S08.E03: Tender Age

[jewel21]

Quote

Ruzek and Burgess discover a child walking alone in the middle of the street, and when they take her home, they discover that her entire family has been murdered. Upton is approached with a job offer from the FBI.

Airdate: 01/13/2021

[Guildford]

Hope they use a kid who doesn't look quite so terrified every time DAWSON  Kim goes near him  her.

[Avabelle]

On 1/4/2021 at 1:47 AM, jewel21 said:

Upton is approached with a job offer from the FBI.

If this leads to her and Jay hooking up then the transition of making them a poor mans Lindstead is complete.

[jewel21]

This topic will be locked until next week when the episode airs so not to get too off topic. 

[Josh371982]

Ugh the end of the episode made me vomit. So sick of Jay must bang his Partner and so sick of Showrunner's Pet Upton. Sick of the Permasmirk, I'm so badass, Untouchable, my shit don't stink Lindsay/Voight combo Pet who gets higher billing than superior actresses Marina and the woman who plays Trudy(Sorry her name is escaping me at this time) 

[jewel21]

I really enjoyed this episode. Kim was never my favourite but I've started liking her more the past two seasons. And I've always had a soft spot for Ruzek. I like them together and feel they have both matured as individuals and as a couple.  I also liked how Kim felt awkward around the little girl but then her maternal instinct kicked in and she became all 'mama bear' and wanted to protect her. And I don't even like kids, heh. 

 

[Guildford]

Who knew this show could actually have three consistently good episodes in a row? Colour me shocked.

Burgess again proves that she has both guts, determination, smarts & a decent heart...when will she get the chance to become a detective? Does she need to sleep with someone?

The storyline, however much I enjoyed it and I loved the premise and the scenes with the little girl, but was a little boring. The reasoning for the triple murder turned out to be a bit weak and underwhelming.

Burgess & Ruzek have an easy chemistry when they are just left to do their thing. Without the angsty forced claptrap they have put them through they could just exist in the background to do their thing and not bother anyone. 

Not surprising that Kevin, after two strong focussed episodes was benched for the most part. 

Now...the feckless duo....I can barely recall a scene lately that they weren't attached at the hip. Do they not work with anyone else? It's more like a hostage situation than a healthy work relationship.

That ending was so overwrought it creaked and groaned all on it's own and Halstead looked like he was actually in pain & then appeared to try and suck the smirk off felony barbie's face....unsuccessfully...because now that she has that little Task Force promotion nonsense she will be even more insufferable than ever.

Ruzek has always copped heat for being the one to sleep with everyone....helllooooo Halstead & his partner fetish.

Good to know that Kevin tells the truth and get's the offer of having his career bricked, while blondie commits felonies, facilitates murders and shakes down grieving widows and suddenly she's the poster girl for the FBI....Is it because he's black or male? You never can tell with these writers.

[Josh371982]

2 hours ago, Guildford said:

Who knew this show could actually have three consistently good episodes in a row? Colour me shocked.

Burgess again proves that she has both guts, determination, smarts & a decent heart...when will she get the chance to become a detective? Does she need to sleep with someone?

The storyline, however much I enjoyed it and I loved the premise and the scenes with the little girl, but was a little boring. The reasoning for the triple murder turned out to be a bit weak and underwhelming.

Burgess & Ruzek have an easy chemistry when they are just left to do their thing. Without the angsty forced claptrap they have put them through they could just exist in the background to do their thing and not bother anyone. 

Not surprising that Kevin, after two strong focussed episodes was benched for the most part. 

Now...the feckless duo....I can barely recall a scene lately that they weren't attached at the hip. Do they not work with anyone else? It's more like a hostage situation than a healthy work relationship.

That ending was so overwrought it creaked and groaned all on it's own and Halstead looked like he was actually in pain & then appeared to try and suck the smirk off felony barbie's face....unsuccessfully...because now that she has that little Task Force promotion nonsense she will be even more insufferable than ever.

Ruzek has always copped heat for being the one to sleep with everyone....helllooooo Halstead & his partner fetish.

