Chicago PD season 13 is officially on break for the rest of the year, which has given me time to really pause and reflect on the show’s current season. In looking at the season so far, there have been both positive and negative aspects to the season, though the good far outweighs the bad.
I love that the show didn’t drag out the ‘Intelligence Unit has been disbanded’ storyline, and resolved the season 12 cliffhanger in the first episode of season 13. While the show could have easily stretched that storyline out over the first few episodes of the season, this show is at its best when its ensemble is playing off one another. And therein lies the biggest problem I’ve had with season 13 through its first seven episodes: There are far too many character-centric episodes.
Chicago PD needs to find a better balance with its characters
If you take a look back at the first seven episodes of Chicago PD season 13, you’ll find that each episode was built primarily around one or two main characters. The rest of the cast then played second fiddle, or were sidelined almost entirely, with little to do in the actual episodes.
The premiere was a very Voight-centric episode with the other characters coming in and out around him. For the premiere, it worked as the episode was essentially about Voight getting his unit back together and also introducing the show’s newest addition in Eva Imani (Arienne Mandi). But then the show kept a bit too much to this formula.
Episodes 2 and 6 were centered around Torres, episode 3 put the focus on Burgess and Ruzek, episode 4 and 7 were Voight and Eva heavy, and episode 5 centered around Atwater. While the other characters were present and involved with the episodes’ storylines, they were extremely character-focused and failed to give some characters much, if anything, to work with in these episodes.
Now, this is not to say the show shouldn’t dedicate time to character-centric episodes, but the show shouldn’t fall into a rotation of only spotlighting various characters in an episode. The show has such an amazing ensemble, and they play so well off one another, but we lose this magic when one character is front and center and the others become window dressing.
We want to see episodes in which the show’s cast – which is the smallest ensemble of the One Chicago shows – are all given notable moments and their stories weave together. Yes, there will be some episodes in which one character might have more to do than others, but for the most part episodes need to have balance. We should be able to watch an episode and enjoy seeing each character have a moment or two in the episode, rather than taking turns with character-specific episodes.
This is something season 12 did as well, and the result was storylines being introduced and then left on the back burner until a character cycled back through as the lead character for the episode. If Chicago PD has any chance of catching up with Chicago Fire and Chicago Med in the ratings, it needs to begin doing a better job of using its ensemble in a more balanced manner.