Chicago PD season 7 finale recap: Silence of the Night

What will Atwater do?

He returns to the district, where he watches the interrogations; both the suspects insist that Doyle pulled his weapon first and the shootout was in self-defense. Voight is unmoved by this information until Atwater interrupts him and backs up their assertions. “There was no probable cause,” he says. “Doyle saw a black man walking down the street and started profiling.” He spills all the details and tells Voight that he has to say something. But will Voight let him?

Chicago PD cuts to Voight meeting Doyle’s boss, who’s already heard what Atwater plans to do. The other man warns that “there will be repercussions” if Atwater speaks up. Voight replies that Atwater is like a son to him and so “If you go after him, you’d better come after me too.” When he returns to the district, he tells Atwater that the investigators want to talk to him again, and asks what Kevin is going to do.

Atwater reaffirms that he plans to tell the truth. Voight says he gets it, but also wants to make sure that Kevin knows “it’s not that simple.” Chicago PD has him spell out all of the aforementioned consequences, under the guise of giving him information. Voight rattles off how Doyle’s shooter will go free, the city will be sued, and Doyle’s friends and family will not be sending Atwater Christmas cards any time soon. “How bad do you wanna be right?” he asks.

We need a second opinion, though, so Atwater goes to see Ray Price (a returning Wendell Pierce) in prison. Remember that Ray also gave Atwater his two cents after the events of “Night in Chicago.” Well, this second conversation goes much the same as the first. In the best scene of this whole Chicago PD season finale, Price tells Atwater that being a hero is hard and the odds of him actually changing something are “close to zero.” He tells Atwater to keep his mouth shut and just continue to be good police.

But will that be good enough for Kevin Atwater? Chicago PD winds down with him telling the investigators his story, although the episode pulls out of the room before we actually get to hear him speak his truth – so that we can see he’s being watched. Afterward, he returns to Voight’s office, where Voight affirms that all of Intelligence will have his back, no matter what.

Atwater drives home that night to find Doyle’s partner waiting across the street. Atwater tries to confront him, but the man says nothing and drives off. Kevin is confronted with a whole half-dozen police cars, lights on, pouring by his house ominously. Atwater stands in the street and yells at them that he’s not going anywhere.

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