One Chicago pulled it off. There was a lot of anticipation and hype heading into the 2025 crossover event, and the franchise managed to deliver on virtually every front. We absolutely loved the way that all three shows were incorporated into the main plot, and how most of the characters got a chance to shine as a result.
We already provided a spoiler free review of the crossover event, that focused on small character moments and unexpected pairings, but now that the special has aired, we decided that a recap with spoilers was absolutely necessary. There's so much to break down, especially regarding who made it out alive. Obviously, spoilers ahead!
There's an explosion near a government building, which causes the ensemble casts of all three One Chicago shows to arrive on the scene. There are injured and trapped victims all around, which takes up most of Chicago Fire and Med's time. PD, however, attempts to track down the people behind the explosion.
Trudy Platt was shot and nearly killed
Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) determines that the explosion was intentional, and he comes across two men with masks and guns. He manages to escape, and alert PD to the descriptions of both men. Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) and Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) give chase, and Platt even manages to catch one of them, but someone comes up behind the officer and shoots her in the back.
We knew Platt was going to be injured, but we didn't realize she would be shot in such a brutal way. She gets rushed to Gaffney Medical Center, and flatlines on two separate occasions. The Gaffney team is stumped, until Dr. Mitch Ripley (Luke Mitchell) suggests they drain the blood out of her body and patch her back up, instead of pumping more blood in to make up for the blood loss.
Thankfully, it works. Platt makes it through the procedure alive, and reports what she saw to Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). He works with the rest of the IU, and determines that a woman suffering from mesothelioma was actually behind the attack. She was one of four people who carried out the attack, with the other two being the men who shot at Severide earlier.
Hank Voight was forced to take down an ex-officer
The fourth remained a mystery for the bulk of the crossover event. Then, in the final moments, Voight put the pieces together. He discovered that Lauren Bates (Jennifer Regan), a former PD member who was friends with both him and Platt, was guilty. She not only participated in the attack, but she was the insider who got the others inside the building since she works security.
To make matters even worse, Bates was the one who shot Platt in the back. She admits that she too was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and deserved to be financially compensated as a result. She asked Voight if she could take herself out after being caught, but the IU boss said no. He took her in and criticized her for failing to uphold the police oath she took decades prior.
Ruzek and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) spent the bulk of the episode trapped underground, but both characters managed to make it out and reunite with their respective partners. Given how big a role they play in the franchise, we can't say we are very surprised (though we are relieved).