alvin olinsky

Chicago P.D. 4×17 “Remember the Devil” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

On a scale of one to 10, how heartbroken are our readers right now?

Case Summary: When a young girl is found locked up in a secluded area, the Intelligence unit must track down the man who placed the Craigslist ad to lure her and her still captive friend in. Olinsky returns to work. Jay’s ex-wife (?!?!) returns.

Review | Analysis: Chicago P.D. is far from perfect, in fact, its lack of continuity and the decision to ignore significant parts of a character’s life that was previously established never fails to make my blood boil. And the fact that the series makes me angrier than anything else probably triggers the good ol’ frequently asked question: why do you continue to watch and review it? Because my love for these characters knows no bounds. I care way too much about them to give up. And sometimes, I wonder if the writers think about the characters as much as fans do after an episode. Essentially, “Remember the Devil” is one of those episodes that legitimately makes me question a lot of things.

I won’t be doing a performer and an exquisite scene this week as there’s a lot to focus on in regards to the series as a whole. I hope that’s okay with our readers.

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Chicago P.D. 4×16 “Emotional Proximity” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

Why?

Case Summary: When a warehouse hosting a rave burns down critically injuring some and killing 39 — Fire, Med, P.D., and Justice must do everything they can to put the right culprit behind bars. As it tragically turns out, one of the injured is Olinsky’s daughter Lexi, who later succumbs to her injuries.

Review | Analysis: To say that this crossover was brutal would be an understatement, and it wasn’t my favorite episode. I’ll never revisit it. “Emotional Proximity” along with the other series’ episodes served as solid, seamlessly moving storytelling, but the ramifications of it aren’t entirely great. At its peak, this series gives us a glimpse into the lives of the characters we’ve grown to love, but sometimes, it wrongs them, too. I’ve often said that death on TV could be merited if it’s handled properly, and thus far, on Chicago P.D. it hasn’t been. From Nadia Decotis to Justin Voight, and now Lexi Olinsky, it comes across as an attempt to inflict shock rather than to tell bigger stories. Because let’s look at show like Game of Thrones for example, as much as it pains me, The Red Wedding was completely merited. It effortlessly contributed to allowing the remaining Starks to fight harder for Winterfell. But where continuity is often lacking on Chicago P.D., we don’t see the story lines move forward in the way they deserve. Because the grieving process is glossed over as opposed to diligently explored, it leaves very little room for the general audience to experience the changes alongside the characters. It leaves very little room for us to see growth.

On another note, if there’s one thing “Emotional Proximity” did perfectly, it showed off Elias Koteas’ skills as an actor. And I’m always here for excellent performances.

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Chicago P.D. 4×15 “Favor, Affection, Malice or Ill-Will” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

Case Summary: When Olinsky goes undercover after the murder of a woman and hidden gun issues, Intelligence must work behind him to find the culprit. Adam’s down in patrol. Erin gets a new car. Platt gives Ruzek advice. Rixton does the unimaginable. Jay gets to drive.

Review | Analysis: There seems to be a running theme of fathers and their children on television this week and Chicago P.D. decided to join in. Any time Olinsky is given moments to shine, I generally find myself in tears. The mirage we’re often left with is one of serenity, and effortlessly reminds viewers of why this character is so special. “Favor, Affection, Malice or Ill-Will” had it all, but with more than one surprising moment, it turned out to be one of the more entertaining episodes of season four.

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Chicago P.D. 4×11 “You Wish” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

Case Summary: When a man is found dead, a young girl becomes the suspect, but when it turns out that she’s the victim of sexual assault and was merely trying to defend herself neighborhood secrets lead the Intelligence unit to a different set of officers.

Review | Analysis: Thankfully, “You Wish” was a great of example of how Chicago P.D. is at its best: a thrilling case and intricately balanced storylines that remind viewers of how wonderful these characters truly are.

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Chicago P.D. 4×06 “Some Friend” Recap

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Case Summary: When a dead body is found in the house of a man Olinsky knows, things get personal in the Intelligence unit. And after Lindsay receives flowers that weren’t sent by Jay, concerns arise.

Review | Analysis: “Some Friend” was an acute example of how intriguing this show can be. It’s admirable to want to genuinely set a strong example for someone in order to help them improve their lives. But if that person doesn’t respond the honorable way, how do we respond that shows our character? The Intelligence unit and almost everyone who works for law enforcement does so because they selflessly seek justice, and while things don’t always go as planned, with the exception of Voight they’ve often reacted in ways that have been admirable.

Alvin Olinsky hasn’t been the focus of Chicago P.D. too often and when he is, the episode is always memorable. Olinsky’s empathy has been a bright light in a dark world, and “Some Friend”gave that light the opportunity to shine beautifully.

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Chicago P.D. 4×05 “A War Zone” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

And all good things must come to an end.

