Chicago Season 12 Episode 16 Centers Burgess in Compelling Hour that Sees Burzek Holding Strong

Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

4.2

One of Chicago PD Season 12‘s most interesting aspects is its creative approach to episodes.

We see it during installments that focus heavily on cases while still balancing out personal elements through camera work, direction, and some plot points.

And Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 16 was one of those hours.

The Hour Centers Burgess in a Really Creative, Lovely Manner

In many ways, this season has felt like it belonged to Burgess and, by extension, Burzek.

Kim has grown significantly, and we’ve seen it subtly during installments that may not feature her and in the many installments that do.

She had a lot going on at home and work; this was an hour when things converged.

Burgess is juggling planning a wedding with the love of her life, being a mom and spouse, and doing a ridiculous amount of work for Reid.

I was curious how a diner would come into play and how random that would be if we had never heard of or seen her have a connection like that.

But in an unusually long but well-executed opener, the hour treated us to Burzek’s home life and how bogged down Burgess has been at work.

Sadly, she couldn’t focus at home, with a neighbor playing obnoxiously loud music at unbearable hours, Mack playing on her game, and Ruzek taking phone calls and other things.

The Diner Case Was a Unique Premise

The overstimulation was enough to put me on edge, too (and goodness, I could relate to working under such chaos), and that drove her to a diner close to home.

What started as a one-time thing became a routine, and I love that Ruzek respected that she needed that space and time away.

Diner episodes are such a classic staple for series, and I never anticipated that Chicago PD would do one nor pull it off, but they did.

The montage conveyed how Burgess became a regular and even managed to connect with some of the staff and other patrons. A standout for me was young Krissy, who was studying Ancient History and seemed like a genuine sweetheart.

Seeing that she was one of the casualties of the diner shooting broke my heart. She was too pure for this world and deserved better.

Fortunately, Burgess missed all the action, but she arrived shortly after it, and that’s how Intelligence picked up such an unusual case.

Naturally, Burgess was invested in it, and we saw that the whole way through. Although she jumped the gun a bit with Neal, she was otherwise devoted to finding justice for Marge and the other victims.

Burgess Served as the Ultimate Asset During the Case

One of the standout moments of the hour was how Ruzek helped Burgess through remembering. It was reminiscent of the cognitive interviews on Criminal Minds.

Ruzek was right in that Burgess never shuts off her brain, and she could pick up plenty of things if he prompted her enough to remember.

She could recall a lot when she tapped into it, and she was instrumental in finding leads in the case.

Of course, one of them was Neal. While it was apparent early on that he likely wasn’t the guy, it made sense why they would fixate on him.

He was at the diner, escaped, and sustained an injury but wanted to stay out of everything.

They made such a big deal out of the fact that Neal showed up at the diner every night, hated the food, complained, but still kept showing up anyway. And it was easy to wonder why that was the case.

Neal Was a Shockingly Heartbreaking Character In This Case

But once Burgess realizes that Marge is fond of Neal and that he isn’t a bad guy, she can push him enough to find out the truth.

He went there as part of his grieving process, and he ordered food he didn’t like because it was what his late wife used to eat. Neal wasn’t a curmudgeon or a killer; he was a man in pain.

The interview session was one of the strongest moments of the hour, and as uncomfortable as it was that Kim pushed so hard, it was effective. You could see the exact moment when she pieced things together, including that Neal intended to kill himself.

It was heartbreaking, and I can appreciate installments that make me genuinely care about guest characters for their short stints on the show. My heart ached for Neal.

He went from wanting to take his own life to realizing after he witnessed the murders that he wanted to live.

Shockingly, it was Marge’s husband who murdered everyone. After experiencing some financial issues and stealing money, he wanted to shut Marge up when she intended to turn him over.

Subtle Exploration of How Serious Domestic Issues Become Made for A Strong Case

He took a diner filled with people out during the process. It’s sickening and heartbreaking, but it’s also a prime example of how domestic situations are among the most dangerous.

People are far too dismissive of domestic issues as “other people’s problems” when the reality is that they spill out and affect everyone. In this case, Marge’s husband murdered all of those people just to get to his wife.

It speaks to the dangers of those specific crimes and how they can spiral out. Perhaps that’s why it’s so infuriating when they aren’t handled appropriately or nipped in the bud.

