Chicago PD: Season 1 - Episode Seven - "The Price We Pay"

"The Price We Pay"
Written By: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas
Directed By: Mark Tinker

Plot: Justin, with blood staining his hands, tells a shocked Lindsay that he was in a bar fight, but Lindsay knows there is something else going on, and manages to coax out of Justin that he was an unwilling participant in a gangland revenge killing.

The next morning, Voight is seen meeting with his IA handler, Gradishar, who is plainly unhappy with the way their deal is progressing. Voight is supposed to be gift-wrapping big-time criminal types to Chicago PD, but it isn’t happening. She’s particularly keen to rid the streets of Maurice Owens, the guy we’ve seen paying Voight for protection. So is Voight, but he suggests to Gradishar that he doesn’t have anything big on Owens yet, so they have to wait. Needless to say, Gradishar isn’t impressed.

Voight realises that the murder was committed by the nephew of a guy he knows, but is warned off pursuing the case when it becomes clear that Justin’s involved. Enter Lindsay, who brings Justin in, and Voight’s son explains his part in the events of the night.  He was duped into being involved in the murder and Antonio decides to ignore Justin’s connection, as thanks for everything Voight did to save his own son, in the season-opening episodes. He also reveals that Gradishar came to him, wanting to make a deal for information against Voight.

The real target of the hit, Joe Catalano, turns up dead overnight, dumped into the Chicago River. Voight, despairing of his relationship with Justin – one that he admits has deteriorated since his wife died – and not wanting to become a burden to Justin, enrols his son into a military school.

Antonio goes to see Gradishar and reveals that she made an unfair example of his partner fifteen years ago, who killed himself a year later.

My Thoughts: It was always only ever going to be a matter of time before someone in IA decided to go through Voight’s squad for information, but Dawson probably wasn’t a good choice, seeing as how it was Voight’s tactics that helped save his son. Anyway, Gradishar tries and comes up short. In fact, she made a pretty big mistake.

Glad the Justin Voight storyline is over. To be honest, it was starting to get annoying, and although it was interesting to see the other side of Voight, Justin’s plots started to remind me of the ones involving Jack Bauer’s daughter in 24, as in that he’s there simply because of who is father is. Shipping Justin off to military school ties a neat bow in the story that began in Chicago Fire. 

Now, it’s onto other things.