S05.E06: Fallen

[Jaded]

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When a family is shot to death in their home, the team searches for a drug dealer with a likely connection; Voight asks for the help of Vice Sergeant Sean McGrady; the case takes an unlikely turn when McGrady dies during the investigation.

[doLLish]

Another plant in intelligence storyline. Seriously?

What is it with these Chicago shows and the need to rehash the same storylines over and over??

This episode couldn't keep my attention for anything, had to rewind multiple times and still was bored out of my mind. Sophia Bush was a bigger loss than I expected her to be. The new show runner isn't helping either. Something about the show just feels off.

[Chas411]

He was terrible on SVU as well.

[Guildford]

Let's just write everyone OOC, make Al disappear, throw in a random sister/nephew that has never been mentioned....ok, whatever.

[UNOSEZ]

I didn't mind it.. Except for Al vanishing... I like the Ray/Hank dynamic... Do miss a more team based episode instead of a Hailey epi.. A burgess epi... Next week is a Halstead one... But time will tell I'm holding out hope

[FnkyChkn34]

Ugh.  Maybe the actress isn't actually that "bad," per se, it's that I just don't like her?  I wouldn't mind if Upton went on another undercover assignment for several years...

I agree with the above that this episode was boring.  No continuity, either.  For example, not just Al was missing, but Antonio was missing for most of the episode too.  Why would just 5 of them attend that banquet and not all of them?  Where were Burgess, Al, Antonio, and Platt (especially Platt, as a sergeant)?  I didn't mind that Halstead was finally back to the forefront a little bit more, but that's still not consistent.

I don't mind Ruzek being a mole, and it totally figures that he bent all the rules to the point where he's threatened with jail.  Sure, he was helping a family member that we didn't even know he had, but still.  That fits with his hothead personality.  (But also, why couldn't his dad have done that?)

And why does every. single. crime. have to show how crooked they are???

[Xantar]

I'm ok with Voight being shown as crooked and bending the rules, but at the rate this show is going, it's going to look like Chicago would be better served if they burned the whole PD to the ground. Even Burgess and Atwater are tainted by their silence in the face of Voight clearly hiding evidence. And the problem with taking that approach is pretty soon the audience doesn't have anybody to root for. TVTropes calls it Darkness Induced Audience Apathy, and the showrunners had better be wary of it.

[Chas411]

To be honest the ratings are dropping by the week. I know NBC won't drop it this season but I don't think the new approach to the show is bringing in any new viewers. They just appear to be alienating the remaining ones.

[MerBearHou]

I am done with this show for good.  Cannot stomach the crookedness, brutality, abuse of power and horrible tactics of Voight.  In this time of heightened awareness of police brutality, it sickens me that there are cops who think these methods are justified.  His strong-arming of Hailey to ignore the evidence against McCrady is another example of his bully tactics and it's just not how I want to spend an hour of my time.  I'm out. 

Best line, to me, in last night's show was when Hailey talked back to Voight and said that McCrady was NOT a good man.  A good cop -- maybe -- but a good man, no.

[Elliebab]

13 hours ago, doLLish said:

Another plant in intelligence storyline. Seriously?

What is it with these Chicago shows and the need to rehash the same storylines over and over??

This episode couldn't keep my attention for anything, had to rewind multiple times and still was bored out of my mind. Sophia Bush was a bigger loss than I expected her to be. The new show runner isn't helping either. Something about the show just feels off.

Well if the writers didn't give Sophia bush all the stprylines, all the character development, all the crossovers, she wouldn't be such a "bigger loss". SHe is not the only actor on that show! 

[Chas411]

She's not on the show anymore so the show remaining crappy isn't on her or how they favoured her. She's gone now and they've ample opportunity to showcase others it's just not enough to pull people in and that's down to The bad storytelling.

[mommalib]

4 hours ago, Xantar said:

I'm ok with Voight being shown as crooked and bending the rules, but at the rate this show is going, it's going to look like Chicago would be better served if they burned the whole PD to the ground. Even Burgess and Atwater are tainted by their silence in the face of Voight clearly hiding evidence. And the problem with taking that approach is pretty soon the audience doesn't have anybody to root for. TVTropes calls it Darkness Induced Audience Apathy, and the showrunners had better be wary of it.

I am already at that point with the show. The only character I still got love for is Atwater but he better start speaking against the corruption. I thought this new girl would have some morals but nope. I want Voight to get his.

