One Chicago Crossover Event Review: Reckoning

If we could give the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning,” more than five stars, we would. The franchise deliveres not only the best crossover we have seen in its history, but also the best three-hour event any Dick Wolf franchise has ever delivered.

From the moment the event starts with Chicago Fire, it does an incredible job of setting the mood for what is to come. The plot twist, the characters involved, the panic, the fear, and the rush of adrenaline are all present from minute one, helping elevate the viewers’ mood to match the characters’.

The buildup to what’s coming and the flawless introductions of every character in a show that’s not normally theirs are handled with such care and precision that the entire crossover event feels like a movie. There is no point at which the viewer realizes we have jumped from one show to the other, because they all feel like one cohesive show. It truly makes us wish every week were a One Chicago crossover week.

Upstead’s Return

Whether you are an Upstead shipper or not, one cannot deny that the way their relationship ended was terrible. Halstead simply walking out on the woman he loved, ghosting his wife, and leaving her behind never felt like something the character would actually do. But as sad as it was, it gave Hailey the perfect excuse to leave the Intelligence Unit and move on to other things.

It also gives the characters the perfect excuse to pop up for the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning.”

Upton makes an entrance the only way she knows how: fighting her superiors for what she believes is right. The moment Conway is introduced, they disagree on every detail, but that doesn’t stop Upton from going down the path she believes will solve their investigation.

When we see Halstead’s photo with the drug mule who died, we understand why Upton is so set on making sure she stays on. She has been following a lead that makes her feel Jay is in danger, showing that the love she has for him hasn’t disappeared. The core of what made Upstead work so great is still there: they are both willing to risk it all for each other.

And that is still true for Halstead, who tells Hailey he stayed in Chicago working that case because of her.  For a moment, he is the knight in shining armor that she needs and saves her life. However, that doesn’t erase the pain he caused her.

Even though they still work in perfect syntony as partners, there is a pain there that won’t simply disappear. Halstead has the opportunity to apologize for everything he did, and while we don’t hear a direct acceptance, Upton suggests they go out for a drink.

This is as close as Upstead fans will get to a reconciliation or a closure.

Lenox The Mighty

As a reformed Lenox hater, I am cheering from the stands over how incredible she is during the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning.” My god how far she has come!

The moment Goodwin says, “One of my doctors was Army Special Forces,” we know Lenox will be at the center of the action. Nevertheless, we never expected her to be one of the threads that sews the crossover together. She jumps in immediately, doing everything she can to bring answers to the team and find the chemical that has put everyone in danger.

Lenox stays level-headed, never freaking out nor allowing her emotions to get the best of her. On the contrary, she is one of the few characters in this crossover that stays professional and unemotional throughout. This doesn’t mean, as we previously thought, that she has no feelings, but rather that she knows how to behave in a dangerous situation that requires the best of her abilities.

She jumps from Chicago Fire to Chicago P.D.with a smoothness that makes us feel she has been on these shows from the start. And, truthfully, she isn’t the only one.

The collaboration between the characters and the actors portraying them is flawless. Their chemistries match perfectly, proving that belonging to different shows doesn’t mean they don’t all belong together. 

This sentiment is shown particularly when the doctors say only family can see those hospitalized, but Herrmann remarks that they are family. The One Chicago characters are a big family who, from time to time, jump between shows to remind us of that.

Asher, Archer, Babies, and Risks

Raise your hand if you would have sided with Archer when he said Asher shouldn’t treat a woman who had been exposed. This doesn’t mean he is trying to control her, but rather trying to keep her and their baby safe. It isn’t an irrational, illogical, or delusional ask. It comes from a place of fear and love.

Archer and Asher wouldn’t be Dasher if they weren’t arguing about a high-tension topic, only to realize they were both right and apologize. That is exactly what happens during the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning.”

Hannah isn’t being selfish; she is trying to help because that is what she does. Archer is trying to protect her and their baby because that is what he does. They buttheads about this because that is what they do, but they eventually come to realize they are only doing what they believe is best.