Good to know that Kevin tells the truth and get's the offer of having his career bricked, while blondie commits felonies, facilitates murders and shakes down grieving widows and suddenly she's the poster girl for the FBI....Is it because he's black or male? You never can tell with these writers.

That blonde is the Showrunner's pet character that's why. 

[UnoAgain]

I  think I know why the show couldn't make upzek work... The show loves them both so much they couldn't figure out how to write  them together... Seriously it had to be adam with Kim the whole time?...  Would having a blk man around the girl scare her?..  Also.. The showrunners colorism shone thru.. If they figured that a little lighter skinned girl would tug on heart strings more than a darker skinned one... Did they have to be so lazy in picking the bio parents... Yes we come in all shades.. But if I saw those 3 on the street.. I'm wondering who the  real daddy is... So after two weeks of being habitually harassed almost to the point of his career going down the toilet.. Kevin is back on the bench until his blackness is needed again... Smh this show

[UnoAgain]

I don't care so much about romantic pairings as I do character interactions.. If they wanna pair up Upstead romantically... Sure whatever.. But then split them up as partners.. Have her and Kev work together... They'd be an interesting work duo as they seem to have differing  opinions on how and what needs to be done in policing... That could lead to good scenes.. Put halstead with Adam.. Again somewhat differing ways to handle things.. Plus as he's less likely to be polite as he's not partnered with a woman.. Maybe Jay can show some emotion... Let Kim float.. Let Kim become friends with Kevin again.. Anything is better than Burzek and Upstead all the time.. With a smattering of Kev all by himself.. Or Kev and Adam only... As if tue rest of the squad can't be bothered... 

[Avabelle]

3 minutes ago, UnoAgain said:

nything is better than Burzek and Upstead all the time

Agree with this. That’s why the show was better when you had Al and Antonio to break things up. Now the partnerships seem based on who’s sleeping with who.

As for Upstead finally getting on - everything about it is a redux of Lindsay/Halstead only the actors look bored and the writing is lazy.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, Avabelle said:

Agree with this. That’s why the show was better when you had Al and Antonio to break things up. Now the partnerships seem based on who’s sleeping with who.

As for Upstead finally getting on - everything about it is a redux of Lindsay/Halstead only the actors look bored and the writing is lazy.

They need to add another character or two; but the problem is, I think they've tried and none of them work.  Viewers didn't like the woman who was just on last season (forget her name), so maybe they are trying it with the pared down cast?  But it's a small unit to begin with - it doesn't need to be any smaller.  I think they need to bring in a veteran, someone like Antonio again, to go toe to toe with Voight and also keep the others in line.  It was hinted that it could be Jay, but he hasn't stepped up yet.  He either needs to fast, or bring in someone new.

During that last scene, all I could see was Jay from season 2/3.  He had the same exact look on his face as he'd give Erin.  Jay has always been my favorite character, and I love Jesse Lee Soffer... but that was creepy.  It was like deja vu - been here, done this.

As for the episode itself - I'm still not a Burgess fan.  She nearly attacked that girl when she pulled her out of the street.  There was nothing comforting in the way that Kim was yelling at her whatsoever.  If the girl wasn't already traumatized, she would be after encountering Kim!  Yikes!  I'm amazed the little girl ever opened up and trusted her.  I wouldn't have; I'm sure Trudy was more comforting than Kim ever was.

[Avabelle]

I can’t remember her name either but she was terrible. The writing was so obnoxious. Having said that it would be great to get a character who isn’t there to be a love interest but it seems nowadays if you’re not a love interest you’re the moustache swirling villain.

[nittany cougar]

3 hours ago, Avabelle said:

Agree with this. That’s why the show was better when you had Al and Antonio to break things up. Now the partnerships seem based on who’s sleeping with who.

As for Upstead finally getting on - everything about it is a redux of Lindsay/Halstead only the actors look bored and the writing is lazy.

The conversation about her possibly leaving and being afraid of change was good.  But the kiss didn't really fit and seemed tacked on just to pander to Jay/Haley fans. 