(Hiatuses suck, but we’ve made it to the other side of this one! That’s right; Chicago PD is back with an all-new episode, and it’s an intriguing Kim-centric that implies that the series may get a bit creative with their latest case. Let’s just say it involves a diner and Kim’s memory. When we last left things, Voight enlisted the help of Chapman to orchestrate something to take down Reid during Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 15. It’ll likely be something she has to figure out, as the best approach with someone like Reid is gathering enough evidence that could bury him. From the sounds of things, there’s plenty of intel out there, and he has quite the reputation, but in the meantime, Voight and Intelligence remain under his thumb for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, he won’t have his fingerprints all over the upcoming case. With the revolving roster of character centrics, we’re circling back to Burgess, who is slowly emerging as the season’s MVP. During this installment, we can expect a case-heavy hour to introduce a fascinating case involving something different for Intelligence. We’re treated to Burgess, who is connected to an event at a regular diner she’s been attending. This is brand-new information, as I cannot recall ever hearing about her having a steady diner where she goes and hangs out, catches up on work, and enjoys a hot meal. But it’s at least a change of pace from Ruzek or Voight’s cop bars. Unfortunately, a series of murders happen at this diner when someone kills four regulars. Burgess describes it as a “massacre” in the promo. She’s been hanging out at this diner often, possibly even every night, for some reason (wedding planning, maybe?), and she’s essentially an asset for this entire case because of her experience. She’ll have flashbacks or do mental mapping that involves walking through her own memory, trying to pinpoint clues and little moments that may give them a possible lead. Yes, we’ve often occasionally compared the series to Criminal Minds when they have these heavy case-centered episodes. I’m willing to toss the comparison out again only because the promo and stills tease that Ruzek may employ a cognitive interview approach with Burgess. Because of her familiarity and natural gifts as a seasoned detective, he hopes that walking through some of what she may have seen, heard, smelled, or whatever else she may have experienced in the many nights she sat there may help them solve the case. It’s a unique concept for Criminal Minds, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll venture from the diner too much in this one, so the prospect of it sounds incredible and fascinating all on its own. The hour may be another way of challenging Burgess or seeing what more she can do. Of course, because of its possibly unique concept, this one may be an acquired taste for some if it doesn’t play out like a traditional installment of the series. Another exciting component in this one is that we have Ruzek, Cook, and Atwater heavily present. They all get along so well and are great characters to pair up with or what have you during all of this. Something about Kiana’s photos also suggests she may be playing an undercover role at some point in the hour. Maybe she’ll head into the diner to stake things out herself, posing as a customer, or she’ll want to quickly establish herself as a “regular,” too. Whatever the case may be, if she’s going undercover, it’s guaranteed to be a scene-stealing moment or two because Kiana has already proven herself adept at that. Some of her best moments thus far have been how easily she can transition into a role for the nature of a case. We don’t see Torres in the photo stills or the promo, so he may be sitting this particular episode out. Nevertheless, the rest of the team may come in strong for this one, supporting Kim and helping her solve this case. The installment teases the possibility of something unique. It’ll either go over incredibly well for views or possibly bomb if it stray too far from what the audience generally loves. But Chiago PD Season 12 has done a great job taking some creative risks and diversifying their approach to tackling cases and telling stories. Notably, Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 5 was one of the best examples of this. Will this latest episode be another? We’ll have to see on Wednesday when Chicago PD joins the rest of the One Chicago lineup with all-new episodes. Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. Are you looking forward to this one? Let’s hear your thoughts and theories below!)

Another great aspect of this was the red herrings. On paper, someone could’ve easily thought Boscoe was guilty because of his wrap sheet when, really, he died trying to take down the real killer.

I love a great redemption story. Although, it’s unfortunate when it ends in tragedy.

Burgess handled this case remarkably well, showing how much she’s come to excel at the job. She’s really become such a seasoned detective and character.

Why is Reid Obsessed with Burgess?

But I’m curious about why Reid is so interested in her. Why is he sending her all of this work to do? What’s the endgame there?

He’s had this weird fixation on Burgess for a long time, well before she became a detective. Then, during Chicago PD Season 12 Episode 6, he made it seem like he sealed her promotion with an unspoken caveat. Is this the caveat?

It’s all been so stressful that Burgess and Ruzek have been struggling. Life keeps kicking them, and they keep taking hits. But they have each other and keep leaning on one another, and they’re at the strongest point they’ve ever been as a couple.

Ruzek supported Burgess the entire installment, and we saw many great moments when they touched base. But it was so rewarding at the end of the hour when Burgess thought about how stressed Ruzek had been, too.

They needed to book that hotel for a weekend getaway to reconnect with each other and relax a bit. Burgess is right; this is one of the happiest times of their lives, and they deserve to enjoy it.

My heart swelled at that ending with the two. They’re so beautiful together, and ugh, they really are getting me in some Burzek feelings.

Other Tidbits:

I will never not love the hell out of a KiKi pair-up.
Kiana’s hair was fabulous!
Garcia was really hot and also had gorgeous hair. I need the hair care routine immediately!
I really missed Torres, and it sucks that they didn’t even give us a reason why he was gone.
Burgess with that kill shot? Magnificent! I couldn’t think of a better end for that man; sorry, not sorry.
I didn’t expect to enjoy this installment as much as I did, but Chicago PD continues to surprise me.

Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.

What did you think about this one? Why is Reid working Burgess so hard? Sound off below!

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