We’re manifesting a Trudy Platt comeback in Chicago PD Season 12.
It’s no secret that Trudy is a fan-favorite character, and the only thing all Chicago PD fans can agree on outside of our love for Trudy is that the series has criminally underused her for multiple seasons.
And that’s why Chicago PD Season 12 has to be her year. We’re all in on a Trudy Platt resurgence.
Trudy Platt Has Always Been Chicago PD’s Backbone and Secret Weapon
The incredible Amy Morton has brought so much to this role, and because of her performance, Trudy resonates with viewers.
At this point in the series, Trudy Platt is every bit as much of a staple as Voight himself.
As the tough-as-nails Den Mother of the series, Trudy’s presence is vital to the series and its other characters.
She brings levity and balance to the story and has a way of grounding the other characters in those rare moments when we catch a glimpse of the unique bonds that she has fostered with each of them.
In many ways, because she mostly stays at the station, she serves as the Intelligence Unit’s beacon.
It’s an understated role for the series, but one that is invaluable — most apparently so in recent seasons when Trudy’s presence has been sporadic at best.
Voight Still Requires a PEER That Can Balance Him Out When Necessary
Voight has always been a character that required some foil who could balance him out in some regard.
At the crux of Chicago PD’s continuing evolution, which often reflects the real-world scrutiny of policing, is that there had to be some moral compass.
For the first couple of seasons, Voight had a best friend, peer, and partner in Olinsky, but he was someone Voight could respect.
If Voight couldn’t listen or at least consider the value and opinion of anyone else, it was Olinksy who gave Voight someone to bounce off of when necessary.
Olinksky couldn’t tame the beast that is Voight, but he knew how to hold the leash and minimize Voight’s particular brand of chaos.
It’s something that Voight can only manage to get from a peer.
Dawson served as a foil and moral compass and was great at challenging Voight as well.
Later, Halstead served that same role.
By Chicago PD Season 11, it was blatantly apparent that Voight respected, deeply cared about, and trusted Hailey.
But Voight still lacked an actual peer to whom he could connect on a regular basis, especially as he became more alienated in many ways.
Trudy is Voight’s Only Constant
Voight has floated by many seasons since Olinsky’s death, finding some people to look to in that regard, whether it was Samantha Miller or ASA Chapman.
However, when it comes to an actual peer he deeply trusts who can challenge him and serve as his voice of reason and a necessary foil, Trudy is the best and most consistent character to take up that role.
She’s already doing it, and no one else could reasonably step in a realistic way to tick all those boxes in a manner that feels authentic for the character and series.
We’re officially down an Intelligence member, losing the last detective, and Voight no longer has a “second” to fill some of the void with Hailey’s absence.
We definitely are rooting for Kevin Atwater’s promotion in that regard.
But it’s the perfect time to increase Trudy’s presence in the season.
If there’s a strong possibility that Voight will shut himself off again after losing Hailey, then no one else can keep him even-keeled as Trudy can, and she knows him best of all.
Essentially, she’s been his most consistent “person” and constant for the past couple of decades.
Increasing Trudy’s Screentime is the Logical Step to Balance Out the Female and Male Characters
Unfortunately, and we’ve discussed Hailey Upton’s monopolizing screen time many times, her departure leaves a glaring hole in the series.
It’s something that should be filled up by some of the other primary characters who often fell to the wayside more than others, such as Atwater, or have gotten the short end of the stick in screentime recently, like Ruzek.
We’re all for that since we love those characters and think they deserve more screen time.
However, they’re also guys, and with Upton’s departure, only Burgess remains the primary female member of the Intelligence Unit.
Burgess can carry a lot on her back, and she’s shown that through many episodes and plots, but we still need more balance in that area.
It’s Preferable that Chicago PD Focuses on Underused and Familiar Female Characters
Not only do we need to maintain the female presence in the series, but it’s preferable if it’s with characters we already know who deserve more screen time.
We still don’t know for sure if Bojana Novakovic’s Jo will be returning to the new season in any capacity.
But even if she were to return, she’d most likely have a guest-starring or recurring role. Frankly, it feels as though Jo’s job should’ve been done once Hailey left Chicago.
But she was also a polarizing character who didn’t interact much with the other characters outside of Hailey, so it would feel a bit off to have her dive into the unit.
Now we know that Toya Turner is joining the cast as Kiana Cook in a series regular role; there’s at least some promise of more women, and they won’t likely solidify anyone else in a similar role.
Even as a series regular, Cook is unlikely to have that much character building, and one does have to wonder if she’ll get shafted in the character rotation pattern the series has taken on for budget reasons.
Bringing Back Patrol Should FINALLY Incorporate Trudy Again
On the topic of Chicago PD Season 12 character Kiana Cook, we know she won’t be Upton’s replacement on the unit.
She’ll serve as a patrol officer, which means the series is finally returning to its roots and diverging into the two factions of Intelligence along with patrol.
Fans have been craving it since Burgess officially joined the Intelligence Unit and left patrol behind her.
Trudy hasn’t had much to do without patrol, and the series has struggled to incorporate who is easily one of the best characters.
With a patrol element, it not only gets back to the basics in a way that feels like it has revitalized the series, but it also pulls the focus back to one of the series’ strongest characters.
Trudy’s relationship with Burgess was special and easily one of the series’ most underrated dynamics.
It was also the strongest female dynamic in the series outside Erin and Nadia.
Female Friendships Can Be at the Center More Than Ever
The series severely lacks close female friendships and bonds.
They fade into oblivion whenever we’ve come even remotely close to them, like Hailey’s brief dynamic with Vanessa Rojas.
Sadly, Hailey and Kim’s onscreen friendship wasn’t very solid, even though we had decent moments between them and Trudy whenever they opted to show it.
But with the cast shifting in this way and the series reintroducing patrol, it’s perfectly set up to be a season in which Trudy makes a well-deserved comeback.
Hopefully, the series will also showcase some strong female dynamics.
It’s a perfect set-up for the new season to revitalize the series — a new chapter that could be one of the strongest in some time.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.
Do you think Chicago PD Season 12 will be the season of Trudy Platt?
Will they rectify their underutilized Trudy problem?
Let’s hear it below!
