S09.E18: New Guard

[jewel21]

Quote

Halstead takes a new recruit under his wing during an investigation. The dynamics are challenging, however, and questions arise over the recruit's complicated past.

Airdate: 04/13/2022

[Guildford]

45 mins of Halstead the Hypocrite..... hard, hard pass. Nobody in this unit should be anywhere near anyone at the Academy.

[Chicagopdfan]

Sounds like a good episode and it can’t be any worse than the toxic Burzek episodes we’ve just had to endure. Bring it on! 

[FnkyChkn34]

On 4/9/2022 at 10:28 PM, Guildford said:

45 mins of Halstead the Hypocrite..... hard, hard pass. Nobody in this unit should be anywhere near anyone at the Academy.

A couple of the scenes in the trailer even look laughable, and it's such a shame!  The most promising character and one of the better actors in the beginning of the show (IMO) has now come to this...  "You want to hit me?  Do it."  Yeah, actually, I think most of us do, to knock some sense back into you.

[Guildford]

10 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

A couple of the scenes in the trailer even look laughable, and it's such a shame!  The most promising character and one of the better actors in the beginning of the show (IMO) has now come to this...  "You want to hit me?  Do it."  Yeah, actually, I think most of us do, to knock some sense back into you.

As a long time fan of Halstead, it must be depressing watching what he's become?

[FnkyChkn34]

18 hours ago, Guildford said:

As a long time fan of Halstead, it must be depressing watching what he's become?

Very. 

The whole show is no longer a "can't miss" for me. I've missed several weeks or only half watch it anymore, and it's fine, because the whole show just isn't good anymore. But, there's also nothing else on on Wednesdays, so I often still watch it... 

[Guildford]

3 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Very. 

The whole show is no longer a "can't miss" for me. I've missed several weeks or only half watch it anymore, and it's fine, because the whole show just isn't good anymore. But, there's also nothing else on on Wednesdays, so I often still watch it... 

It has no competition on a Wednesday night, hence it's gotta away with declining ratings & poor storytelling.

I'm the same, I've missed more than half this season and don't feel like I've missed a thing.

[preeya]

Half way through and I just got a flash back.

Is Jay mentoring Donnie Brasco in reverse.

Torres looks just like Johnny Depp.

OK back to the rest of the episode.

I guess he told Jay, with all the right answers.

 And, yes he'll be the next bad-ass cop in Chicago.

Edited April 14, 2022 by preeya

[jalady]

Maybe I dozed off, but did they ever figure out who tipped off the bad guys so they could empty the storage locker?

[KittenPokerCheater]

Shallow me thinks the new recruit is adorable.

I'll watch just for him now. 

The episode was very Halstead, now married and settled,  passing the baton to the new kid.  I wish he'd never gotten married, and kept his edge.

[preeya]

3 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Shallow me thinks the new recruit is adorable.

I'll watch just for him now. 

Just wait until the rook and all his past bad habits become a tool for Voight to take advantage of.

[Guildford]

5 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Shallow me thinks the new recruit is adorable.

I'll watch just for him now. 

The episode was very Halstead, now married and settled,  passing the baton to the new kid.  I wish he'd never gotten married, and kept his edge.

He's not a new regular, he was a guest star. He's not listed in the actors for the next episode, so unless they bring him back down the track, I think he was a one and done.

[nasir jones]

I really liked the ep and hope the kid comes back. Amazing how not seeing Halstead/Upton or Ruzek/Burgess makes an ep exponentially better.

[TM101]

So this informant basically knows every single suspect/criminal in Chicago?..

Edited April 15, 2022 by TM101

[NJRadioGuy]

I like this guy. A lot. Only question now is who's leaving at the end of the year? No way this kid's one-and-done. And I'm calling it now, Anna gets whacked before the end of the season. Maybe she and Torres hook up or something, she gets popped and he catches the killer and becomes the New Guy. Then maybe we can get rid of at least one member of the Crimestead Family (preferably FelonyBarbie™).

[Snazzy Daisy]

Hey, I like this Dante Torres guy more than Anna. I recognised the actor from Filthy Rich, he played Kim Cattrall’s stepson. I hope we will see him again.

It’s kind of refreshing and liberating to see Jay without SmugFace attaching to his hip. They should do this more often. Masculinity should be restored back in Jay! 🤣

[FnkyChkn34]

I liked the new guy too!!  I really do hope they bring him back.

Despite what the previews looked like, this turned out to be a decent episode. I liked the new guy standing up to Halstead and starting to put Jay back in his place. Trust goes both ways. 

[preeya]

7 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

Then maybe we can get rid of at least one member of the Crimestead Family (preferably FelonyBarbie™).

FelonyBarbie™ won't get cut [unless she's the one who initiates] as she's one of the chosen with TPTB.

