newcomer Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez). He hasn’t had any big reveals or almost died. But even so, it’s clear that he is firmly in control, which is actually a problem. Since the producers’ decision to get rid of Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda), there is no one who’s even come close to challenging Voight or getting him to stay in check.

Halstead pushed back against him in the premiere, but by episode two was backtracking and asking for forgiveness. Upton butted heads with the boss in “Informant” but that’s been the most anyone’s really questioned him.

And maybe because of that, this season there have been times where Voight has felt like a total jerk. He’s done terrible stuff, but it’s generally come from a good place; this season, it’s sometimes come across like he’s just being mean. “Informant” is a good example, with the scene of Voight and Upton in his office making it seem like Voight was blaming Upton for her informant’s murder. At the least, he made her feel worse about it.

There’s a very “I know everything and I’m going to tell you how it is and you’re going to deal with it” vibe about him this season, moreso than in past years, and it’s not a good look.