Chicago PD finally set up a great Voight arc (but fans have to wait for more)

Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) is the lone wolf of Chicago PD. Which is saying a lot, since most of the characters on the show have struggled to maintain long lasting relationships. Voight has had a King Midas in reverse problem, which is to say, everybody he gets close to on PD that is not a member of IU dies.

It's made for great television, and a compelling character, but with 12 seasons in the can, we've seen just about every version of tortured, loner Voight there is. Chicago PD was going to have to push the character in a new direction, or risk making him less compelling as time went on. Fortunately, season 12 has brought about that much-needed change.

Hank Voight finally has a romantic subplot

In the episode "Pawns," ADA Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) confessed her love to a dumbstruck Voight as she prepared to leave town. It was a shocking development, but in a way that felt true to the bond the character had built over the last few seasons. They've shared trauma, and they've been there to support one another in crucial moments.

The notion of Voight finding love again was something that delighted PD showrunner Gwen Sigan, especially since the character has been single for the duration of his time on the show:

"It’s certainly something we haven’t explored on the show, and so I loved that it shocked him and took him off guard and he didn’t know what to do with it."

It's very much unchartered territory, which not only means the writers will get to explore different sides of Voight's personality, but Jason Beghe will get to play emotions and romantic situations that have been anathema to the character for the last dozen years. The possibilities are fascinating, but there is one slight downside.

Voight will have to wait weeks before Nina Chapman returns

Fans are going to have wait a bit to see what comes next in the Voight and Chapman relationship. The latter confessed her love as she was gearing up to handle a case out of town. This means it will weeks until Chapman is back in town, which could translate to even longer in terms of episodes (especially with the holiday schedule coming up).

It's a bit frustrating to have such an exciting character arc introduced and then immediately placed on the back burner, but Sigan actually told Parade that the delay will be a good thing. She feels that it will give Voight the time he needs to consider his own feelings, and determine how to go about his next steps with Chapman (assuming there are next steps).

"Her leaving now actually gives us a nice period of time for him to process some of it," Sigan noted. "And in a Voight way because he’s not the best at processing emotion." Fair point. We cannot wait to see what comes of this potential romance as season 12 unfolds.