Chicago P.D. Season 11 Episode 8 Review: On Paper

Chicago P.D. Season 11 Episode 8, “On Paper,” focuses mostly on Upton as she takes the lead in the kidnapping of a nine-month-old baby. In order to work the case as thoroughly as possible, she asks for Jo’s help.

Even though Jo’s profile didn’t lead the team to catch Noah’s killer, this time around, her knowledge does help catch Grace’s kidnapper and bring her home safely. However, things don’t go as smoothly when she partners with Upton.

Both women spend most of the episode profiling each other without realizing they are more alike than they know.

There are several signs throughout the episode that point to Jo hiding something. It starts when Upton asks her to join her on the field. Jo claims all she rides is the desk.

She gives her insights as an SVU expert from the comfort of her desk because, as she puts it, there are fewer distractions there. Besides this, she never puts her name on any of the cases she helps solve, and the brass lets her do whatever she wants.

Along with Upton, viewers notice Jo is constantly taking cough drops, claiming she is getting over a cold. She also takes time on her own to go to her car and take an aspirin for a headache.

The biggest tell for Upton is the fact that Jo doesn’t shoot the suspect when they are on the run. She claims there was a pedestrian in the way, but when reviewing the footage, Upton discovers she lied.

Truth be told, Upton shouldn’t have sent Jo after the perp when she clearly said she only rides the desk.

After that, the tell comes when Upton smells her bottle only to discover alcohol.

Upton is quick to judge Jo and point out her alcoholism, but as viewers, we can see these two women are more similar than the young detective allows herself to believe.

The episode starts with Voight asking Upton if she is okay. Even though she claims to be, she clearly is not. We see she isn’t sleeping, being awake by the time her alarm goes off.

We see her running around the park as if escaping something and being disappointed when she doesn’t meet the time she wants. Upton is obviously running away from her feelings about her divorce and Halstead’s departure.

This is something Jo notices. She tries to connect with Upton by mentioning her third divorce and how difficult the first one was, but she also talks about how she stopped caring (or so she says) after the third divorce.

Once the case is over, Jo meets with Upton to tell her she will be back behind her desk and not on the field anymore. That is her solution to her alcoholism, but when Upton tries to call her out for her behavior, she tells her the running she does every day is basically the same.

They are both running away from something in their life. Their vices are just different.

Unlike most of the cases on Chicago P.D. Season 11, this one has a resolution. Grace is found and returned to her parents.

However, “On Paper” still reminds us Noah’s killer is on the loose, and Voight is still carrying the responsibility and the guilt of the young man’s death. The flashbacks at the beginning, the bodies in the barrels, and no new leads prove that he will continue working the case for as long as it takes.

Hopefully, the rest of the cases that remain open will find their closure before Chicago P.D. Season 11 ends.

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Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

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