Chicago P.D.: Justice on the Streets – The Gritty Realities of Law Enforcement Season 12

Chicago PD Season 12 wanted to start with a bang — but it’s turned out to be a misfire. Season 12, Episode 2, “Blood Bleeds Blue,” doesn’t deliver on the cliffhanger from the Season 12 premiere. More than that, it’s frustrating because CPD knows how to do these kinds of episodes; it’s had several of them over the years. This one feels like a pale shadow of how tense, action-packed and emotional the show can be.

“Blood Bleeds Blue” picks up with the Intelligence Unit on the hunt for the person who shot their latest member Emily Martel. The episode is also notable for introducing Officer Kiana Cook, the new series regular played by Toya Turner. Neither one of those elements makes a strong impression, which further lends credence to the idea that CPD needs to make some significant changes.

Chicago PD Puts Its Focus On Adam Ruzek

Season 12, Episode 2 Is a Ruzek-Centered Story

Episode 2 is primarily about Adam Ruzek and Kiana Cook, which allows Patrick John Flueger to turn in a more than solid performance while Ruzek experiences the shock of having a partner killed in front of him. Flueger has come a long way over his 10 seasons on the show and he plays every angsty look to the best of his ability. But the episode centering on Ruzek is Chicago PD‘s first problem. Previous major storylines, no matter who was at the center, involved all of the Intelligence Unit in significant ways. In “Blood Bleeds Blue,” everyone else largely looks things up or passes information on — with the exceptions of Hank Voight and Dante Torres, the latter of whom gets involved in his second unassisted foot chase in two episodes.

Kim Burgess is still missing from the show, although Ruzek does avoid her calls, which creates a second issue. Ruzek explains to Cook that he can’t bear to speak to Burgess, because Burgess also knew Martel and the three of them go “way back.” This would be an understandable and even bittersweet plot point… if viewers had ever seen Burgess and Martel interact or gotten to know Martel. The show is telling viewers how to feel about Martel when the audience was never given the time to care. It’s like the murder of Antonio Dawson’s partner Julia Willhite in Chicago PD Season 1, but back then Willhite had more screen time and more personality. This story simply isn’t as big as it’s supposed to be.

Pretty much every Chicago PD main character has been shot or injured at some point. It’s par for the course with the series having been on the air for this long. In fact, Burgess has been traumatized so much that it started to feel offensive. But in all of those episodes, everyone felt like a combined force even if they weren’t physically together, and everything felt heightened. “Blood Bleeds Blue” feels like a Ruzek story, but on top of that also a vehicle for the new character, and the end result is that the audience doesn’t experience the urgency that they should when one of the Intelligence Unit has died.