It would have made more sense if they acknowledged that they have an emotional thing and then let that sit for a few episodes before something happened.  Jay did not even kiss Erin for a whole season after they went on their first date.  I think anyone who has messed around with someone from work and has gotten burned like Jay would be more careful.

I thought that the storyline with Kim and the kid was well done.  That child actor was adorable.

Edited January 14, 2021 by nittany cougar

[mommalib]

Halstead and Haley are dry as hell and they have no chemistry. But watch them try an cat like these two have some epic love story. 

I see Kev is at the back of the bus again apparently he's only of importance when they use the color of his skin to drive story. How about giving the guy a love interest for god's sake. A man his age that look like him should have a personal life.

I thought Kim was okay this episode, I don't always like her but I liked how she looked out for the kid.

[Guildford]

8 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

 

As for the episode itself - I'm still not a Burgess fan.  She nearly attacked that girl when she pulled her out of the street.  There was nothing comforting in the way that Kim was yelling at her whatsoever.  If the girl wasn't already traumatized, she would be after encountering Kim!  Yikes!  I'm amazed the little girl ever opened up and trusted her.  I wouldn't have; I'm sure Trudy was more comforting than Kim ever was.

As a Burgess fan I so agree with you about that scene. Talk about overkill, it was way way too much. Sure the kid was in the middle of the road, but everyone had stopped there was no need for that level of panic, she wasn't bleeding out. She was yelling at the kid, freaking it out even more, talking down to her, not getting on her level. You keep your distance from kids, earn their trust, not like what Burgess did. It did get better though when she toned it down.

In this case I am assuming it was written like that because they needed to shove this whole awakening to Kim's desire to be a mom into 40minutes of show. From the beginning showing she had no maternal instincts to the great reveal at the end that she thinks she can do it.....not subtle at all, but then this show consistently treats viewers like idiots and wouldn't know subtly if they fell over it.

I find it is a pattern in this show though, particularly with Burgess & Halstead...when they are trying to portray intensity they tend to overact & be forceful with their body language & tone & clip their words short. It's bizarre & unnatural.

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by Guildford
poor grammar

[SuzieQ]

Loved Kim in this episode!!  She was badass and vulnerable at the same time.  I think her and Adam have a nice balance and lots of chemistry.  Whether they end up together or not, they have good scenes together. 

Halstead and Upton?  Just 🤢!  That last scene was absolutely pukeworthy.  Her saying she staying because of him while he did nothing to encourage her to stay was juvenile.  And is NY FBI the only place Chicago cops can go??  They could have made it DC or LA.  Wonder if the current writers even realize Erin left the same way.  That whole Jay/Hailey thing is just cringeworthy. 

And Atwater might as well have been a bookshelf in this episode.  I would think he would have been helpful with the little girl.  I really wonder if writers ever think  of such common sense things.

[UnoAgain]

52 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

And Atwater might as well have been a bookshelf in this episode.  I would think he would have been helpful with the little girl.  I really wonder if writers ever think  of such common sense things.

8 seasons in.. I'm thinking they just don't listen.. I gotta imagine someone somewhere is pointing out that they seem to only use Kevin to break down doors and be the black guy... And that they keep ppl in little two ppl bubbles when its only 6 folks on the team anyway... I'm sure they've heard it by now.. But they keep chugging along and we keep watching.. So the ad money keeps coming in.  So why change 

[SuzieQ]

1 hour ago, UnoAgain said:

8 seasons in.. I'm thinking they just don't listen.. I gotta imagine someone somewhere is pointing out that they seem to only use Kevin to break down doors and be the black guy... And that they keep ppl in little two ppl bubbles when its only 6 folks on the team anyway... I'm sure they've heard it by now.. But they keep chugging along and we keep watching.. So the ad money keeps coming in.  So why change 

Sad but true☹️

[WinJet0819]

On 1/14/2021 at 6:01 PM, SuzieQ said:

Halstead and Upton?  Just 🤢!  That last scene was absolutely pukeworthy.  Her saying she staying because of him while he did nothing to encourage her to stay was juvenile.  And is NY FBI the only place Chicago cops can go??  They could have made it DC or LA.  Wonder if the current writers even realize Erin left the same way.  That whole Jay/Hailey thing is just cringeworthy.

