S07.E11: 43rd and Normal

[jewel21]

Ruzek and Burgess' secret begins to have severe implications for their police work. A series of deadly acts of vandalism causes tensions to run high in the insular neighborhood of Canaryville. Atwater tries to reach out to his brother.

Airdate: 01/15/2020

[spunky]

Now I understand why both Jay and Adam are as dumb as door nails, they’re from Canaryville. I’m glad that the Bruzek romance angst is over, now we have to deal with the baby angst. Congratulations to the writers for remembering that Kim and Kevin are best friends and he would be the first person to know about her pregnancy. Kevin should have knocked the taste out of Jordan’s mouth on more than one occasion, especially after he hit him. Kevin has to allow Jordan to learn the hard way and stop cleaning up his  messes.

[SuzieQ]

Does anyone else think Burgess is really mean to Ruzek over this?  While it's true that a marriage would fail, at least now, he's really trying to be supportive and has grown a lot since the early days.

[The Ringo Kidd]

Why is it that in all Dick Wolf shows the only people who commit crimes are white suprematists? 
 
Or cops.

Maybe next week than can mix it up and have white suprematist cops be the villains.

[Guildford]

3 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Does anyone else think Burgess is really mean to Ruzek over this?  While it's true that a marriage would fail, at least now, he's really trying to be supportive and has grown a lot since the early days.

Yep.

Glad they finally talked though. It was getting tiresome. 

I could see both sides but I did feel sorry for Adam, he was trying to do & say the right thing & she constantly shut him out. I think he was really hurt that she didn't even tell him about the Doctor's appointment. She could have said she wanted to go alone but to just dump it on him, then the Ultrasound, then the heartbeat, then telling Kevin. It was like she was telling her neighbor not the father of her baby who had already told her he wanted to be there.

I really think if she had talked to him that whole shooting situation would never have got to that point. Also Kim was trying to prove that nothing had changed for her, that the fact she was pregnant didn't matter & she was reckless.

The marriage proposal...yeah Adam way too far but I guess at that point he was just desperate to be part of it.

Kevin's brother - piece of snot. Hopefully they won't just drop it, but I am guessing thats the last we will hear of him for a while, until the next time Kevin needs some angsty storyline. Please, who do we have to petition to get him a woman, or a man, I don't really care at this stage.

I am flummoxed as to what the point of bringing Rojas onto the team was? At this point she has bought nothing. They could have had her work on and off with Intelligence and built up to bringing her in full-time because at this stage she's just there not really adding much.

 

Edited January 16, 2020 by Guildford

[SuzieQ]

4 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

 

Ruzek always makes the wrong choice, that is what is so consistent about his character.   Each character on that show should ask themselves, "What would Ruzek do?", and then do the opposite. 

That is frighteningly true. 😂I never understood what any of these women saw in him, but I have to admit, he has grown on me in the last season or 2.  Seems like he's matured, at least a little and managed some compassion. I would guess Burgess is endgame, but she's been brutal to him lately.

Edited January 16, 2020 by SuzieQ

[spunky]

14 hours ago, Guildford said:

Kevin's brother - piece of snot. Hopefully they won't just drop it, but I am guessing thats the last we will hear of him for a while, until the next time Kevin needs some angsty storyline. Please, who do we have to petition to get him a woman, or a man, I don't really care at this stage.

 

 

I’m all for Kevin and Vanessa getting together. They seem to have great chemistry and I could see them being more mature than Adam/Kim, Jay/Hailey.

[Sake614]

Surprised they used a real high school (and my alma mater) in this episode. 

Jordan is seriously working my last nerve and I’m at the point where I want Kevin to just wash his hands of the brat and let Jordan fend for himself. Kevin has done everything he can to keep Jordan safe, and this is how he’s repaid?

glad burgess told Hank and agreed to keep Ruzek involved, but still not interested in this story.

[Guildford]

2 hours ago, spunky said:

I’m all for Kevin and Vanessa getting together. They seem to have great chemistry and I could see them being more mature than Adam/Kim, Jay/Hailey.

The only issue I have with him and Vanessa is then you've got Ruzek/Burgess with their baby drama, Upton/Halstead making goggly eyes at each other & skipping to crime scenes holding hands & then Atwater/Rojas. In a six man squad....way too much. Because there will always be drama in TV show relationships & to have all three couples working together, not only unrealistic but extremely boring.

