Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 4 Review: Root Cause
Many detectives and officers have come and gone through the Intelligence Unit’s doors, but not all of them have proven to be made for the team. Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 4, “Roote Cause,” proves Imani is definitely made for this team.
She’s not afraid to be herself, which includes asking Voight the questions no one else would, stepping on his toes if necessary, and playing the game to get the answers they need. The episode not only shows us this side of her but also goes deeper, revealing more about her personal history.
Adding a character for Imani is important not only for the squad’s dynamic but also for the representation it brings to the screen. It would be even more incredible if the show went where it was too afraid to go with Kiana and gave us the queer representation we so desperately need.
Imani joined the team with a reputation as a rulebreaker, which made her such an intriguing character. However, “Root Cause” continues to prove that reputation isn’t correct. Imani, like everyone on the squad, is simply willing to do whatever it takes to help bring justice.
There are several layers to her character, and we’re just now scratching the surface.
At the beginning of the episode, we see her collecting photos of missing persons. Later, we can put the pieces of the puzzle together when she tells Voight that she visited several NA meetings looking for her sister. Since the last time she saw her sister was when she was eight years old, Imani looks for her in every missing persons pamphlet she finds.
It is this piece of her history that reveals why she is so good at going undercover. But it also shows us she knows how to play this game. She knows exactly what to say and when to say it, who to approach and how to approach them, and when to turn off the “tough cop” persona to connect with a victim or a suspect.
Imani’s undercover performance leaves Voight speechless for what is probably the first time in Chicago P.D. history. He knew there was potential in her when he invited her to join the unit, but it is obvious he didn’t know the extent of it. Now, he is even more invested in watching her succeed.
Imani knowing how to play the game doesn’t only apply to the case. After seeing the image Voight receives in the envelope, she goes so far as to research when the CPD logo changed, matching it to the one she sees in the photo.
She’s also not afraid to ask her boss the question on our minds. Even though Voight gives her no answers at first, Imani doesn’t stop there. She continues to look into it and push for an answer until she gets what we all want to know: Voight is the little boy in the photo.
And this is where things get tricky. This is a part of Voight’s past that no one knows. A past he isn’t willing to fully share with Trudy, but has decided to share with Imani. It could be because he trusts her or because he knows she might be able to help him figure out how that photo made its way back to him.
It will be interesting to see where the show takes this new Voight revelation. The young boy in the photo had cuts and bruises on his face while he lay in a hospital bed. It is clear that something terrible happened to him, but it has never been explored.
However, we begin to wonder why this was never discussed before. There sure were other cases the team worked on that could have led to him revisiting this experience. But it is now, when Gary says “he made me this way,” that this storyline is coming to the light.
Voight is definitely not giving up on investigating Gary’s father, so there are signs this storyline will be revisited in upcoming episodes. It would be interesting to see if this storyline is connected to Voight’s past and what happened to him before that photo was taken.
Hopefully, this will be explored in depth, as it seems to be a key component of who Voight is.
What did you think of this episode of Chicago P.D.? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.