Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 11 Review: The Water Line

Indubitably, Kevin Atwater is the purest, most universally adored, and finest character within the sequence.

And it is all the time a delight when he will get some focus, which is exactly what Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 11 got down to do because it touched on a few of Atwater’s best attributes: his dedication, compassion, sympathy, and the Aristocracy.

However with all nice attributes, there’s a downside, as every part is a double-edged sword.

The hour was a follow-up on Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 5.

General, it was a median installment.

Kevin is such a beloved character, and he is usually suffered virtually as a lot as Trudy when he will get shoved into the background.

Because of this, any time we spend with him on the forefront is an actual deal with. In that sense, you cling to his installments with a demise grip as a result of he lastly will get targeted, however LaRoyce Hawkins can also be unbelievable.

The person is well considered one of this sequence’s best (double entendre meant heartily) actors.

Regardless of the content material, the person will constantly ship and hold you hooked from credit score roll to credit score roll.

It was no exception with “The Water Line.”

He put forth one other improbable efficiency, and the identical reward extends to Petey McGee, who performed Butchie.

He was a selected standout in the course of the moments the place he opened as much as Atwater about his cousin’s demise and when he confronted the person he held answerable for Marcus’ demise.

Robust performances abound; thus, they overcompensated for a quite understated hour.

Atwater: I can step off the case.
Voight: No, I need you to do your job. Simply discover the lead. Make it proper.

It wasn’t even that “The Water Line” was a awful installment, because it was a far cry from that. It is simply that one’s thoughts shortly wanders throughout components of it, and it’ll not stand out and even stick to you past the moments you spent watching it.

Atwater-centrics are sometimes a number of the strongest of the sequence, and this possible will not break the highest 5.

However that is effective. There was nonetheless a lot to get pleasure from about it.

The path, for starters, was additionally notable and robust. The aerial shot of Oceanwater parting methods to trace down their perp and Butchie was marvelous.

The cinematographic shot of Atwater staring out into the water, representing the “water line” as he waited to talk to Butchie, was additionally splendidly executed.

And the scuffle at Terrence’s home was shot properly additionally. A couple of standout moments have been visually interesting as they aligned with the plot.

Butchie was clearly not the perfect candidate to help them with this case. He got here throughout as a possible legal responsibility from the second he hopped into Atwater’s automotive with out warning.

His conduct in the course of the intro was nerve-wracking, and issues solely obtained progressively worse from there.

He did beat the CI curse, although, however simply barely. He was keen to go to jail and probably die for his younger cousin, however luckily, he skilled the previous quite than the latter.

He put Atwater in a couple of tough place, although. And for a man who has been carrying the burden of not reacting to sure issues the way in which that he ought to, it was robust for him.

Satirically, Butchie and Atwater have been in comparable positions.

Atwater was additionally holding onto what occurred with Corey Westbrooke, and he is allowed his guilt over that to devour him.

Sadly, it is gone thus far that it is sometimes jeopardized the job, and Theresa has been publically threatening his profession and requesting a restraining order if he does not keep away.

Right here is the place Atwater’s arc tapped into considered one of his earlier centrics, “Sympathetic Reflex.”

He is expressed how he all the time leads with sympathy, and that is what one hopes and needs in an officer, particularly nowadays when too usually the imagery of legislation enforcement does not align with that specific trait.

However typically, the difficulty with main with sympathy is the emotional toll it takes on an individual — the self-flagellation when issues do not go based on plan and drowning beneath the crushing weight of all of it.

Sympathy is emotionally taxing and exhausting. Sure, it is attainable to care an excessive amount of, and Atwater was proper on that line.

It was irritating to see him wracked with a lot guilt and turmoil once we knew that there was nothing he may’ve executed.

The Westbrookes did not hearken to something he needed to say throughout that theft, and his demise did not fall on Kevin Atwater. He even went so far as to avoid wasting Theresa and her son.

When you ever come close to me or my son once more, I’ll file a restraining order, and I’ll be sure to lose your job. I will be sure of that.

Theresa

With all that in thoughts, it was tough to sympathize with this grieving lady as a result of her blaming Atwater was unfair. And that is what makes Atwater a greater particular person than most.

He is paid for a gravestone, despatched them meals, and helped Jonathan out of a jam with the legislation. And all Theresa can take into consideration is that Atwater’s assistance is him making an attempt to ease his guilt for what occurred.

One of many refined issues that was fulfilling about how this has impacted Atwater is that we had Voight and Trudy taking part in involved mother and father and doing that of their particular methods.

Voight was the hardass doling out straight-to-the-point robust love by primarily telling him to get his crap collectively.

However Trudy, let the One Chicago gods bless her, was such a Den Mother.

They do not give us almost sufficient Trudy, however after they do, they make it price our whereas, and this was a main instance.

We all know how Trudy is relating to the Intelligence Unit. As a lot as she’s a sarcastic hardass with everybody, she genuinely loves and cares about them. They’re her youngsters.

And Kevin and Trudy’s dynamic is a profoundly underrated bond. It is plain as day that he is considered one of her favorites.

The 2 of them having a heart-to-heart was considered one of their best moments since she Mama Bear hugged him to demise throughout Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 12 and instructed him by no means to scare her like that once more.

She is aware of that of all of her “youngsters,” Kevin is a compassionate one with a mushy coronary heart who earnestly tries to do proper by folks.

Atwater: What are you doing right here?
Trudy: Voight requested me to speak to you. You gonna carry this one too? That artificial his mattress. It isn’t on you.

And he is additionally the one who carries everybody else’s stuff on his shoulders. He tries to avoid wasting and assist everybody and every part, even at his personal expense, and he is been doing that his total life.

Trudy’s recommendation to him was essential and sage. She hit the nail on the pinnacle about him and the way necessary it’s that he is aware of when to let go so he can hold his head above water.

The water metaphors labored properly with Kevin, his emotional state, and even his final identify.

He does not understand how to not be this one who is compassionate to a fault, and with a job like theirs, if he continues down the trail that he is going with out toeing the effective line, he’ll burn out sooner quite than later.

Due to the emotional struggles Atwater was battling, Trudy’s maternal edge befitted the state of affairs and gave us among the best moments of the season. Trudy is not technically a mom, however she’s nonetheless among the best mothers within the sport, regardless.

Goodness, Amy Morton is the best.

Atwater realized a tough lesson from this entire case, and it reached a pure conclusion throughout this installment.

Voight’s serial killer arc hasn’t, however we at the very least realized that he was lacking as a result of he was in Detroit chasing a connection.

I can recall no cause for Ruzek’s absence, but it surely was obtrusive.

If anybody obtained the shaft this season, it was Ruzek, who has barely had a presence all season.

As soon as once more, it has to go on the document that this disappearing, rotating forged and centrics aren’t working. It sucks.

For as a lot as I beloved Atwater and Trudy in addition to Oceanwater, we have been disadvantaged of some high quality Ruzwater for a very long time.

The method they’re utilizing merely is not working for this sequence in any respect and hampers the present’s high quality because of this. Half the explanation we tune into Chicago PD is due to the characters and their respective relationships.

Trudy: There are two issues you are able to do with guilt. You possibly can let it drown you or allow you to give it goal.
Atwater: I want to determine how to try this.
Trudy: Effectively, I am not going to allow you to drown. Nobody right here is.

In spite of everything, Atwater and Trudy’s dynamic carried this episode.

Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. How would you rank this in Atwater-centric? Did you’re keen on all of the Kevin/Trudy content material? Do you miss Ruzek? Pontificate under!

Chicago PD airs on NBC on Wednesdays at 10/9c. You possibly can stream the next day on Peacock.