If you’ve been screaming at the top of your lungs to get a Trudy Platt-centric episode, Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 9, “Heroes,” finally delivers exactly that. It does so in a way that Platt’s strength and vulnerability are both explored to honor the character she is and what she has brought to the show from the beginning.
There was a time in the One Chicago timeline when it seemed Platt belonged more on Chicago Fire than on Chicago P.D. Her relationship with Mouch made her a key character, and for some reason, that show always explored Platt’s life more deeply than her own show.
But with “Heroes,” Chicago P.D. claims its “ownership” of Platt, and positions her as the kind of woman we have always known her to be: tough but vulnerable, willing to go the extra mile for the people she cares about. Something that she taught her officers, particularly Kim Burgess, who now takes pride in these qualities as a detective.
The beginning of the episode shows the Platt everyone knows on a surface level. She is behind her desk, giving orders, remprimanding officers who haven’t done their job, and imposing the rules that keep District 21 afloat.
When McKay first comes on, he immediately mentions how he used to fear Trudy. And while that is true for most everyone who meets her, there is also truth in the fact that everyone comes back to seek her help in times of need. Even Hank Voight relies on her for those little details in the worst moments of his life.
Platt is, without a doubt, the beating heart of District 21 and the woman who has raised so many of those officers into formidable detectives. In that nurturing role that Trudy so ironically occupies in her career but not in her personal life, she has become attached to every officer and has carried them with her throughout her career. It is that care and devotion she puts into all of them that make her show up for them when they need her.
But that is exactly what blinds her judgment on this episode. She is so focused on who McKay was when they worked together and everything she saw in him that she cannot wrap her mind around the fact that he would take his own life.
She goes against her better judgment and years of experience to seek justice for someone she cares about, while simultaneously trying to deny the truth to protect herself.
It’s quite interesting to see that for this particular case, Platt steps out of her uniform and dresses in regular clothes. This immediately makes her one of the team.
Instead of being the desk sergeant hiding behind her uniform, she hits her boots to the ground and works the evidence with everyone in the Intelligence Unit. She becomes one of them because she doesn’t want to leave a single stone unturned. She is there to guarantee that the killer is found.
When she is first met with the idea that McKay took his own life, Platt makes it clear that she isn’t backing down by saying, “I bark once and then I bite.” She carries this demeanor throughout the entire case, which makes her butt heads with Burgess more than once.
Unlike most people in the district, Burgess isn’t afraid to stand up to Platt. She knows that behind the barking is a caring heart, but she also understands why Trudy is acting the way she is. Nevertheless, she pushes through every bump on the road to get to the bottom of the case.
Burgess is one of those officers-turned-detectives raised by Trudy Platt, and if there is one thing she learned from Platt, it is to never back down. And that is exactly what she does, even if it means breaking her mentor’s heart.
This behavior, the thirst to find the truth, and the will to fight against all odds are what make Burgess one of the best detectives we have ever seen on the show. She can stand her own ground, be her own person, and do her job the right way.
The episode spends a short amount of time on the fact that many officers take their lives because of the job. While this is an important topic of conversation, it isn’t what matters most on the show.
At the end of the day, the episode highlights who Trudy Platt is and why she is so important to the show’s dynamic. Platt has been a constant on Chicago P.D. from the beginning. She has shown up for everyone, been a shoulder to cry on, and offered advice when they needed it most.
By allowing her to show her full persona on this episode, Chicago P.D. reminds viewers why Platt has stuck around for so long. Even though there was a time when it felt like the show was pushing her to the sidelines, “Heroes” brings her back and makes her stand out.
Stray Thoughts
The show has been handling Ruzek’s absence really well. By mentioning that he is with his father every time he isn’t around, they are keeping both his and Bob’s storylines alive for when he returns.
