Chicago P.D. Season 12 Episode 21 Review: Open Casket

Despite the fact that the Intelligence Unit has broken the law or come very near to it on several occasions, Chicago P.D. Season 12 Episode 21, “Open Casket,”  changes the game for the team. It is the first time that we see the unit disband as Torres goes to jail, Burgess gets suspended, and Voight is under investigation.

While it’s heartbreaking to see our favorite team treated this way, it is exciting to think of what comes next. Reid thinks he’s won against Voight, and the sergeant will have to bend the knee. However, he has no idea who the real Hank Voight is.

So far, Reid has faced a very tame version of the sergeant, but after his actions this episode, things are about to change.

Up until this point, Voight had acted with caution because the blackmail Reid had on him affected two of his team members more than it affected him. Instead of going the route he would have in the past, he followed Reid’s rules and investigated him behind the scenes.

However, this is exactly why it backfires. If Voight had done things his way, none of this would have gotten as far as it did. Reid would have been taken care of within a few episodes, and the team would have never been at risk.

But the truth is that beyond Kim and Dante’s involvement, Voight kept Chapman’s thoughts and words in mind and acted in a way that was acceptable to her. Even though he said he would do what was necessary, he didn’t handle the situation as he would have wanted.

Viewers must remember this is the man who suspects in a cage to get the answers he wanted. The man who had a burial ground for anyone who jeopardized the safety of his family. The man who had files upon files written about him and his behavior.

So the fact that Reid doesn’t seem to be frightened at all says a lot about the way Voight has pulled the reins and started acting by the book. Sadly, this might be the only time he regrets doing so.

Reid mentions he and Voight are on the same side, which couldn’t be further away from the truth. While Voight has been known for bending the rules to his benefit, he doesn’t do it to give the bad guys a pass. On the contrary, he does it to make sure those same bad guys never hurt anyone again.

With Otero mentioning Reid’s mother was murdered and that’s why he wants to keep the streets safe, we can understand both Voight and Reid do the things they do because they want to protect their loved ones. However, Reid seems to have forgotten that and only cares about his own good.

But because he is blackmailing so many officers the way he was Voight, he stays one step ahead and turns the unit’s plan on them. This means Torres goes to jail, Burgess has her badge taken, and Voight is under investigation. This also means Hank has reached a breaking point and will no longer play by the book.

What gives us the indication that he is done being “nice” is the fact that he chooses not to open the door for Chapman when she comes looking for him at home. Until then, he trusted her and let her into his home and the investigation, doing things mostly her way. Now, the rules have changed.

Hank Voight is no longer playing the game they want him to because his team has been affected. If you mess with his family, hell is coming your way. And if we’re being honest, that will make the season finale even more interesting.

While Chapman’s presence has tamed Voight, it has also been the key to digging deeper into his personal life. No one had asked so many questions before about Camille and his past.

This is the first time we have spent so much time inside Voight’s home, hearing him talk about Camille, and even getting to see photos of them. Chapman has a look into his life that many don’t, but she also forgets who Voight is.

Yes, everything about his past is important because he is still married to the wife he lost so long ago. He says he forgot about the loneliness, but it’s clear he is still holding on to a part of his life that’s no longer there. But just because she gets to see that, it doesn’t mean Chapman fully understands Voight.

The fact that she has repeatedly asked him to do things her way and play by the book indicates she isn’t a hundred percent on board with who he is or the things he does. Accepting a character like Hank Voight means accepting everything that comes with him, including a less-than-conventional cop.

If the show wants to go down the Chapman and Voight as a potential couple road, they must explore how both sides of Voight fit in that relationship. 

Now that the team has been disbanded, it’ll be interesting to see how they work to bring Reid down. Clearly, the Chicago P.D. Season 12 finale will focus on getting the team back together and Torres out of jail.

However, we hope that doesn’t mean the Burgess and Ruzek wedding will have less screen time. Fans have been waiting a long time to see these two characters get married, so it would be unfair to them to steal them of that precious moment.

Knowing how well the season has been so far, we must trust the show knows what they are doing.

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

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