[FnkyChkn34]

23 minutes ago, mommalib said:

I am already at that point with the show. The only character I still got love for is Atwater but he better start speaking against the corruption. I thought this new girl would have some morals but nope. I want Voight to get his.

Halstead and Antonio used to have morals.  I hope we see those morals again real soon, or otherwise I'm with y'all and done with the show.  I'll just have to get my JLS fix from social media I guess.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Bad. So two dirty black characters have dirt on two white stars and will play them. Ugh.  Show, Ruzek getting his sister out of a DUI would have been a good storyline to SHOW us, not TELL us about. And fgs why does this guy even have this info and can now put Ruzek in jail if he doesn’t play along? And btw I don’t really care if Ruzek goes to jail. Or Voight. And btw how hard would it be to take Voight down with, oh I don’t know, good old-fashioned intelligence work? And dirty cop commits suicide for stealing and we’re supposed to believe he was a good cop? Sure, why not.

Could we please move along and start having Al and Trudy and Antonio just be the cops. Maybe Halsted can stay. All the rest of them can leave now.

[Guildford]

What's the bet that Ruzek has already clued Voight in and they are working to get Denny to hang himself by going after Ruzek....otherwise this story makes zero sense. 

I've been waiting patiently for Ruzek to have his own storyline that didn't revolve around Burgess and when we finally get it it's this rubbish. A sister? I know the characters were all woefully under developed under the previous regime but this is extreme. Even the actor felt the Ruzek was being written OOC..this is not helping but I am willing to see how it plays out before I completely lose my shit.

[Elliebab]

At least Halstead and Antonio weren't criminals, didn't quit intelligence twice, didn't do drugs and party, didn't shove a gun into a suspects face but hey! They "used to have morals".  I mean Voight hired a former criminal but that's okay cause it's Erin LindSLAY, right? 

[Chas411]

Again what's it to do with Erin Lin"slay"? She's completely gone from the show so I don't get why she's still being brought up.. 

[MakeMeLaugh]

Yeah, Erin's gone. The scripts this season have zero to do with her.

[Elliebab]

Antonio and Halstead were accused of "losing their morals" and yet Erin wasn't exactly a moral character either and yet nobody criticizes her for that. 

[FnkyChkn34]

24 minutes ago, Elliebab said:

Antonio and Halstead were accused of "losing their morals" and yet Erin wasn't exactly a moral character either and yet nobody criticizes her for that. 

I said they used to have morals. Hopefully they still do, and I want to see them. I never said they lost them, because we don't know that.  You appear to be quoting me - but misquoted me - and I never said anything about Erin. I have no idea how your comment is connected. I liked Lindsay, and she had her flaws, but she's gone. Let's all get over her, yeah? And realize that we're talking about this season, the season we're watching now, and the characters that are left? 

Edited November 10, 2017 by FnkyChkn34

[Jaded]

I started the thread to comment on this episode and forgot to because I got distracted last night.

I agree with what most have posted about it. I quit watching as much the last couple of seasons and have been watching this one since it started a few weeks ago. I was so disgusted last night by Voight and his whole mansplaining about how the cop that committed suicide shouldn't have his memory tainted because of the wife and kids. So much so that they buried evidence that would prove that the guy who's most likely going to prison for murder of a cop didn't do it.

This show is so disgusting. There are a few characters I like. I don't think they are enough to keep me watching for much longer though.

[Xeliou66]

Glad everyone else here feels the same way I do. This show sucks, I don't watch it much anymore, I watched it last night and was still incredibly disgusted with Voight and the way the show tries to condone scumbag cops like him breaking the law, violating people's rights and committing heinous crimes. Really pathetic how far Dick Wolf has fallen from the L&O franchise to this, and when he tried to merge the 2 with Chicago Justice it was an epic failure. And it seems Voight has just gotten worse and worse over the years. No excuse for Voight burying evidence and framing a guy for a murder he didn't commit, disgusting and I really hope the show ends with Voight getting killed or put away for his evil actions. Really fucked up how the show condones this. 

Only characters I still like are Antonio, Atwater and Olinsky and they barely get anything to do. Olinsky was in about 2 scenes last night, he's barely even a main character now, last year they gave him a lot of good material. 

The new detective sucks, no personality and she is just blindly going along with Voight now. 

I'm not surprised this show is getting worse under Eid, he was a disaster on SVU and an incompetent show runner. It seems like no one likes this season and I'm glad people are getting just as sick of Voight and his minions as I am. I really hope Voight gets his comeuppance. 

