S08.E07: Instinct

[jewel21]

After a series of deadly ambushes, the team goes undercover to bring down a dangerous new drug dealer who is determined to push out the competition. Ruzek's informant proves to be a loose cannon that could upset the whole operation.

Airdate: 02/17/2021

[LittleIggy]

We all knew Tommy Boy was going to die, didn’t we? 
Both PD and Fire have decided to be in a Covid free alt-universe, haven’t they?

[Guildford]

Of course we knew the CI was going to die...it's either a CI or a family member that dies on this show.

Ruzek had a bit of the red mist going on in this one, but one thing you can say is that he is loyal to a fault and although, against better judgment he kept pushing his CI when he should've pulled the pin I got the sense he just wanted to get him to the other side and he kept trying to bargain his way out of it...next time...next time...

The actor who played the CI was fantastic. 

Voight is just the office dwelling goblin now isn't he? There to dole out conflicting advice, whilst appearing to be a wise old man, not a murdering dickwad...Adam was justified fighting that guy, he had a gun to his head, yet Voight was 'you can't do that'...then in the end he was 'you did what was right?' It's like they can't write him how they want so they have zero clue what to do with him.

I would've liked to have seen Halstead a little more involved after the start, perhaps Paddy could have pulled Jesse along with him because stacking up pure performance, (ignoring the actual story) Paddy's performance made Jesse's effort last week all the more meandering...and I am starting to think it's not so much Jesse but more Tracey that drags him down.

I've seen people asking for more Upton/Burgess scenes but their one short scene in the van just highlighted that the writers have zero to work with in regards to the two females. 

Nice to see them remember the kid, and I do like that it is bringing Burgess and Atwater together more often...although the way Marina delivered the 'l love it, I really do' was weird.

Anyway, this kept me interested throughout, Adam was his usual mixed bag, maybe that's why I like his character, he knows he's flawed and doesn't pretend to be anything else, and he would die for someone he cares about and one day he probably will.

 

[FnkyChkn34]

15 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

We all knew Tommy Boy was going to die, didn’t we? 
Both PD and Fire have decided to be in a Covid free alt-universe, haven’t they?

I was hoping that they'd get him in to rehab.  I didn't actually think he was going to die.  

They used to wear masks, and there are still some references to it here and there, but it sure is strange.  For example, at the beginning of Fire last night, Severide and Kidd were talking about getting away, and Kidd asked what trip wouldn't involve airports and crowds.  I thought that was a reference to Covid, but then I agree that it was ignored for the rest of the episode.  The guy at the youth home should have been wearing a mask when he answered the door, for sure.  I don't recall any reference to it at all in PD.  I was expecting the police to be at the birthday party because it was a gathering in violation of the Covid restrictions - but nope.

There was a Makayla reference though!  Atwater saw her at the park?  That was a bizarre conversation.  Then absolutely no mention of where she is when Kim's at work, or any other time for that matter.  Still so weird.

I didn't understand how using the CI was absolutely their only option.  He was high and strung out - surely they could have come up with something else.  Or continued on the same plan without him; he'd already made the introduction, so "Mike rhymes with bike" could have just gone to the next meet without him?  When whoever asked where he was, tell the truth - he's too high/hungover/in withdrawal to function.  In hindsight, they got made and it all went south anyway, so what would have been the difference, except Tommy would still be alive?  Ruzek has never been the smartest...

Hank's whole "that's the way it is now, we gotta play it by the book" will never cease to amaze me.  That's not Hank.

Edit to add:  I didn't really understand why Jay didn't have a role in the undercover after the first scene.  Ruzek was playing a different undercover, or the same guy?  He wore the same jacket, so I thought he was the same guy.  Did Jay get made and Ruzek didn't?  Or they just didn't want so many people on set at one time?  Maybe the storylines this year are more affected by Covid than we realize, and they are focused on less people to keep it less crowded and safer.  Who knows.

Edited February 18, 2021 by FnkyChkn34

[SuzieQ]

20 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Both PD and Fire have decided to be in a Covid free alt-universe, haven’t they?

I'm strangely fine with that!  We've all had to live through it, so I'm good with every show not referencing it.  A mask here and there sporadically is all any show does with it, even the medical ones.

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

I'm strangely fine with that!  We've all had to live through it, so I'm good with every show not referencing it.  A mask here and there sporadically is all any show does with it, even the medical ones.

I’m cool with it too. 

[jewel21]

I really, really, liked the CI. So naturally he dies, heh. I thought he was funny and sweet and also deeply messed up.  I'm so sad he lost his life. 

The actor did such a good job in the role it would have been nice to have him be a recurring character. 

 

[Guildford]

4 hours ago, jewel21 said:

I really, really, liked the CI. So naturally he dies, heh. I thought he was funny and sweet and also deeply messed up.  I'm so sad he lost his life. 

The actor did such a good job in the role it would have been nice to have him be a recurring character. 

 

He reminded me a little bit of Mouse when he first turned up. 

[FnkyChkn34]

2 hours ago, Guildford said:

He reminded me a little bit of Mouse when he first turned up. 

I miss Mouse.  Can he come back?  Or can they at least hire a new tech person?

[Guildford]

16 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I miss Mouse.  Can he come back?  Or can they at least hire a new tech person?

Out of all of Jay's stories this one was the most interesting & had the most potential.

Well I did like Will when he first turned up on PD but then Med got their claws into him & he's now a simpering, annoying, incompetent clusterfuck of a character.

[TM101]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:35 PM, SuzieQ said:

I'm strangely fine with that!  We've all had to live through it, so I'm good with every show not referencing it.  A mask here and there sporadically is all any show does with it, even the medical ones.

Agreed. 
 

Med too has even taken it down a notch as well as SVU. I would imagine it’s also due to filming having more robust and frequent testing as the shows filming went on.

[jalady]

Okay, I just finished watching and y’all have made me sad.  I had convinced myself that the CI didn’t die 😢

[WinJet0819]

On 2/18/2021 at 8:35 PM, SuzieQ said:

I'm strangely fine with that!  We've all had to live through it, so I'm good with every show not referencing it.  A mask here and there sporadically is all any show does with it, even the medical ones.

It's bordering on stupidity if you ask me. Most medical shows have chosen a lane. Good Doctor and The Resident have had time jumps to a point where COVID has been cured. Grey's has gone all in with COVID. The One Chicago shows haven't chosen any lane, and keep trying to straddle both, and it makes the environment of the show that much more unbelievable. You can't pay lip service to the pandemic and throw in some masks, and then the very next scene, no social distancing and no masks. It's very convoluted. Med is, by far, the worst at this.

[jewel21]

Please keep the comments to what happened in the episode. This thread has gotten way off topic and posts will be hidden as a result. 

[SnarkySheep]

On 2/18/2021 at 12:40 AM, LittleIggy said:

We all knew Tommy Boy was going to die, didn’t we? 

It was so freakin' obvious right from the start. I kind of expected (hoped?) there would be some better storytelling, that this was just what we were supposed to think but that it would take a turn. And of course they had to introduce him at his little boy's birthday party, so you could see he had a family and were supposed to feel it was all the more tragic. IMO it was all just really phoning-it-in storytelling.