Weebles wobble, but they don’t stay down, and neither does Kim Burgess.
She had a rough go of it trying to work herself back into the job with the likes of Ruzek, Voight, and Trudy worried about her. But on Chicago PD Season 9 Episode 2 an hour that felt ripped from an installment of Law & Order: SVU, she was the key to capturing or killing a rapist and abuser.
It’s safe to say that Burgess won’t be taking that desk duty job after all.
The case-centric hours are usually when this series is at its best. And this one was brutal because of the violence involved. The title of the hour was apt for the circumstances surrounding Franklin abusing his power and taking out his rage on the women he’s supposed to be helping.
Unsurprisingly, the hour had Kim recovering from another bout of brutalization at the hands of a man while working another case about violent crimes unleashed on women.
It’s become a Kim Burgess staple, and while there are some issues with her more centric hours always consisting of the same types of storylines and subject matter, there’s no denying that Kim is always at her best during them.
Marina Squerciati kills it every single time, and this was no exception.
She had more reason than ever to reconsider her job and whether or not she wanted to partake in it again after what she endured. It’s one thing if she was still a single woman, but she’s a mother now, and that’s given her a different perspective on matters.
Ruzek took one errant comment and ran with it, kickstarting a chain of events where both Trudy and Voight wondered if Kim was serious about stepping back from the unit.
Burgess: I’m not ready.
Ruzek: You sure?
Burgess: Yeah, who knows if I’ll ever be ready.
And it was something that bothered both of them. The one thing the hour missed was Trudy having a heart-to-heart with Kim. Her relationship with Trudy is one of the most underrated dynamics of the series.
Trudy is someone of whom Kim could’ve bounced her feelings off without dealing with too much prodding. But to his credit, Ruzek is nothing but supportive of everything that Kim wants and needs.
Their arrangement where they’re co-parenting Makayla works for them, and it’s nice to know that he’s stepping up in a big way with the young girl with Kim still in a fragile state.
They’re a family in the truest sense of the word, so Ruzek’s intentions were well and good when he asked about that desk job so Kim could have options just in case.
Voight’s advice to her was sound. He wasn’t trying to push her back into the job per se, but he did want her to see if she was capable of doing what she loved before she made a life-altering decision.
She needed to know that if she chose to take a desk job, it was because of her inability to face the job after her traumatic experience, but it was a choice.
He didn’t want her fear or anything else to take what should be a choice away from her. Otherwise, it would’ve haunted her.
And they gave her things to get her back out there. As brutal as this case was, it was a good one to re-implement Kim. It was no way she wouldn’t hear the details of it without wanting to get involved.
It’s something she would’ve had a vested interest in for a plethora of reasons, and in the end, it was the connection she was able to forge with Sarah that broke the case open for them.
Kim coming off of a brutal attack of her own put her in a unique position to commiserate with Sarah in a way that the others couldn’t, and it was probably comforting, in some twisted way, that Sarah met a cop who struggled with similar things as a victim.
The case was gut-wrenching. One’s heart broke for the young Ava when Ruzek and Atwater found her.
The second Ruzek met up with her for their first meeting — it was evident that things would go awry. She had such a naivete to her, and she was earnest to make the arrangement work and get money for the information she provided.
Before you make any decisions, any decisions, you got to give yourself a chance to see if you can do the job again, if you want to, you gotta make sure it’s a choice.
Voight
Ruzek warning her about not setting off suspicion was forboding. But it was a heck of a twist learning that nothing Ava did tip off anyone.
What happened to her wasn’t a result of the information she was sharing. Franklin always had the upper hand, and he would’ve killed her regardless.
It seemed to be his modus operandi. He brutalized Casey in unspeakable ways — and the personal nature of stabbing and shooting someone 20 times gave insight into how twisted he was and the relationships he had with these women.
He took advantage of his authority and that people wouldn’t believe parolees. What was worse was how sincere he sounded when Atwater and Ruzek first talked to him.
You’d have never guessed he was the person behind Ava’s killing.
Sarah was crucial to the unit finding out that Franklin was behind everything, especially when her ex tipped Kim off. But pointing the finger at a parole officer with as much power as Franklin was a risk, and for a bit, it didn’t seem as if they could hold him down.
You could understand why Sarah bolted.
Anytime Kim goes undercover, it’s a treat, especially when she gets in character and has a different aesthetic. She was rocking the eyeliner, and Franklin was convinced.
Franklin’s bloodthirst and power-tripping meant that he would make a move to take Kim no matter what. It’s probably the real reason he showed up when she claimed Sarah wanted hush money.
Killing his victims was getting too good to him, and he thought he was invincible.
Fortunately, the unit was able to adapt and give Kim the berth to trust her instincts and get what they needed to take Franklin down.
Kim catching Franklin was expected, but it was shocking that the case ended with her killing the man. It was a good shoot, thank goodness, but it wasn’t the outcome one would expect for Kim’s first day back on the job.
The awkwardest parts of the hour were when Hailey stood tight-lipped and listened to Kim talk about difficulties bouncing back from what happened to her and how it feels knowing that she hasn’t caught the man who shot her.
As expected, Roy getting away is eating away at Kim. She probably wouldn’t have caved and begrudgingly immersed herself in this case if not for her believing that Roy is still out there.
She doesn’t have the closure she needs and deserves, and she’s not at peace. She may never be, but she’s also determined to get justice.
Channeling all of that into getting justice for everyone she helps is sufficient for now, but it doesn’t seem like Kim is letting go of finding Roy.
It keeps changing on me, mymemory. It keeps playing tricks on me. It’s the fear I think. But the one thing I do know is that he’s still out there, and I would do anything to bring him in.
Kim
Hailey knows the truth, and it’s killing her to keep quiet. Hailey overhearing how vulnerable Kim is and how the unknown regarding Roy affects her PTSD must be hard.
The truth could give Kim the closure she needs and help her emotionally heal, but it could cost Hailey everything.
How long before Hailey breaks down and tells Kim the truth? It doesn’t look as if Hailey can manage all of the guilt she’s feeling. She looks like she’s ready to spill the beans any minute.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.
Are you happy Kim got back into the fold? How long before Hailey spills the beans to Kim or anyone? Hit the comments below!
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.