After 14 incredible seasons, Officer Kevin Atwater has officially worked his final case with the Intelligence Unit.
It was a moment that we knew would be coming for months, but that certainly did not make it any easier to watch the episode unfold knowing that it was the last time we’d see LaRoyce Hawkins on the show. Sadly, the decision was made during the summer hiatus for Hawkins to exit Chicago PD with all signs pointing towards it being a result of the ever-changing TV landscape and the cost-cutting measures long-running shows are forced to do.
So how exactly did Chicago PD send off Hawkins and write Atwater out of the series? Let’s dive right in, and needless to say spoilers are ahead.
Chicago PD season 14, episode 2, opens in the hospital right after the birth of Atwater and Tasha’s son, as we get to see Hawkins enjoying time with his son and quickly see how his view of the world has shifted. Days later, we see Atwater lying in bed with his son as he tells him how much he loves him.
We jump ahead to Atwater’s return to work following his leave as Tasha assures him she’s got things under control as she encourages him to talk to Voight. Atwater arrives as the team showers him with love before he heads in to speak with Voight about their new FBI liaison. Atwater informs Voight that he can’t seem to get promoted and asks if there is anything that can be done, but Voight makes it clear that there isn’t much he can do. Their conversation is cut short as a call comes through about a third robbery, which seems to be the work of the same crew.
At the scene, Atwater heads off to check for forced entry and ends up making his way downstairs to the lower level of the building, where he finds a body in the freezer, indicating the crew has escalated from robbery to murder. The woman is the manager, who died trying to escape.
After returning to HQ, the team begins reviewing the limited evidence they have and gets their first break in the form of a video the victim was recording at the time of her death. The video shows an assailant entering the room and attacking her, telling his partner they can have no witnesses before they flee. They notice how at the beginning of the video she says, “I didn’t realize you were coming,” suggesting perhaps she was expecting someone, and Voight orders the team to look into all other employees.
As they break off, Atwater gets a call from Tasha, which he has to cut short when they get a hit on their lead. Atwater, Burgess, and Ruzek head out to chase the lead and canvas the area on foot. While canvassing, Atwater hears two calls for help and finds signs of forced entry. He enters the building and finds two masked men robbing the arcade machine and holding a man at gunpoint. The men run off when Atwater enters, but one ends up returning to help Atwater free the man after he was crushed by the arcade machine before fleeing again.
Looking at footage of the robbery, Torres notices how the suspect who returned to the scene seems to be wearing pants that indicate he might be in construction. They track down a suspect, and Ruzek and Atwater roll out to bring him and his partner in. They show the man photos of the dead woman’s body, and he assures Ruzek and Atwater that he has no idea what they’re talking about. Yes, he needs money badly, but he’d never do anything like this and would never hurt someone. Turns out he was telling them the truth as his alibi holds up.
Atwater steps down to take a call and finds the suspect’s father at the front desk pressing Trudy for answers about his son. He assures the man that his son is set to be released soon and promises to give him an update in just a few as he takes Tasha’s call and is surprised to hear she’s at the hospital. Atwater races off to meet them at the hospital as she informs him it’s nothing serious; the doctors found he has an ear infection and just needs some antibiotics.
After the nurse remarks about how his son looks so much like him, a light bulb goes off for Atwater as he calls Ruzek and tells him they need to bring in the suspect’s father right away. He recalls how his dad got him the jobs and how they have the same builds, and they seem to be looking at the wrong family member. The team digs in and finds that the suspect’s father, Peter, has money troubles and has access to all three locations that were hit.
The full unit heads out with Voight and Imani heading in to search the house as Burgess and Atwater follow after Peter, hoping he’ll lead them to his partner. Voight and Imani enter the house and begin looking around, but the house is clear, though they do find the work boots that place him at the scene. Burgess and Atwater detain Peter as they notice a suspicious man inside, turning him over to Ruzek as they race after the man. During their pursuit, the man pulls out a gun and fires off a series of shots, including one that strikes Atwater.
Thankfully, the shot was stopped by his vest, and Atwater was not harmed—though our hearts certainly skipped a beat in that moment. Back at HQ, Atwater and Burgess press Peter for information on his partner, but he refuses to tell them anything.
Imani was able to find information that shows that Peter began taking out random ATM withdrawals timed to when he’d meet with his son, suggesting that was the motive. Atwater goes back in to speak with Peter and suggest that his son is in more trouble than Peter let on and owes some dangerous people some money. Atwater makes it clear Peter’s partner will not be able to help his son, but he can so long as Peter tells him what is going on.
Peter finally breaks and informs Atwater that his son stole from a dealer and was supposed to earn the money back. They made it clear they’ll make an example of him if Peter doesn’t get him the cash. He informs Atwater that his partner is an ex-criminal and gives him his name, allowing Intelligence to track him down. The team is able to bring in Peter’s partner, but after Atwater is informed that Peter’s son was not home and they found blood and signs of a struggle.
Atwater leaves Chicago to take a new job in Atlanta
The team eventually catches a lead that brings them to a dump site where they find Peter’s son beaten and dead, his body tossed in a pile of trash.
Back at HQ, Atwater takes off his vest and takes a hard look at his chest where the bullet hit him, clearly thinking about how close he came to dying earlier. He then goes to inform Peter that his son was dead, and Peter admits that he wishes he was around for his son when it mattered, as he wasn’t there and now he’s gone.
Atwater goes to see Voight and informs him that Sergeant Nolan is set to retire by the end of the month, clearing the hurdle and allowing Atwater to finally be promoted. Atwater admits that a promotion wasn’t what he was really after but rather a way to have everything: be good police, do good, but be there for his son. Voight gets it, as those early years with his son were the best years of his life, as he admits he got a call from Atlanta about looking for seasoned officers to teach at the academy; the pay is good, he’d be able to take cases whenever he wants, and he'd be home whenever he wants. He reminds Atwater there are a lot of ways to be good police, and he deserves to have what he wants.
After their conversation, Atwater makes it clear to Tasha that what he wants is for them to build something together, something new. He decides to take the job in Atlanta, but before he heads out he gets a well-earned send-off from all his friends at the CPD.
Following a toast from Ruzek, Atwater addresses all of his friends, including his team at Intelligence, giving an emotional farewell and toast to the 21st district as he toasts to his new family and finding their new home. The episode comes to a close with all of his friends at 51 embracing him as they sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," and the episode ends.
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