Is the Intelligence Unit a group of rogue cops? Are they run by a Sergeant who will do whatever he has to do in the name of the law and sometimes beyond? Are the streets of Chicago safer with the crew in plain clothes? Those are some of the questions you must ask yourself when describing The Intelligence Unit of Chicago PD.
Entering its seventh season, Chicago PD has been a staple in Primetime TV for NBC with its bold characters and storylines. Which one is your favorite? Was it Antonio's drug problem, Justin's death, the departure of Erin, or something else?
The Mystic Of The Intelligence Unit
When the Intelligence Unit steps on the scene of a crime, the rest of the department can sense the city is about to be turned upside down. While Chicago can appear lawless at times, Voight and his crew are the pulse of the city. When you think elite status, it's the Intelligence Unit those cops are gunning for. Some have ed and others have failed at their one shot.
Voight wants the best of the best. Their goal is to keep the streets of Chicago safe and that means putting it all on the line every day.
Price and Voight
Their union didn't begin as one that would blossom into something special. Normally at odds regarding the neighborhood, the two came to an agreement they had to team up to take down Kelton before he became Mayor. In the process, a true friendship was built.
News surfaces that Price's wife murdered two assailants and instead of letting her take the fall, Price took the weight. By doing so, he had to surrender his place in the Mayoral race. Voight knew the truth but let his friend take the fall for his family in one of the most intense episodes ever of Chicago PD.
Atwater And His Brother
It's hard being a cop but it has to be super difficult to be a family member of one. For Kevin Atwater, his job never hit close to home until his younger brother became a witness to a murder. Atwater did all he could to keep his brother safe but in the end, Atwater thought like a cop and not a brother.
With his brother taking the stand, the family was now in danger. Even in his home city, the choice to move him away made perfect sense.
The death of Nadia
A CI (Confidential Informant) is there to provide information to help take down criminals. However, there are times where a CI just gets under your skin but in a good way. This is what happened with Nadia and Erin Lindsey. In Season 2, she became a visible member of the team.
But Nadia was kidnapped and was found too late. Her death set the tone for Voight and his team moving forward. She was one of their own and since, Voight has kept the reigns on his team tight. The death of Nadia was just heartbreaking and something that Erin never fully recovered from.
The Death Of Justin
Justin's story came to light in the unofficial Chicago Fire and Chicago PD crossover. Yes, the same storyline that had fans siding with Matt Casey over Hank Voight. Now, with a recurring role on Chicago PD, fans would learn that Justin had his demons but he manages to turn his life around with a wife and new child. But when you're tied to the city of Chicago, it's hard for the streets to let you go.
Justin went to help a friend and by doing so, his son was left without a dad and Voight lost his only son. It was the first time viewers caught a true glimpse of Voight in pain and viewers knew Chicago would be the one to pay.
Voight vs Kelton
Catching bad guys is what the Intelligence Unit does best while patrolling the gritty streets of Chicago. But what happens when the bad guy is the one calling the shots in the city? The war between Kelton and Voight was one of the best storylines in the history of Chicago PD.
Voight had major concerns with Kelton. The pieces of the puzzle finally fit when Voight did the math that Kelton had one of his informants killed. What followed was a race to take down Kelton before he became Mayor.
Is Hank Voight Good or Bad?
Most fans of Chicago PD migrated over from his own show and that perception changed of Voight.
While Voight does straddle the fence, the perception of him changed course since his first appearance. His growth is explained as a cop who will do whatever it takes to keep his city safe. Sometimes you must color outside the lines to get things done.
Antonio vs Voight
Every show needs that balance. For Chicago PD, the scales will either tip in the favor of good or bad. For loyal fans of The Intelligence Unit, that fight begins with the mysterious Antonio Dawson and Hank Voight. A trip down memory lane will reveal that there was always bad blood there dating back to Chicago Fire.
Antonio is headstrong and so is Voight. But the respect is still there between the two. Over the years, Antonio has found himself on Voight's side but to watch the two officers go at it in the early stages made for great TV and gave PD that necessary edge.
Voight and Olinsky
Voight and Olinsky were more than co-workers and friends, they were ed at the hip. For the six seasons that Olinsky and Voight ran the Intelligence Unit, it always felt as if there was more to the story fans didn't understand. Both would do whatever they had to for one another and there was never any real friction between the two.
Their loyalty for one another is the reason why Olinsky was jailed then later murdered. Taking a secret to the grave is easily said but it takes a true bond for a person to keep that word.
The Downfall of Antonio
It's rare that watching the downfall of a beloved character would make such a list as this. However, Antonio's storyline was just different. His family life was a complete mess and he was often at odds with Voight.
With all that going on, the writers still decided to up the risks by hooking him on pain killers which grew to stronger forms of coping. Watching him fall from a great to troublesome detective was heartbreaking but it was done with great precision by the writers.