S03.E07: A Dead Kid, A Notebook And A Lot Of Maybes

[WendyCR72]

Intelligence sets out to find a missing teenaged boy who they believe poses a serious threat to the students at his wealthy school after finding disturbing drawings in his notebook. Meanwhile, Atwater is eager to make a good impression on a prominent African American police Captain and Olinsky and Michelle find themselves in a difficult situation and turn to Ruzek and Burgess for help.

[paigow]

 

Olinsky and Michelle find themselves in a difficult situation and turn to Ruzek and Burgess for help.

 

Hope it's not for relationship advice...Burzek is not the sharpest fork in the drawer...

[Watermelon]

Boden and Atwater! It makes my heart flutter! 

 

Alvin does not think things through, and I already hate the little girl.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Watermelon

[Vella]

There is no way I'm going to believe that Alvin, a 20+ year vet detective of the Chicago PD AND an Army vet, cannot afford 2 hotel rooms for himself and his daughter for a couple of nights while he sorts out their living situation. And why didn't he ask Ruzek sooner about crashing at his place? He just shows up, not only for himself but his kid too? In Ruzek's tiny place? He's not 25 anymore, he can't just impose on his partner like that, he's a grown assed man. Why not talk to Voight, considering Voight's huge ass house and the fact that Lindsay was just living with him. Voight has zero problems opening up his home like that. I love Alvin but JESUS he was a freaking moron this episode.

 

And while I get Meredith's anger and frustration, but when she was all "can't we just ship her back into the system?", that was freaking COLD.

[paigow]

And why didn't he ask Ruzek sooner about crashing at his place? 

Ruzek: WTF?! Ya know they invented this thing...the telephone...??

Olinsky: I called, the line was busy

Ruzek: Hey kid, don't knock over those candles in the bedroom....

 

Burzek is going to check into Motel 6 tonight.

[Chas411]

I hate is Alvin and the kid plot. I liked his family and get the feeling they've had to put up with a lot drom him over the years (wife especially) so seeing him give them up so easily for a random kid that probably isn't even is is just awful to watch.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Olinsky's secret daughter should just get an apartment with Mouch from Chicago Fire's secret daughter who was in exactly one episode (but interestingly to me, who was played by the actor Mouch's real-life daughter) before Fire moved on. But I digress. Olinsky's secret daughter looks younger every episode--soon she will look like a sixth grader. 

 

I could have bought Olinsky throwing away the envelop with the paternity test DNA BEFORE he sent it--but going through with it and then throwing away the results? Give me a break. 

 

Halsted and Lindsey continue to be the best looking couple on TV. Halsted continues to have the best-acted chase scenes on TV--man can run and and tackle without it looking like acting. And he's hot. All the time.

 

Atwater looked like he was in way over his head with the poker game. Those old guys are going to take his paycheck in the first deal. 

[Xantar]

A child molestation case and Olivia Benson doesn't fly out from New York to get involved? Will wonders never cease?

[WendyCR72]

A child molestation case and Olivia Benson doesn't fly out from New York to get involved? Will wonders never cease?

 

Shhhhhh!!! You'll jinx it!

[Calamity Jane]

1) I found it a bit jarring how much Halstead laid his hands on the abused boy's shoulders.  I would think not touching a victim of abuse would be kind of elementary.

 

2) WHAT have they done to my beloved Olinsky?  I just really dislike how he is being used this season. 

 

3) It's sweeps month, right?  So how on earth did they miss the chance to get Olivia back to Chicago?  Another storyline I thoroughly loathe. 

 

4) So, we're setting up for Burgess to have to "comfort" her partner over the child who died, and mess up the already tenuous wedding plans? 

 

The show's starting to lose me. 

[Texasmom1970]

2) WHAT have they done to my beloved Olinsky?  I just really dislike how he is being used this season. 

 

 

I agree 100% I love Alvin but this season, uggh! Call me heartless but before I potentially blew up my marriage and hurt my real daughter I would have to know 100% that girl was mine. The whole story line is awful. On the positive note we did get to see a lot of pretty eyes Halstead!

[Kel Varnsen]

Burzek is going to check into Motel 6 tonight.

Or they could just go over to Burgess's house couldn't they? Also what is the deal with Ruzek having to do a big formal thing to ask his fiancee to come to his house for dinner? It is not like they are this newly dating couple where he is inviting her over to his house for the first time. They are engaged to be married. I am almost positive that when I was engaged my wife had a key to my place and basically a standing invite to come by whenever the hell she wanted and it was pretty much a given that if neither of us were working we were usually at my place.

 

Atwater looked like he was in way over his head with the poker game. Those old guys are going to take his paycheck in the first deal. 

