Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0
4.2
Well, I have to hand it to Chicago PD … it still knows how to surprise us.
It was Kevin Atwater’s time to shine in the character-centric rotation, and Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 11 had an interesting enough premise that had him going undercover as a street racer and car thief.
And just when it seemed like his dynamic with Lolo would be the most compelling part… Tasha returned with some big news.


But first, let’s get into the case.
Oftentimes, it feels like Chicago PD cases can get a bit repetitive, which happens when a series has been on for over a decade, and Intelligence only covers specific types of crimes.
They went the usual route of an Intelligence member scoring one hell of a case while they’re off-duty, and this time, it kicked off with a tragedy when the man whom Kevin spent time bonding with and was just about to purchase a vintage car from wound up dead.
Why? Because he became the victim of a carjacking that went wrong.
My heart broke when Kevin ran to the car salesman, and he was already dying. They were just talking about how this man lost his father, a former cop, whom he idolized.


There was a genuine bond forming, and then BOOM, they unleashed the trauma.
But the tragedy of his death quickly gave way to Kevin forming a bond with the getaway driver from these carjackings, Lolo.
You could tell Lolo was a decent kid who didn’t want to be in so much trouble and certainly wasn’t onboard with killing people.
Lolo was the classic guy who fell into the wrong crowd and got in over his head, and that’s catnip for someone like Kevin, who has a knack for finding the good in people and appealing to it, ultimately making them better people if they come out on the other side.
It was exciting when we learned that Kevin would go undercover and attend a drag race. Kevin is really good when he’s undercover — he’s probably one of my favorites of the gang when he goes under because he can really fall in line with his environment.


But he also knows that sometimes the best lies and stories to tell while undercover are closer to the truth. His approach with Lolo was just that… and it didn’t take long for the pair of them to genuinely bond.
By the end of the hour, Kevin could assure Lolo that most of their conversations were authentic and that the bond they were forging wasn’t all BS.
Lolo is a character I’d like to see return to the series. Although maybe it would be a good thing if he never came back, if only because his chances of survival are better. Goodness knows, CIs always die on Chicago PD.
The dynamic between Atwater and Lolo made up for the lack of car action we didn’t get. They teased a PD version of Fast and the Furious or something, and even dangled shiny, pretty sports cars in front of us.
But there wasn’t nearly enough sports car action or racing.


Nevertheless, there was some amusement in seeing the effect of boys and their toys. Atwater’s face lit up like a child when he was ready to buy that vintage car.
And then on the case, during an adorable Oceanwater moment, Torres smiled brighter than we’ve seen when Atwater brought him to the “candy shop.”
Seriously, would it have killed them to give us some Oceanwater streetracing? I’m just saying.
But we did get Atwater stealing a car with Lolo, and it had to be the slowest carjacking in the history of the universe.
It’s no wonder some random guy trying to play hero emerged and nearly blew the whole operation up by being trigger-happy.
Imani thwarting that was a great moment, though.


All of this drama led us to Duke, the guy who called all the shots but did absolutely nothing of worth and who casually killed people when things went wrong.
Atwater taking him down after his admission was a solid moment, and then it got predictable when Lolo got shot, but at least he lived through it.
But the hour also had Kevin grappling with whether to text Tasha, and now I’m starting to understand why his love life is so disastrous. It hurts to acknowledge, but maybe it’s just him.
She left three months ago, left him an open invitation, and he just… never texted her back. He tried texting her a million times since her departure, but never followed through. Sir, what the entire hell?
You know it’s bad when Burgess is in PEAK sibling mode, calling him out for not making his move and talking about how much she loves Tasha.


And it’s especially bad when Kevin is seriously talking to Lolo, a guy he has to work with on a case about relationships, and even this kid tells him to get it together and make his move.
It’s been frustrating for years that the series has handled Kevin’s romantic relationships so differently from those of others on the show.
So it was hard to get excited, even during this hour, as he pined for a woman miles away because it felt like we would get more of the same.
But then she showed up at his door after he texted, and that was all well and good, but still nothing worth getting excited about — until she told him she was pregnant.
It’s such a shocking turn of events that I never saw coming. Hell, at this rate, it seemed like Kim would get pregnant before anyone else would have an arc like that.


There’s something twisted about Kevin having an endless stream of sucky relationships when they bother with them, but now, he’s about to become a father.
It’s like they skipped a zillion steps and just catapulted him to the outcome that suits his character.
Kevin has always been paternal, and he’s spent most of his life caring for his younger siblings. A parental role is familiar to him, probably more his speed than being a spouse.
But now, he has to figure out so many things. It’s still one of those storylines that gives you pause because you never know what to expect.
Would they pull this off without a hitch, or give us melodramatic spins like the baby not really being his, or the One Chicago Problematic Pregnancy Curse?


Is it something that they’dd dig into in a way that gives him a heftier, overarching plot point, or will it somehow get shuffled to the background despite how huge a life event this is?
Will this storyline be just for shock value, or will they let it blossom into a thoughtful arc that compellingly expands his character arc?
My head is spinning. I’m cautious but intrigued.
And I’m also dying to see what happens when Kim, Adam, and hell, even Voight, learn the news.
Kevin went from finally taking a step toward maybe pursuing a healthy relationship to freaking fatherhood and commitment in the blink of an eye. I’m curious about the follow-through.
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