Totally agree. This is another reason why these in-team relationships are so stupid on these shows and put the woman in a bad light. Upton turns down a big time career opportunity with the FBI just because she wants to be with Halstead?  Women that are in law enforcement have to be cringing at this. They could have selected any other reason for her to choose to stay. Having her turn down a promotion for a man muddles the message of a strong female character. Not to mention, this is the second man on the team that she's slept with. It's the same crap that we see on Chicago Fire with Stella.

It's hard to believe Dick Wolf has let these Chicago shows devolve into this. With his Law & Order shows, he was able portray strong female characters that didn't need to melt or need approval from a man. He did it beautifully with the Benson-Stabler partnership. For 12 seasons, they worked closely together and cared about one another deeply, in a strictly platonic relationship. There was never one hint of them possibly wanting a romantic relationship. Now, these Chicago shows just try to constantly push relationships with characters. They've almost become a serious version of Grey's Anatomy/Station 19.

And as others have said, Kevin is again put into the background. He carries the story on his own the first 2 episodes, and then he's simply forgotten about. They're proving more and more that he's just the token black guy, and only give him stories that deal with bad cops or racial tensions. It's becoming pathetic.

[Guildford]

47 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

Totally agree. This is another reason why these in-team relationships are so stupid on these shows and put the woman in a bad light. Upton turns down a big time career opportunity with the FBI just because she wants to be with Halstead?  Women that are in law enforcement have to be cringing at this. They could have selected any other reason for her to choose to stay. Having her turn down a promotion for a man muddles the message of a strong female character. Not to mention, this is the second man on the team that she's slept with. It's the same crap that we see on Chicago Fire with Stella.

 

No, didn't you hear.....it's so romantic, for the first time ever someone has put Jay first and chosen Jay above herself and all else...that's true love. They are already picking out the colours for the wedding & naming their first born. IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL I JUST WANT TO CRY (or make a bracelet you can buy so you celebrate the true love of a fictional couple).

Disclaimer ....I may have spent a little too much time on Twitter.

[FnkyChkn34]

7 hours ago, WinJet0819 said:

Totally agree. This is another reason why these in-team relationships are so stupid on these shows and put the woman in a bad light. Upton turns down a big time career opportunity with the FBI just because she wants to be with Halstead?  Women that are in law enforcement have to be cringing at this. They could have selected any other reason for her to choose to stay. Having her turn down a promotion for a man muddles the message of a strong female character. Not to mention, this is the second man on the team that she's slept with. It's the same crap that we see on Chicago Fire with Stella.

. . .

And as others have said, Kevin is again put into the background. He carries the story on his own the first 2 episodes, and then he's simply forgotten about. They're proving more and more that he's just the token black guy, and only give him stories that deal with bad cops or racial tensions. It's becoming pathetic.

I respectfully disagree.  Stella hasn't slept around, right?  Just Severide, and that's a serious, multi-year relationship at this point.  Plus, she's actually going for her promotion, with or without Severide's help.  I'll play devil's advocate for Hailey too, though in all honesty I don't care because I am indifferent towards her character... but she did try the FBI task force in NY and she didn't like it.  Plus she also said (though it was a throw away line) that she's better when she's with the whole team (she first said Jay as her partner, then added the whole team).  It's a stupid storyline and it's Linstead 2.0, but some of these things were very quickly mentioned; blink and you miss them though. 😉

As for Atwater, the show has always selected different characters to focus on at different times.  Atwater's story was the end of last season and the beginning of this season.  He was the focus for more than just 2 shows, if I recall correctly.  So for the next few episodes, it's just not his turn.  Adam hasn't been in the spotlight for awhile, and Jay hasn't in forever.  We haven't even seen a meaty story with Hank as the focus for awhile, so I think they are just trying to spread it out.  Burgess was last week, so someone else will be next week.  That's just my take on it; feel free to disagree.

New thought:  Why don't they have uniformed cops in their department anymore?  They never replaced Burgess and Roman, and I think that would help flush out both the stories and the characters more.  We also need to see more Trudy, IMO.  