[Josh371982]

On 4/9/2022 at 10:31 PM, Chicagopdfan said:

Sounds like a good episode and it can’t be any worse than the toxic Burzek episodes we’ve just had to endure. Bring it on! 

LOL not as toxic as Barfstead and producer fav Upton!

 

On 4/11/2022 at 9:30 AM, FnkyChkn34 said:

A couple of the scenes in the trailer even look laughable, and it's such a shame!  The most promising character and one of the better actors in the beginning of the show (IMO) has now come to this...  "You want to hit me?  Do it."  Yeah, actually, I think most of us do, to knock some sense back into you.

Yep Considering he's married to a dirty ass cop who had a CI killed with that smirk on her face, one of the biggest hypocrites! But she has that hypnotizing Poontang 

[Chicagopdfan]

I really enjoyed this episode, I hope we see the new recruit again. It was nice to see some new blood in the unit. 

On 4/15/2022 at 2:46 AM, TM101 said:

So this informant basically knows every single suspect/criminal in Chicago?..

Lol it sure seemed like it. 

[greyhorse]

On 4/14/2022 at 3:42 PM, Guildford said:

He's not a new regular, he was a guest star. He's not listed in the actors for the next episode, so unless they bring him back down the track, I think he was a one and done.

Has there been any talk of a new regular?  Who would he replace?  Unlike many here, I wasn't a fan.  When you're new on the job, try to be a little more engaging.  Halstead was right on when he said to him that he needed to answer in complete sentences.  The moodiness was over the top.  No new fresh faced recruit would act like that.

And was this guy actually a full fledged cop?  Or was he still at the Academy?  When they were calling off names in that high school gym, was that where they were being assigned to?  For some reason, I got the impression that this was part of their academy training, sort of like a "rotation" in a specialized unit so you could see what was out there.  And I don't think you can get assigned to Voight's unit right out of the academy, can you?  Seems like you would need a certain number of years of service before getting recognized and promoted.

On 4/14/2022 at 6:46 PM, TM101 said:

So this informant basically knows every single suspect/criminal in Chicago?..

Apparently so, which makes it amazing that she's not outed by anyone.  I was distracted the whole time she was on the screen because she either had a very bad cold and seemed to have broken skin under her nose, or it was a cold sore.

I like the brief allusion to the drug running operation with the bakery ("your handler has me busy doing other things".

[FnkyChkn34]

20 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Has there been any talk of a new regular?  Who would he replace?  Unlike many here, I wasn't a fan.  When you're new on the job, try to be a little more engaging.  Halstead was right on when he said to him that he needed to answer in complete sentences.  The moodiness was over the top.  No new fresh faced recruit would act like that.

And was this guy actually a full fledged cop?  Or was he still at the Academy?  When they were calling off names in that high school gym, was that where they were being assigned to?  For some reason, I got the impression that this was part of their academy training, sort of like a "rotation" in a specialized unit so you could see what was out there.  And I don't think you can get assigned to Voight's unit right out of the academy, can you?  Seems like you would need a certain number of years of service before getting recognized and promoted.

No one - they've lost so many characters, they are still replacing them, aren't they?  Al, Antonio, and any uniformed patrol people... He wouldn't have to replace a current character.

Yes, you need experience unless you're Golden Boy Ruzek.  Al plucked Ruzek straight from the Academy with a similar scene where Adam disarmed the suspect, and he's never looked back.  Voight makes a big deal about having to work your way up and earn your spot in Intelligence - until he doesn't.  It's all hypocritical, so who knows, the new kid could stay and they'd never address it.

[NJRadioGuy]

As far as the new guy, in terms of both the actor and the character, my issue is that Chicago PD (the show) has a diversity problem. I'm not someone who generally cares about such things—just tell me a good story with the best actors—but Intelligence is usually operating in rough neighborhoods, and the criminals they're investigating are mostly African-American and Hispanic.. But the Intel bureau detectives, with the exception of Atwater, are not. From a police story perspective they need a few more cops who look like the perps to make gang infiltrations more believable to the audience. This character would go a long way in that regard. He's talented, moody (seemingly a must today), has a good back-story, and I guess good looking enough to hold down a leading actor's spot. Anna's character also makes a lot of sense, and hopefully they'll find a way to keep her around permanently (although I doubt she makes it out of this season alive).

I'm hoping this was an attempt to see how the audience of this expensive-to-produce show, which caters to an older ratings demographic, reacts to the new character. I wouldn't mind seeing him come in as a lead character, but the One Chicago franchise always seems to default to safe Middle-America-Friendly characters straight out of central casting.

