We're coming down to the wire on Chicago PD. The procedural drama only has two episodes left in season 12, and there is a lot of story to wrap up. The Burzek wedding is top of the list, but a close second is the takedown of Chief Deputy Charlie Reid (Shawn Hatosy). All hands will be on deck to ensure this crooked superior gets the outcome he deserves. Or so we thought.
The promo photos have been released for the penultimate episode of the season, "Open Casket," and several PD characters can be seen piecing together a case against Reid. There is, however, one notable cop missing, and it's Kiana Cook (Toya Turner). She's nowhere to be seen in the photos, which has us stressed, considering she missed the episode before ("Black Ice") as well.
Cook is seemingly missing in "Open Casket"
We know that Cook is the newest, and therefore least experienced member of the IU, but she has proven to be an invaluable presence during season 12. She's managed the very difficult task of filling the void left by Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), and her friendship with Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) has been one of the most intriguing developments in recent PD memory.
We know that One Chicago has made a point of benching certain characters in episodes in which they aren't needed. The franchise has been renewed with the caveat of cutting down on the cost of episodes, and as such, characters like Cook will miss the occasional story. We even ran out a piece on how it was a good thing One Chicago sidelined several characters during the episodes that aired on May 7.
Cook was one of these characters, and the assumption we had going into the two-part Chicago PD finale was that it was done in order to ensure Cook was around for the important stuff. After all, it was the actress playing Cook, Toya Turner, who promised the IU was "coming for Reid's a*s" during a chat with TV Line. We figured she would be part of this mission.
Cook will return for the season 12 finale
We've seen promo photos fail to tell the whole story before, and we sincerely hope that is what's going on here with "Open Casket." The IU needs all the help it can get, and the overriding theme of the Reid storyline is that only together can they get rid of the crooked Deputy Chief for good. We'd like to see everybody get into the mix.
Assuming Cook is absent for "Open Casket," we can at least take solace in the fact that she will be around for the Chicago PD season finale, "Vows." Toya Turner confirmed this by hinting at a moment between her character and Torres, which we are very excited to see.