[UNOSEZ]

The only problembi had with kane being put away(if we are all agreeing that he did kill that family)  is that voight talked abt the cops' kids... But what abt Kane his kids now have a drug dealing cop killer for a dad this never getting out and either they'll grow up with the wrong type of ppl impressed by this.. Or just most ppl shunning them because of it.. At least a mention of them and all the repercussions of doing this to them shoulda been brought up

[watcher1006]

I ended up wondering what were all the issues that Upton had with McCrady. Partnering compatibility, anything more? Did sexism/harassment have any part in it? Was Upton close to his wife before the shooting or not? Did she have compassion for what the embezzlement revelation would do to McCrady's family? Well in an episode that centered on her character, Tracy Spiridakos wasn't quite as cringeworthy as I thought she might be.

Jason Beghe is a good actor but his character is getting to be too much.

[FnkyChkn34]

27 minutes ago, watcher1006 said:

I ended up wondering what were all the issues that Upton had with McCrady. Partnering compatibility, anything more? Did sexism/harassment have any part in it? Was Upton close to his wife before the shooting or not? Did she have compassion for what the embezzlement revelation would do to McCrady's family? Well in an episode that centered on her character, Tracy Spiridakos wasn't quite as cringeworthy as I thought she might be.

Jason Beghe is a good actor but his character is getting to be too much.

She said that McCrady opposed any promotion or advancement that she applied for, I think.  Something like that.  So it sounded to me like implied sexism, I guess?

[mysticalflute]

I'm so, so sick of Denny Woods. He wouldn't be so annoying if they weren't trying to push the "ALL COPS ARE CORRUPT" crap this season. I get it, Voight is shady. Don't beat me over the head with it.

[Dvldj]

So let an innocent man (of this crime at least) rot in prison for a not-so-innocent cop? 

Hailey: Doesn't it bother you that everyone looks at him like he was a hero?

Voight: Yeah, it bothers me. McGrady was a good man.

Hailey: Mm. Good cop, sure. Good man? Not so much. He gambled away his savings. He cheated on Anne, tried to sabotage my career.

Voight: I know. He wasn't perfect but, he was a good cop. ... Hailey, he's got two little kids. Think about what happens to them if this comes out. All they have is his legacy. And his pension.

They can't prove Kane killed the family so instead, they send him to prison as a cop killer to preserve the memory of another of their bad cops (who was also a thief). Kane also has two little kids to feed but, I guess that doesn't matter because he was a bad guy...oh but so was McGrady. Sometimes their justifications of things makes very little sense to me.

 

Ruzek...really? Really??

[SnarkySheep]

Re: Al - He's all but disappeared, yet there are numerous storylines that have been started and abruptly dropped with him.

How is he coping after Lexi's death?

What happened with Michelle, his maybe-daughter? Does he still see her? 

Does Michelle still go to the boxing gym that everyone's forgotten Antonio bought? 

[Guildford]

2 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

Re: Al - He's all but disappeared, yet there are numerous storylines that have been started and abruptly dropped with him.

How is he coping after Lexi's death?

What happened with Michelle, his maybe-daughter? Does he still see her? 

Does Michelle still go to the boxing gym that everyone's forgotten Antonio bought? 

And Antonio....why exactly did they bring him back? Dare I say it, there are too many people in Intelligence now and they have dropped Al, Antonio & Trudy. Three of the best actors/characters they had and it's such a pity.

They could have done without adding Upton, I don't think she's added anything new to the show. They had a strong enough group of characters anyway.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Guildford
typo

[SnarkySheep]

6 minutes ago, Guildford said:

They could have done with adding Upton, I don't think she's added anything new to the show.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the actress bears more than a passing resemblance to Sophia Bush.

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they have dropped Al, Antonio & Trudy. Three of the best actors/characters they had and it's such a pity.

IMO they wasted a HUGE opportunity by having Fire end last season with Mouch's heart attack/collapse...and then having NO mention of it on PD. It would have given Platt a solid storyline for once.

[Jaded]

They've dropped storylines and characters that I've wanted to see so often that I usually just tune in if there's a new episode while not much else is on.

[SnarkySheep]

That's why I've actually been happy that Sophia Bush was gone - 90% of the storylines revolved around her. I had hopes that they would start pulling other characters forward more, and I still hope they will. They do have half a season, after all.