[Guildford]

3 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

As far as the new guy, in terms of both the actor and the character, my issue is that Chicago PD (the show) has a diversity problem. I'm not someone who generally cares about such things—just tell me a good story with the best actors—but Intelligence is usually operating in rough neighborhoods, and the criminals they're investigating are mostly African-American and Hispanic.. But the Intel bureau detectives, with the exception of Atwater, are not. From a police story perspective they need a few more cops who look like the perps to make gang infiltrations more believable to the audience. This character would go a long way in that regard. He's talented, moody (seemingly a must today), has a good back-story, and I guess good looking enough to hold down a leading actor's spot. Anna's character also makes a lot of sense, and hopefully they'll find a way to keep her around permanently (although I doubt she makes it out of this season alive).

I'm hoping this was an attempt to see how the audience of this expensive-to-produce show, which caters to an older ratings demographic, reacts to the new character. I wouldn't mind seeing him come in as a lead character, but the One Chicago franchise always seems to default to safe Middle-America-Friendly characters straight out of central casting.

I totally agree, although the issue I have is even when they give us these diverse characters they don't use them. They had Antonio, but couldn't find any more stories for him, so he went....then they bought in Rojas, who was also supposed to be fresh out of the Academy super cop & she just disappeared. They actually announced a new cop starting last season, the black guy who was in two episodes & then he disappeared. Beghe said in an interview  how great he was & such a great dynamic he bought to the show & he was never heard of again. They have Atwater and they never use him, this year has been particularly bad.

What is the point of expanding their cast to included diversity when it's just a tick the box exercise? 

If they are targeting a middle-aged demographic then they are doing it wrong, they seem to be catering to the loud mouth tweens on twitter who spend the whole episode trying to see if Mr & Mrs Goodyear are still wearing their ugly assed rings.

[Guildford]

11 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

No one - they've lost so many characters, they are still replacing them, aren't they?  Al, Antonio, and any uniformed patrol people... He wouldn't have to replace a current character.

Yes, you need experience unless you're Golden Boy Ruzek.  Al plucked Ruzek straight from the Academy with a similar scene where Adam disarmed the suspect, and he's never looked back.  Voight makes a big deal about having to work your way up and earn your spot in Intelligence - until he doesn't.  It's all hypocritical, so who knows, the new kid could stay and they'd never address it.

The Ruzek storyline was good to start the show by explaining how the team was built and he had Al as his mentor, older, wiser more seasoned (not always in the best way), but they've now done it with Rojas & this guy and it's well past its used by date. 

And for all the blathering about the elite Intelligence Unit it's a bit of misnomer. It's just four cops who are all about the same experience level. We are season 9, Atwater & Burgess were patrol officers, but they weren't rookies so they'd at least have a year under their belts by the time the show started, so they are about 10 years experienced....and low and behold we find out this year that Upton is also 10 years on the job but we are supposed to think she is this worldly super cop as well but she only had 5 years on the job before she was bought in as some shining beacon of moral integrity. So longevity as cops in this show is about the same, Halstead was clearly a couple of years at most ahead of them.

Al & Antonio bought the experience that made Intelligence, well Intelligent.

Now it's just hot young ones that bang each other. 

[FnkyChkn34]

I forget exactly how Halstead got into intelligence, but he went under cover as a detective and solved the case (I think?) and also got shot in the process. CPD let him pick his next appointment basically as a reward. But he was already a detective in Season 1 of Chicago Fire and not a complete rookie. 

Poor Atwater has been taking his detective exam for like 4 years now... 

I miss Antonio and Al.   

[KeithJ]

On 4/14/2022 at 7:14 AM, jalady said:

Maybe I dozed off, but did they ever figure out who tipped off the bad guys so they could empty the storage locker?

Unless I missed it too, no, they did not.

[Guildford]

I just forced myself to watch this. And now with the news he's become a regular I have a lot of doubts they can pull it off. The writers just aren't that good.

That broody, non-verbal demeanour may work for an episode but long term, particularly if they put him with Halstead. Could he be more judgemental & condescending? Were we supposed to laugh when he talked about 'trusting' the people you work with considering the free-wheeling lies the cabal dished up this year.... along with accusing him of lying... I laughed and I don't think I was supposed to, like when he had to go ask Anna what he should do with him.... Leader my ass.

Whatever has happened with Jesse as an actor is sad, he just seems to phone it all it and seems incapable of drawing performances out of himself and his scene partner anymore. A season of Jay & Mr Broody might just kill this show for good.

[FnkyChkn34]

On 8/1/2022 at 6:40 AM, Guildford said:

Whatever has happened with Jesse as an actor is sad, he just seems to phone it all it and seems incapable of drawing performances out of himself and his scene partner anymore. A season of Jay & Mr Broody might just kill this show for good.

It hurts to realize that this is devastatingly accurate.  I honestly thought that Jesse was really good in the beginning few seasons of the show.  He needs to quit this show and move on to something that makes him happy again.