[WinJet0819]

On 1/21/2021 at 9:02 AM, FnkyChkn34 said:

I respectfully disagree.  Stella hasn't slept around, right?  Just Severide, and that's a serious, multi-year relationship at this point.  Plus, she's actually going for her promotion, with or without Severide's help.  

I'm not saying Stella's slept around. But the fact she's in a relationship with Kelly, who's an officer, stokes the rumor mill around the department. Why do you think the chief told Kelly people are thinking she's sleeping her way to the top? Of course, it's not true, as she's advancing in her own merit, but it's an unshakable stigma put on her because of their in-house relationship. Not to mention, all the PDAs at work and needing Kelly to constantly reassure her just makes her look weak. Just like Hailey turning down the FBI job mainly for Jay. And it's hard enough for women to succeed and advance in a man's world, as it is, without an in-house further complicating things. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by WinJet0819
Usage errors

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, WinJet0819 said:

I'm not saying Stella's slept around. But the fact she's in a relationship with Kelly, who's an officer, stokes the rumor mill around the department. Why do you think the chief told Kelly people are thinking she's sleeping her way to the top. Of course, it's not true, but it's not true, as she's advancing in her own merit, but it's an unshakable stigma put on her because of their in-house relationship. Not to mention, all the PDAs at work and needing Kelly to constantly reassure her just makes her look weak. Just like Hailey turning down the FBI job mainly for Jay. And it's hard enough for women to succeed and advance in a man's world, as it is, without an in-house further complicating things. 

I definitely see your point, but I think there are different angles to every story.  One take is that the chief is just a jerk.  Severide is a very polarizing figure at CFD, right?  People there either love him or hate him, and there's barely anyone in the middle.  I think the chief was making that comment to Severide to criticize Severide just as much or more than to criticize Kidd.  He wants to get under Severide's skin, first and foremost.  One discussion with Boden would resolve everything, but I think people who hate Severide would rather just think Severide is pulling strings than know the truth.  I also don't really blame Stella for sometimes having doubts; none of these promotions or programs that she's been attending seem to be her idea.  I think Boden is pushing her faster than she wants to be pushed.  But like I said, I also see your point of view!  Wait... have they finally come up with an interesting storyline again, after all these years? 🤣   

[Guildford]

On 1/21/2021 at 11:02 PM, FnkyChkn34 said:

 

As for Atwater, the show has always selected different characters to focus on at different times.  Atwater's story was the end of last season and the beginning of this season.  He was the focus for more than just 2 shows, if I recall correctly.  So for the next few episodes, it's just not his turn.  Adam hasn't been in the spotlight for awhile, and Jay hasn't in forever.  We haven't even seen a meaty story with Hank as the focus for awhile, so I think they are just trying to spread it out.  Burgess was last week, so someone else will be next week.  That's just my take on it; feel free to disagree.

 

Oh I definitely agree that Atwater has had a good run lately (which is rare) I guess it's more frustration that these are the only stories he gets...every single one of his episodes is the same basic story & there is absolutely zero continuity, it's like everything that happened to him is completely resolved and forgotten, like when he was drilled in the leg & perfectly fine the next episode. They really suck at that.

I am frustrated that he also, in 7 full seasons has had one 'relationship', with someone he then arrested, because you know black v blue... while everyone else is now onto 2 within the same unit.

I don't recall early seasons being so heavy handed with their character focus either, to the point where everyone else but the main two characters & Voight dominates the screen. It used to be more balanced, sometimes they just fought the bad guys, not all their own baggage, demons & bad decisions (Until the went full Erin/Bunny).

Perhaps having Patrol helped in that regard...still one of the stupidest decisions they made, along with getting rid of the older cops and turning this into a swingers club. (Except for Atwater that is, he gets to hold the door open for the others.)

[SuzieQ]

I just rewatched this episode before clearing it off my DVR.  I just can't get over how spectacularly bad that ending is with Jay & Upton.  Even though I knew it was coming, it was just cringeworthy!!  They didn't even look believable when they were kissing!!  I can just picture the director screaming cut while they were lip to lip with all the passion of my dog licking the screen door.