There is one particular moment when they are arguing about the medication Asher will (or won’t) take that becomes hilarious because of Lenox. Her facial expressions as her eyes dart from Asher to Archer are priceless. She is able to add a layer of relief to an otherwise incredibly tense situation.

All in all, the crossover delivers exactly what Dasher shippers would like to see. Two people who still haven’t accepted they have feelings for each other are worrying, arguing, and making peace with what happened. It would have undoubtedly been great if Archer hadn’t been interrupted when he was about to sit on the bed with Hannah, but that’s just a shipper’s opinion.

There are People Dying

As fans, we knew that a One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning,” wouldn’t come without its drama, but we never expected to be on the edge of our seats waiting to find out if several of our favorite characters would make it.

The moment Novak starts bleeding in the ambulance, we know she is in danger. However, what truly catches my attention from this scene is that she touches her bloody face with the same gloves she had been treating the infected patient. She doesn’t change gloves when she is decontaminating her wound. Isn’t this extremely strange? She should have at least changed gloves to clean herself.

And while we are worried for her safety, we’re glad to see this has given Novak an opportunity to open up to Frost. He finally gets an insight into who she is and her family life, allowing him to bring her siblings to her side. As Ripley says, even if Novak doesn’t forgive him for this, he is doing the right thing.

The episodes don’t give us enough time to process Novak’s exposure before we fear for Capp and Cruz. And we’re not done taking a breath after them that we are already mourning Macy.

As soon as we see Macy’s mom blaming Stella for her daughter becoming a firefighter, we know this won’t end well. However, I don’t believe anyone was prepared to watch Macy die during this crossover. It is a rapid yet sad death that leaves a sour taste in our mouths.

Stella feels that as well when Charles breaks the news to her. Macy holds a special place in her heart because she is (was) the first Girls on Fire girl that became a firefighter; the first girl she mentored. There is an unbreakable bond there, but also a sense of guilt she can’t shake.

The only way in which we can actually feel a bit of relief is by embracing the cure that comes to Novak, Cruz, and Capp. Knowing that they are going to be okay makes the pain of losing Macy a little less painful. Truthfully, fans wouldn’t have been able to handle any more loss during this crossover.

Three Bosses with a Past

Before we dive into how the backstory for this crossover makes sense, we must highlight that this is the first time we see Pascal truly step up and do what needs to be done for his team(s). It finally feels like he belongs, he cares, he is here. 

This decision to step up matches the dedication that the other two bosses, Goodwin and Voight, have been giving their teams from the very beginning. It matches the mood of One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning,” and it helps the backstory make even more sense.

Bringing in a character from a fire that Pascal, Voight, and Goodwin worked back in the day is a very smart move from the writing team’s end. They are bringing this storyline full circle, explaining why these bosses had to have their teams work on this particular case.

The explanation that Voight saved Marr from the fire, but he still carries the guilt of it because he asked Pascal and his partner to delay the fire inspection, makes sense as to why Marr is targeting the firefighters. It also helps smoothly transition from Chicago Med‘s episode to Chicago P.D. in a way that brings us back to where the crossover started: the dead firefighter’s memorial.

The scene between Voight and Marr is filmed and written beautifully. Seeing Marr transition to his younger self and everyone else in the room disappearing is the perfect way to showcase what Voight is feeling and how he is handling this case.

For Chicago P.D. fans in particular, this scenario has given them the opportunity to see Jay Halstead highlight how much Voight has changed. It has also given room for Imani and Upton to work together, demonstrating how a previous Voight protégé understands he is willing to make the sacrifices, and the current protégé is trying to keep him safe.

With the exception of the FBI (minus Upton) doing a terrible job, trying to control everyone, and then forgetting to even wear protection during the investigation, the One Chicago crossover event, “Reckoning,” is perfect. We wish every Wednesday would be One Chicago crossover Wednesday.

Every actor involved brings their best talent to the scenes. The writers and the crew do an incredible job of bringing this story to life, making it seem like one three-hour-long episode.

Hopefully, the next crossover (whenever that happens) will use this as a guide on what fans really like to see.

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One Chicago airs Wednesdays between 8/7c and 10/9c on NBC.

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