[Xeliou66]

I know, they’ve completely forgotten Olinsky exists, he has several interesting storylines to explore but we no longer hear anything about them. He’s had absolutely nothing this season. Platt gets nothing either, she’s lucky to be in 2 scenes an episode. Antonio has had his personality taken away and is just kind of there, they haven’t used him at all since bringing him back from Justice. At least Atwater has finally gotten some focus, he’s become the show’s best character. Everyone else has been shoved into the background so Voight can get all the attention and no one will question him. 

I don’t miss Lindsay either, she got way too much focus and got away with a lot cause of nepotism, Voight would’ve fired anyone else for all the stuff Lindsay did but because of their personal connection Voight always backed her and gave her special treatment. But I can’t stand Upton either. The show is nothing more than the Voight, Halstead and Upton show, they get all the storylines while everyone else is shoved to the background. 

Only characters I still like are Atwater, Antonio, Platt and Olinsky, and they get nothing. 

[SnarkySheep]

On 12/22/2017 at 6:45 PM, Xeliou66 said:

I know, they’ve completely forgotten Olinsky exists, he has several interesting storylines to explore but we no longer hear anything about them. He’s had absolutely nothing this season.

Olinsky and Voight, while neither big on feelings and personal talk, HAVE been seen several times doing just that when alone together. TPTB have missed a huge opportunity for insight/character development by not showing them talking about the obvious, the fact that both now have lost children.

Quote

At least Atwater has finally gotten some focus, he’s become the show’s best character.

While I'm equally glad he did get a storyline with the kids, IMO they handled it wrong. Instead of having him ship them off to some random aunt in another state - most likely never to be seen or heard from again - they should simply have had Atwater move to another neighborhood with them. They could have maybe had them move into Hermann's extra apartment, the one that Gabby and the foster child had initially been living in. Not only would that have allowed the storyline to continue (maybe issues adjusting to a different neighborhood, whatever) but also allow for some crossover with the other show's characters, which fans generally enjoy.

[Guildford]

4 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

 

While I'm equally glad he did get a storyline with the kids, IMO they handled it wrong. Instead of having him ship them off to some random aunt in another state - most likely never to be seen or heard from again - they should simply have had Atwater move to another neighborhood with them. They could have maybe had them move into Hermann's extra apartment, the one that Gabby and the foster child had initially been living in. Not only would that have allowed the storyline to continue (maybe issues adjusting to a different neighborhood, whatever) but also allow for some crossover with the other show's characters, which fans generally enjoy.

But then they would have actually had to remember he had siblings and they would have to show them every now and again and we can't have that can we. We know every family member has to leave one way or the other. Now they don't have to worry about Atwater's pesky family and they can get back to writing other random OCC nonsense. I guess we should just be happy they didn't leave in a body bag.

[VinceW]

4 hours ago, Guildford said:

But then they would have actually had to remember he had siblings and they would have to show them every now and again and we can't have that can we. We know every family member has to leave one way or the other. Now they don't have to worry about Atwater's pesky family and they can get back to writing other random OCC nonsense. I guess we should just be happy they didn't leave in a body bag.

This is so true about families in so many of the cop procedural stories on the network. As far as adult relationships, the writers go no further than will-they-or-won't-they as long as possible until the whole story becomes ambiguous.

Edited December 30, 2017 by VinceW

[SnarkySheep]

36 minutes ago, VinceW said:

This is so true about families in so many of the cop procedural stories on the network. As far as adult relationships, the writers go no further than will-they-or-won't-they as long as possible until the whole story becomes ambiguous.

Which, IMO, is totally ridiculous, because a good writer IS able to keep the story interesting even when a couple is together. Jay and Erin, for instance, were a pretty solid couple (and would likely have married, had Sophia Bush not chosen to leave) but you could never say that they ran out of issues. 

Other shows, like Bones, have had the leads marry and even have kids. It can and does work. 

[VinceW]

18 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

....Other shows, like Bones, have had the leads marry and even have kids. It can and does work. 

Unlike Bones, it was disappointing the way the last two Castle seasons were handled by the network over the ongoing angst between the co-stars.  The Castle show runner (Marlowe) enjoyed poking fun at the Bones series whenever he had the chance, but Bones handled the ending beautifully and the Booth/Brennan relationship made the show a big success. I still listen to 'Almost Home' when I get a chance in order to keep in touch with the Bones series.

Edited December 30, 2017 by VinceW