A fifteen-year-old boy, Colin, goes missing. When Burgess and Roman meet with Colin’s mom, she gives them a journal full of threats and disturbing drawings from Colin, and that’s where the case kicks off. The unit searches the school, but Colin is nowhere to be found. When they search the grounds, they come across Colin’s body, dead from apparent suicide and a bomb in his bag.
The journal leads the team to Ethan Jones, a friend of Colin’s from the swim team. Back at the school, Burgess and Roman stop a mob from beating up Ethan and bring him in for questioning. The case strikes a nerve with Halstead, who seems to feel a connection with Ethan. As it turns out, Ethan lost his dad in Afghanistan, where Halstead did several tours.
Later, the team tracks Ethan’s phone to Coach Sander’s (the swim coach) house. Ethan’s no there, put “Pedophile” is spray-painted on Coach’s car. The plot thickens…
Obviously, Coach Sanders denies being a pedophile. Because, do they really ever confess? He definitely seems the type. Halstead brings Ethan back in who says through tears, “My dad told me I was supposed to be a man,” confirming Sanders is a pedophile. These writers are really getting us this year, aren’t they? We’ve had some tough cases this season.
Ethan tells Halstead about another boy who Sanders supposedly abused, Jesse. Together, Ethan, Colin, and Jesse were going to blow up Coach’s car, hence the bomb. Jesse turns out to be nothing more than a low-grade hitman, hired by Sanders to scare Colin. He went a bit too far though—Jesse killed Colin and made it look like suicide. Jesse won’t be much help in bringing Sanders to justice, as he’s killed by a moving train after being chased by Halstead.
The team still puts Sanders away, thanks to Voight’s craftiness. He tells Sanders they have Jesse in the other room, and unless Sanders starts talking, they’ll go with Jesse’s story. Sanders is quick to confess.
This was a great episode for Halstead. He was amazing with Ethan and part of me thinks he might have been abused in some way as a kid too. He tells Ethan, “I’ve known some heroes. But what you did, going public…it might just be the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I know not everyone is thrilled with the amount of screentime he’s received for about the past year now, but I love it. And the writers would not keep putting him in the spotlight if he didn’t thrive there. Out of everyone on the team, I might be most interested in Halstead’s background. We’ve gotten little nuggets here and there over the past few seasons, but we’ve received more this year than the first two seasons combined. That makes me think the writers are building up to something. What? I have no idea.
Elsewhere…
Erin and Atwater have breakfast and I immediately love this friendship. Atwater’s not quite as interested, as he sees Captain Whitaker, a well-known cop in Chicago. To Atwater, Whitaker might as well be Meryl Streep. The meeting doesn’t go so well at first, but Atwater later receives a cryptic invite from Whitaker. He shows up and it’s a poker game with Fire’s Chief Boden! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Michelle’s release was contingent on a parent claiming guardianship. If she’s not claimed, she goes into the foster system. When Platt tells Olinsky, he doesn’t even hesitate in signing the form. It’s nice to see Olinsky step up and be Michelle’s father, but it came at a steep price. Meredith (Olinsky’s wife) is obviously not happy about the situation and kicks Olinsky out of the house…or rather, the garage. “I’m gonna put your stuff out on the lawn. If it’s not gone by tomorrow, I’m gonna burn it.” Well, alright then.
Ruzek and Burgess seem to be doing well, which is surprising to me. I just can’t get a good read on these two. “You ever have fettucine alfredo?” Ruzek asks Burgess. Adam, does a bear poop in the woods? Who hasn’t ever had fettucine alfredo? Ruzek’s romantic dinner doesn’t go quite as planned, as Olinsky shows up with Michelle looking to stay for a few days. So, why wouldn’t Olinsky go to Voight’s house? He’s known Voight for years and Voight actually has a house…as opposed to Ruzek’s one bedroom apartment. Logical.
What did you think of the episode? Where is Burgess and Ruzek’s relationship going? What might be in Halstead’s past? Share your thoughts below!
About the Author - Meghan Reynolds
A Colorado native, Meghan was born a raised a Denver Broncos fan. Aside from football, she loves storytelling, whether it be movies, television, books, or music. Some of her favorite shows of the past and present include LOST, Friends, The Office, Scandal, Chicago PD, and Chicago Fire. She is excited to be reviewing two of those shows for SpoilerTV, Chicago PD and Chicago Fire.
Ethan tells Halstead about another boy who Sanders supposedly abused, Jesse. Together, Ethan, Colin, and Jesse were going to blow up Coach’s car, hence the bomb. Jesse turns out to be nothing more than a low-grade hitman, hired by Sanders to scare Colin. He went a bit too far though—Jesse killed Colin and made it look like suicide. Jesse won’t be much help in bringing Sanders to justice, as he’s killed by a moving train after being chased by Halstead. 
