Chicago PD has never a feel good show. It's grim, violent, and often ends on tragic notes. Season 12 has given fans some of the bleakest storylines yet, and the trend continued with "Street Jesus." The episode was a showcase for Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), who tried to juggle a murder case with a desire to protect his longtime friend.
It did not work out. Atwater was shaken by the fact that a murder was committed in the same area in which he planned to launch a community center. It got worse when he realized that his friend, Marcus "Hype" Daniels, was involved in the murder. More, you ask? Well, Hype was also helping Atwater with the construction of the community center, meaning they were very closely intertwined.
Hype helped build Atwater's community center
Atwater did everything he could to keep Hype out of the investigation. He refused to bring up his friend's name when reporting to Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), despite the fact that Hype was sitting next to the victim when he was killed. Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) notices Atwater's strange behavior, though, and eventually eeks out the truth.
Despite Atwater's best efforts, he's forced to come clean about Hype's involvement with the murder. He got Hype to wear a wire and meet with the man responsible for the murder, Luther. It went well at first, but things took a tragic turn when Luther intuited that Hype was wired up and shot him in clear view of the police.
Luther was apprehended, but Hype died as a result of his injuries. It was a harrowing scene, and one that visibly rattled Atwater. Fortunately, IU agreed to keep Hype's cooperation under wraps. Nobody would know that he wore a wire. Atwater, meanwhile, hoped that Hype's death would serve to connect the disparate sides of the community, and infuses even greater meaning to the community center he helped build.
Atwater's friend was killed for wearing a wire
Once again, an IU officer got too close to the case they were investigating, and the person they were close with had to pay the price. We saw it as recently as the season 12 fall finale, when Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) was forced to come clean about his romance with ex-informant Gloria Perez (Yara Martinez).
It was nice to see Atwater take center stage, even if it meant he was put through the emotional ringer. The good news is that the character will be given lots more to do in season 12, and more to delve into with love interest Valerie Soto (Natalee Linez).