Case Summary: After Will Halstead calls in the unit to notify them of yet another overdose and a body’s later found, the unit scatters together to find the dealer. Tay’s sent back to her old unit. Jay gives Mouse his blessing to leave and Platt hands him the cleared record.

Review | Analysis: “A War Zone” was solid, but unsurprisingly one of the more heartbreaking episodes. One of the things Chicago P.D. is best at is showcasing the importance of a person’s agency. And in doing so, it’s always done a riveting job of revealing the depth of adoration our heroes carry in their hearts. However, most importantly it reminded us of the fact that soldiers carry admirably selfless passion within them, and we need to remind ourselves of how vital they are everyday.

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Chicago P.D. 3×19 “If We Were Normal” Recap

Spoilers Ahead

Case Summary: When a disheveled female is found hiding out from a man she attempted to stab, the Intelligence unit learns she was held captive and sexually assaulted. When they eventually find the man responsible, they also learn he’s married to a woman who’d gone missing years ago with a different identity and he’s murdered another. After finally convincing Madison that she’s actually Jamie Lynne, she agrees to testify against the man she believed was her husband, and Ruby, who’s now pregnant with Drew’s child decides to keep him/her in order to have one good thing come from her horrifying experiences.

Review | Analysis: The Intelligence unit and specifically Olinsky once again prove to be some of the most empathetic officers on television. Chicago P.D. has some of the most compelling ensemble casts on television and as viewers, we constantly find ourselves missing our favorites. Thankfully for me, there’s not a single character whose centric episodes I don’t appreciate, and thereby, I often find myself grateful for whatever we’ve gotten. It was beautiful to be reminded of the kind of father Alvin Olinsky truly is — not only to his own girls, and the unit, but to the victims. Elias Koteas exudes such warmth in his performances, it’s no wonder people tend to feel safer around Olinsky.

To be quite honest, I’m still trying to figure out if “If We Were Normal” is a proper episode title because it doesn’t seem to fit with everything that went on. In fact, some of the subplots, despite the fact that they were entertaining, didn’t belong in the episode either.

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Chicago P.D. 3×17 “Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb” Recap

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Backstory is always the most remarkable type of story telling.

Case Summary: When an operation goes south at Jay’s second job, Terry loses his life. The Intelligence unit questions Brianna then learns the facility was bugged. And we get a little bit more on Jay’s past.

Review | Analysis: Episodes that challenge the characters always manage to be the best. “Forty-Caliber Bread Crumb” took a man away from his family, and as he grieved for his friend, Halstead also dealt with the horrific return of war memories. At this point it’s no surprise that the reason I’ve chosen to review this series is because of the friendships — the subtle moments where we get to see the people behind the uniforms. And these are also the episodes that allow actors to challenge themselves with some of the most gut-wrenching performances.

I may be biased here, but episodes centered around Jay generally tend to be incredibly intriguing. And because we’ve wanted backstory on his character for the longest time, it was delivered in ways better than I had expected. It’s always made sense to me that details of his past couldn’t be revealed due to the fact that it’s anything but easy to open up and talk about them. And while a lot’s been left to our imagination, it’s nice that we’re still able to get fragments.

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Chicago P.D. 3×15 “A Night Owl” Recap

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Love makes us do crazy things.

Case Summary: When Burgess’ instincts tell her to dig further into a professor’s car during a checkpoint, Intelligence discovers 10 kilos of heroin in his trunk. A little boy’s brutally murdered by a gang linked to an inmate the professor was in love with. And when the Intelligence unit finds letters addressed to multiple inmates they also come to learn that despite being married with a child, the professor was secretly in a relationship with an inmate, and the reason he was smuggling the drugs was in order to cover a debt for Peter. After his daughter’s taken captive and the unit learns Peter’s feelings weren’t reciprocated, the professor tells the unit about Peter’s brother and when he’s used as a bargain, Peter tells the unit where the professor’s daughter is held. Burgess and Lindsay partner up in this week’s investigations. Platt and Roman go off on a training course. And Jay gets side job at a medical marijuana organization.

Review | Analysis: Tonight’s episode was surprisingly enjoyable, and it may be due to the fact that I’ve been desperately wanting to see further development with Lindsay and Burgess’ friendship. And additionally because the case took an unexpected turn, it actually managed to make it intriguing. I for one thought he was completely innocent the entire time, but the fact that the professor knew what he was doing and it was an act of love was interestingly shocking. Well played, Chicago PD. Well played. However, what’s not fun, and I’m not going to go into detail about it because it’ll only turn into an angry rant is the constant misrepresentation of Armenians on TV series. Every culture undoubtedly has its bad, but it also has its good; however, the fact that series make more of an effort to merely show the bad is incredibly disheartening.

Roman and Platt served as comedic relief this week, but the best part is that their experiences reiterated the theme of carefulness. And that comes into play for the entire episode as well because it essentially feels as though during the last few episodes, we aren’t paying close attention to what’s actually under our noses. And by we, I mean the characters.

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