If they wanted to do Atwater/Rojas they should've kept her out of Intelligence for a while and let them build a relationship based on seeing them on cases occasionally & do it that way.

And they need to drop Upstead all together.

[spunky]

8 minutes ago, Guildford said:

The only issue I have with him and Vanessa is then you've got Ruzek/Burgess with their baby drama, Upton/Halstead making goggly eyes at each other & skipping to crime scenes holding hands & then Atwater/Rojas. In a six man squad....way too much. Because there will always be drama in TV show relationships & to have all three couples working together, not only unrealistic but extremely boring.

If they wanted to do Atwater/Rojas they should've kept her out of Intelligence for a while and let them build a relationship based on seeing them on cases occasionally & do it that way.

And they need to drop Upstead all together.

That's my only issue with it as well. At this time she seems like his only option. There was a time some people on social media were shipping Kevin and Haley. Now that would have been a disaster, especially since she slept with his best friend.

[Guildford]

35 minutes ago, spunky said:

That's my only issue with it as well. At this time she seems like his only option. There was a time some people on social media were shipping Kevin and Haley. Now that would have been a disaster, especially since she slept with his best friend.

I don't think she cares about who is friends with who.

They should have done Atwater/Hayley last year instead of the route they went. But then again Atwater is too nice for her and she wouldn't be able to treat him like shit because people would have been in uproar. That whole relationship was to show that she was in love with Halstead. 

[Pearson80]

2 hours ago, Sake614 said:

Jordan is seriously working my last nerve and I’m at the point where I want Kevin to just wash his hands of the brat and let Jordan fend for himself. Kevin has done everything he can to keep Jordan safe, and this is how he’s repaid?

 

He is working on my last nerve as well.  Kevin is never going to let go of his baby brother.  

1 hour ago, Guildford said:

If they wanted to do Atwater/Rojas they should've kept her out of Intelligence for a while and let them build a relationship based on seeing them on cases occasionally & do it that way.

 

I preferred Atwater with that woman he was with in season 6.  They had great chemistry and they looked good together.  She was the one that went to prison because her fingerprints was on a gun that was used to commit a murder by her criminal ex boyfriend. She was innocent of the murder and she blamed Atwater for not helping her.  She should have been on patrol doing the job that Burgess used to do.  I loved how she got Atwater and he liked her alot.. Getting rid of her was shortsighted just like Nadia in season 2.

Edited January 17, 2020 by Pearson80

[SuzieQ]

Agree with all those posting about all the relationship drama in that squad.  They are all practically paired off.  In a unit where Voight "doesn't allow for relationship's in his unit"  It's a total joke!

 

When are they going to give Voight a love interest? He could use some lightening up and it would do wonders for his mood!

[spunky]

2 hours ago, Guildford said:

I don't think she cares about who is friends with who.

They should have done Atwater/Hayley last year instead of the route they went. But then again Atwater is too nice for her and she wouldn't be able to treat him like shit because people would have been in uproar. That whole relationship was to show that she was in love with Halstead. 

He would definitely care. Let's see how long this whole Halstead nonsense will last.

[jabRI]

I understand Burgess, and she's not being awful.  Adam has consistently shown that he's not to be counted on in the long term.  Yeah, he'll protect his kid, but you can't count on him for much else.  They need more Trudy on the show, every scene with her is just a gem.

[Guildford]

4 hours ago, jabRI said:

I understand Burgess, and she's not being awful.  Adam has consistently shown that he's not to be counted on in the long term.  Yeah, he'll protect his kid, but you can't count on him for much else.  They need more Trudy on the show, every scene with her is just a gem.

Maybe she can stun us all again with her maturity and give him another 'push test'🙄

[Guildford]

5 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

Agree with all those posting about all the relationship drama in that squad.  They are all practically paired off.  In a unit where Voight "doesn't allow for relationship's in his unit"  It's a total joke!

 

When are they going to give Voight a love interest? He could use some lightening up and it would do wonders for his mood!

While Voight said he 'doesn't allow relationships in his unit' to Burgess way back in season one, when has he ever stopped it? Yes he warned Jay but they did it anyway and he's never talked about it again. 

[SuzieQ]

12 hours ago, Guildford said:

While Voight said he 'doesn't allow relationships in his unit' to Burgess way back in season one, when has he ever stopped it? Yes he warned Jay but they did it anyway and he's never talked about it again. 

