Chicago PD spoilers: What happened in season 9 episode 13?

Chicago PD is finally here. The procedural drama makes its triumphant return after nearly a month off, and it delivered the goods. There’s lots of emotional turmoil packed in the new episode, mostly having to do with Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) and her conflicted feelings about not being able to help those most in need.

While the rest of the IU play important roles in the case, “Still Water” is an Upton episode above all else. It gives her the juiciest dramatic stuff she’s had to play with all season, and that’s saying a lot given the last subplot involving her included a hidden corpse and an FBI investigation.

Be warned that the rest of the post contains detailed spoilers for the latest episode of Chicago PD!

What happened on Chicago PD last night? (February 23rd)

The episode opens, appropriately, with Upton. She’s on her way out of the office for the night, and is stopped by Platt (Amy Morton), who reminds her that her tenth anniversary as a cop is coming up. Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) is taken aback, and Trudy uses the opportunity to remind Upton why she became a cop in the first place.

As it turns out, Upton and her family were involved in a violent criminal standoff, and it was Platt who took the call and saved the lives of all those involved. Upton was inspired by Platt’s bravery, and decided to dedicate her life to protecting the innocent.

She then goes for a night jog, where she stumbles upon a car that’s driven into the water. She jumps in and tries to save the passengers, but is only able to recover one from the wreckage.

Wracked with guilt over not being able to save both the man and woman, Upton is horrified to find out that the man she saved was in fact a stalker, and the woman she wasn’t able to save was his kidnapped victim. The rest of the team can tell it ruins her confidence, and Upton begins to wonder if what she does makes a positive difference in the world.

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Fortunately, Platt steps in to give Upton a pep talk in the eleventh hour. She tells Upton that she had no idea what the situation of the passengers was, and that she did the right thing in trying to save as much human life as possible.

In the end, Upton is able to reconcile her mistakes with her just desires. She’s able to track down the stalker and apprehend him. She tracks him to an indoor pool, and fittingly, knocks him into the water during a struggle. The episode wraps up nicely, with Platt and the rest of the IU celebrating Upton’s tenth anniversary with a drinks and a picture of Upton on her first day.

It was certainly a bleak episode, and one that was often emotionally harrowing, but in the end, the decency of the characters won out. A season 9 highlight.

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