Chicago PD season 13, episode 14 may have welcomed back a key member of the Intelligence Unit, but it also unexpectedly sidelined another in the process.
Episode 14 brought the long-awaited return of Patrick John Flueger, who made his first appearance on the show since October following his leave of absence. Fans were so thrilled by the return of Ruzek that some might not have even picked up on the fact that the episode was without another key member of the Intelligence Unit. Arienne Mandi failed to appear in the episode, with Officer Eva Imani sidelined for the duration of the episode.
So why wasn’t Imani in the episode?
Early in the episode, we learn that Imani was forced to take a furlough, as there was something up with her apartment that required her attention. The update came as Platt was handing out assignments for a narcotics operation and asked where Imani was, to which Torres informed Platt about her time off.
This, of course, was the explanation as to why the character did not appear in the episode, but the reality of the situation is that Mandi’s absence was likely the result of the shifting TV landscape. As One Chicago fans know too well, as a cost-cutting strategy, series regulars on the One Chicago shows no longer appear in every episode of the season.
While Mandi is new to the cast, she is a series regular, which puts her in the same boat as the rest of her costars, who typically miss a handful of episodes each season. Sometimes these episodes come in waves with actors missing back-to-back episodes; other times they occur as one-offs. Thankfully, in the instance of Imani’s absence in episode 14, the Chicago PD writers at least found a way to work in an explanation as to why she did not appear, as there have been many instances in which a character simply misses an episode without any explanation provided to the viewers.
The good news is that this will be a one-off absence for Mandi, as promo photos for episode 15 confirm she will be back in action alongside the rest of the Intelligence Unit next week. Her return might not immediately thrust her back into the center of the episode, though, as episode 15 is slated to be a Ruzek-centered episode, which means the rest of the cast will likely take on smaller supporting roles.
We’re certainly due for another Imani-focused episode in the weeks ahead, as the show does a solid job of mixing in character-centric episodes that give a particular character or two a larger role in the case of the week. Considering Imani hasn’t had a central episode since the winter premiere, the odds are looking good that we’ll see Imani back in the spotlight soon!