Exactly!!  For a guy who "doesn't allow relationships in his unit"  There's more screwing going on in his unit than in a sex club, lol.  He's the only one not getting any.😂

[sweetandsour]

I'm pretty sure Haley the character / Tracy the actress said "artesianal wine and cheese" instead of "artisanal."  I rewound multiple times in case my ears were playing tricks on me.

Where exactly does Jordan see his life going if he keeps doing things the way he wants to? 

If Al were around as the other six people in the unit all paired off romantically, I hope he'd have some choice words for it.  Tbh, I didn't like some of Al's old school ways of thinking, but the current team seems so young and immature - experience-wise and emotionally.  Jay has the longest tenure in Intelligence and he was new in season 1.  Haley has been on the force longer than he has, I think, but look at how unprofessional she is, constantly questioning and pushing back on Voight.  I think it's a mistake for the unit to come off as so young and immature in the SEVENTH season of the show, after getting rid of Antonio and Al.

[greyhorse]

I don't like Kim's behavior either.  Sure, I agree that they shouldn't get married, but Ruzek wants to be involved, let him be involved.  It seems like at the end they did come to that agreement, but I'm not sure how this will play out on the show.  And doesn't Kim care that Ruzek was hooking up with Upton just a short while ago?  

The simplest plot to wrap this up would of course be to have Kim have a miscarriage.  But that's been done so many times (see Choi and April in Chicago Med) that I don't think they'd write this with that intention.

On 1/15/2020 at 10:19 PM, spunky said:

Now I understand why both Jay and Adam are as dumb as door nails, they’re from Canaryville.

I didn't know that both Jay and Adam were from Canaryville.  What are the chances of that?

Also on the "Jordan can go" train.  He's a punk-a$$ brat that can't understand his big brother is looking out for him.  He either needs to get locked up and do some time for some silly transgression, or - I hate to say it - disappear forever.

 

[spunky]

4 hours ago, greyhorse said:

I don't like Kim's behavior either.  Sure, I agree that they shouldn't get married, but Ruzek wants to be involved, let him be involved.  It seems like at the end they did come to that agreement, but I'm not sure how this will play out on the show.  And doesn't Kim care that Ruzek was hooking up with Upton just a short while ago?  

The simplest plot to wrap this up would of course be to have Kim have a miscarriage.  But that's been done so many times (see Choi and April in Chicago Med) that I don't think they'd write this with that intention.

I didn't know that both Jay and Adam were from Canaryville.  What are the chances of that?

Also on the "Jordan can go" train.  He's a punk-a$$ brat that can't understand his big brother is looking out for him.  He either needs to get locked up and do some time for some silly transgression, or - I hate to say it - disappear forever.

 

I’m sure he’ll disappear forever. Kevin hasn’t gotten his once a year angst episode as yet.

[greyhorse]

5 hours ago, spunky said:

I’m sure he’ll disappear forever. Kevin hasn’t gotten his once a year angst episode as yet.

To clarify, by “disappear forever”, I mean disappear permanently, as in 6 feet under, likely due to gang violence or in the process of doing something illegal and violent. Last I remember this kid, he was just a kid- didn’t Kevin put them on a one way bus ticket down south to live with a relative for some reason? Was Kevin being targeted? Was it too dangerous for the family? I don’t even recall. So why did this innocent kid come back as a punk a$$? What happened to the sister, there’s not even been a mention of her?

I keep waiting for the Upton Halstead horizontal. I guess maybe by next week his shoulder will be healed enough for some action.

Will we ever see an update on Anne Heche’s character? The new replacement is vanilla and forgettable. It’s be great if they could somehow have her pulling strings behind bars.

[Guildford]

3 hours ago, greyhorse said:

To clarify, by “disappear forever”, I mean disappear permanently, as in 6 feet under, likely due to gang violence or in the process of doing something illegal and violent. Last I remember this kid, he was just a kid- didn’t Kevin put them on a one way bus ticket down south to live with a relative for some reason? Was Kevin being targeted? Was it too dangerous for the family? I don’t even recall. So why did this innocent kid come back as a punk a$$? What happened to the sister, there’s not even been a mention of her?

I keep waiting for the Upton Halstead horizontal. I guess maybe by next week his shoulder will be healed enough for some action.