I totally thought that when he got there that the captain was going to say they invited him there to be the bartender or the doorman or something. I was kind of surprised that when he showed up they let him play.

[betsyboo]

A child molestation case and Olivia Benson doesn't fly out from New York to get involved? Will wonders never cease?

I know!! I kept expecting Voight say he had talked to her!!

 

Are we to infer that Jay experienced abuse as a child....? (Or do we know this??? I can't imagine we do if the brother is relatively normal.) I get that he could have been the loner kid, and gravitated toward the military. He just seemed to take it especially personally (not that everyone doesn't take it personally when a child is abused). 

 

I felt awful for both moms. No idea that this was happening. Horrible things do happen to people who are trying their best (even if their best isn't the best...) You can do everything right as a parent and your child can still become a victim of a predator. It's terrifying.

 

ETA: I also found it interesting that at no point did the boy say "he touched/abused/raped me." Or Jay didn't say specifically "Did he hurt you?" They danced around it and didn't actually confirm it (IMO) until the coach caved. Olivia never would have let that happen. (Does Intelligence handle special victims, too?)

Edited November 7, 2015 by betsyboo

[MissLucas]

Olinsky's plot is so painfully contrived. Back in season one I rooted for him getting out of the garage but seeing now how he's handling this situation I have to wonder how his wife managed to put up with him for that long. And now they've turned the daughter into Schrödinger's baby which is pathetic and highly unrealistic. It would have been way more compelling had the paternity test been negative and Olinsky then trying to do right by the girl (because she's a symbol for his screw-ups) AND his family. The last scene was obviously written as comic relief but it did not gel with this show's overall tone or this episode's grim mood - all it did was making Olinsky even worse. That's some impressive character-assassination we've got going on here.

[Chas411]

 

Are we to infer that Jay experienced abuse as a child....? (Or do we know this??? I can't imagine we do if the brother is relatively normal.) I get that he could have been the loner kid, and gravitated toward the military. He just seemed to take it especially personally (not that everyone doesn't take it personally when a child is abused).

I think he just related to the kids as he went to school with rich kids. Also, remember in season one Jay's main storyline was dealing with the death of his high school sweethearts little brother at the hands of a pedophile. I thought that was why the case played close to his emotions.. that and that the kids father was a soldier.

 

Olinksky is awful in his storyline. I think we're supposed to see his actions as heroic but really he just comes across as a complete douchebag to his actual family. If I were Meredith I'd kill him. He's not thinking about them at all. It's just all about him. I really hate him in all this and normally I love Olinsky. He just comes across as so selfish and unwilling to look at how this makes his wife and daughter feel.

 

Ruzek and Burgess act like a couple who just started dating. He seems more into the romantic gestures and excitement of dating and passion. I really can't see them making it down the aisle.

 

I loved Atwater's sideplot with the poker game. Can we please give him more to do. The actor is wonderful and I find the character so charming and rootable.

[betsyboo]

I think he just related to the kids as he went to school with rich kids. Also, remember in season one Jay's main storyline was dealing with the death of his high school sweethearts little brother at the hands of a pedophile. I thought that was why the case played close to his emotions.. that and that the kids father was a soldier.

 

Excellent points! Thank you for reminding me. Now that seems much more in character. 

[Ailianna]

Voight has zero problems opening up his home like that.

 

I think there's a big difference for Voight in having Lindsey return to his house to live again (she spent her teen years living with him and his kid) than in having his partner's newly discovered juvenile delinquent rescue daughter move in.  I think Olinski read that room correctly at least.

[SnarkySheep]

 

Are we to infer that Jay experienced abuse as a child....? (Or do we know this??? I can't imagine we do if the brother is relatively normal.) I get that he could have been the loner kid, and gravitated toward the military. He just seemed to take it especially personally (not that everyone doesn't take it personally when a child is abused).

 

I agree with Chas411 - I think the entire thing had to do with Ben Corson's death. Jay couldn't do anything more for that boy, but most likely he thought that he could get justice for these victims. Also, yes, the military angle.

 

 

 

Voight has zero problems opening up his home like that.

I think there's a big difference for Voight in having Lindsey return to his house to live again (she spent her teen years living with him and his kid) than in having his partner's newly discovered juvenile delinquent rescue daughter move in.  I think Olinski read that room correctly at least.

 

I agree with this too. Voight knows exactly who Lindsay is, and what her issues were in the situation that brought her into his house. But with Olinsky and Michelle, he knows he's putting himself into the middle of a minefield. Olinsky is on the outs with his wife over it all, and it's basically for a teenager who may or may not be his child, and who has something of a sketchy past (and likely present).