Will we ever see an update on Anne Heche’s character? The new replacement is vanilla and forgettable. It’s be great if they could somehow have her pulling strings behind bars.

I think his brother was witness to something and it was deemed 'too dangerous' for them to stay in Chicago so they shipped them off to an Aunt.

I'd say we won't hear from him for another season and then next time they decide to give Atwater a story up he'll pop only to end up 'six feet under' Most relatives get two or three episodes before they are offed.

Either that or the unmentioned sister during all this SNAFU will come back and probably be raped or something equally hideous & the snotty brother will exact revenge & Kev will have to cover up more crimes but to no avail & snotty brother will be holed up in Statesville with his old man.

[spunky]

18 hours ago, greyhorse said:

To clarify, by “disappear forever”, I mean disappear permanently, as in 6 feet under, likely due to gang violence or in the process of doing something illegal and violent. Last I remember this kid, he was just a kid- didn’t Kevin put them on a one way bus ticket down south to live with a relative for some reason? Was Kevin being targeted? Was it too dangerous for the family? I don’t even recall. So why did this innocent kid come back as a punk a$$? What happened to the sister, there’s not even been a mention of her?

I keep waiting for the Upton Halstead horizontal. I guess maybe by next week his shoulder will be healed enough for some action.

Will we ever see an update on Anne Heche’s character? The new replacement is vanilla and forgettable. It’s be great if they could somehow have her pulling strings behind bars.

I know what you meant, and I'm agreeing with you. I don't really see the chemistry between those two, but to each their own. I'm more of a Rowater shipper, because they have chemistry (at least to me) and Kevin needs a love life too.

[jabRI]

If this show was 50% the Atwater and Trudy show, it would be wonderful.  Most of the other characters just suck the air out of the room.

[Guildford]

6 hours ago, jabRI said:

If this show was 50% the Atwater and Trudy show, it would be wonderful.  Most of the other characters just suck the air out of the room.

The only reason they don't suck the air out of the room is because they barely get any oxygen. If they were front and centre you can guarantee the writers would make them suck too.....be careful what you wish for.

[MaryellenRdz]

On 1/15/2020 at 11:29 PM, SuzieQ said:

Does anyone else think Burgess is really mean to Ruzek over this?  While it's true that a marriage would fail, at least now, he's really trying to be supportive and has grown a lot since the early days.

I'm not a big Burgess fan. She annoys me constantly!  And I'm liking her less during this pregnancy. Ruzek is a tool at times, but he's trying so hard to be supportive and she's acting like all the decisions and choices should be hers and hers alone which is BS because as the supportive father, she should at least consider his input. 

[dreamcatcher]

On 1/19/2020 at 12:28 AM, sweetandsour said:

I'm pretty sure Haley the character / Tracy the actress said "artesianal wine and cheese" instead of "artisanal."  I rewound multiple times in case my ears were playing tricks on me.

Where exactly does Jordan see his life going if he keeps doing things the way he wants to? 

If Al were around as the other six people in the unit all paired off romantically, I hope he'd have some choice words for it.  Tbh, I didn't like some of Al's old school ways of thinking, but the current team seems so young and immature - experience-wise and emotionally.  Jay has the longest tenure in Intelligence and he was new in season 1.  Haley has been on the force longer than he has, I think, but look at how unprofessional she is, constantly questioning and pushing back on Voight.  I think it's a mistake for the unit to come off as so young and immature in the SEVENTH season of the show, after getting rid of Antonio and Al.

A little late in the game 🙂 but i soo agree with this. Intelligence is supposed to be an elite squad and suddenly half the team is officers right out of patrol or the even worse, the academy with no other experience. They’ve lost the two most experienced detectives and they were replaced by young detectives who don’t bring anything new to the squad. And Voight was always adamant that he needs to pick his own people so that he knows he can trust them, but he chose to keep Rojas even though he said he can’t trust her on the field? Riight

I know they’re trying to appeal to a younger audience, but they need to bring someone more experienced for a change. Maybe that will stop them from hooking up everyone.

[SuzieQ]

On 7/4/2020 at 7:23 AM, dreamcatcher said:

Maybe that will stop them from hooking up everyone.

For someone who "doesn't allow relationships in his unit"  there's more boinking going on than a singles group!  Practically the only one not getting any is Voight!