Chicago PD Season 13 Can Finally Fix Its Most Mishandled Character With This Bold Storyline!

It’s been noticed that not every character on the show Chicago PD has had equal screen time, but one character, Voight, seems to have been handled poorly and the series now has a great opportunity to rectify this. Characters like Voight, Ruzek, and Burgess have been in the spotlight more than others lately, while some other characters get to lead an episode sporadically.

It’s not uncommon for a network series like Chicago PD, but season 13 might significantly spotlight an under-appreciated character. Reid’s demise may have far-reaching impacts on the entire Intelligence Unit, and a plotline stemming from this has already been subtly prepared even before the Chicago PD season 12 finale.

Kevin Atwater Has Been Chicago PD’s Most Mishandled Character For Years

He Largely Only Features In Gang-Related Storylines

A few factors prevent “Chicago PD” from being the top cop show at present, and one of these issues lies in the fact that the Intelligence Unit’s undercover operations appear inconsistent, especially when it comes to Kevin Atwater regularly infiltrating street gangs, which seems unlikely given his frequent use.

It’s important to note that this isn’t strictly a race issue, but the observation holds some validity. It’s not feasible to simply swap Kim for a game of soccer with Mello Buckzz and the NLMB. However, it does seem constraining to Atwater’s character development. Additionally, Atwater’s past storylines, such as those involving his father or his recent relationship with a forensic therapist named Val, have faced some challenges.

In the realm of network television, professional ethics are often flexible rather than rigid, so while it’s not supposed to happen, Atwater can technically still interact with Val after changing therapists. However, Chicago PD’s season 10 significantly hints that Atwater struggles as an undercover officer, a point further emphasized in season 12.

Atwater’s Work With The Urban Vision Community Center Could Have Been His Best Season 12 Story

His Community Initiative Episode Was Left On A Cliffhanger

The relationship between Atwater and Val is significantly developed in Season 12, episode 17, making it a standout storyline of the season for Atwater. However, it’s regrettable that Kevin’s most captivating narrative arc in Chicago PD season 12 was his community work with his friend Hype, as the “Street Jesus” plotline didn’t offer much new insight into Atwater’s character.

In the midst of their efforts to publicize the Urban Vision Community Center, an unexpected turn of events occurs due to a local drug conflict, causing Atwater to go undercover. When it’s discovered that Atwater has gone undercover, Voight, inexplicably, decides to put Hype in harm’s way by sending him undercover with a wire to monitor a suspect who had just proven his uncanny ability to detect police officers.

This inevitably results in Hype’s demise, leaving the cliffhanger of the youth center’s storyline unresolved because Hype was the primary advocate for change within his community. Voight chooses to conceal Hype’s cooperation with CPD to uphold his legacy, but it remains uncertain whether this legacy ultimately had any lasting impact, a question that season 13 must resolve.

Reid’s Death Can Lead To Atwater Playing A More Prominent Role In Chicago PD Season 13

One Of Voight’s Team Helping The Community Is A Wise PR Move

Leaving Chicago PD by Toya Turner’s character Kiana Cook signifies that her family conflicts won’t be resolved, but the uncertain future of the community center offers an excellent chance for LaRoyce Hawkins’ character Kevin Atwater to step up. Since the demise of Hype, Kevin is now the ideal candidate to carry on Urban Vision’s mission of helping at-risk youth in a particularly dangerous gang-infested part of Chicago.

The very act that Hype was linked with bringing down a ruthless drug dealer could have damaged his image, demonstrating the importance of grassroots efforts. Moreover, after Reid’s passing in Chicago PD‘s 12th season, Voight might leverage the favorable coverage from his officer’s community work to sway jurors towards him if Chapman charges him with the murder of the deputy chief.

This means that Kevin will play a crucial part in the main storyline of Chicago PD‘s thirteenth season. The process called voir dire is used to eliminate jurors with strong feelings towards police, but unfortunately, Chapman can’t completely stop some jurors who link the CPD with Urban Vision from being selected. This could ironically lead to Atwater’s most significant conflict throughout the season.

Atwater’s Community Initiative Work Can Put Reid’s Last Words To Voight Into New Perspective

Kevin Could Reveal What Voight And Reid Truly Have In Common

In the present narrative, Atwater’s romantic tale with Val in Chicago PD is his main focus, with no other significant plots unfolding for him yet. However, since the community center was still collecting funds during the tragic incident involving Marcus “Hype” Daniels, there’s a lot of unfinished business to attend to. If Atwater were to act upon Voight’s suggestion and get involved, it could potentially lead to future conflicts between them.

Connecting the unit to community outreach for PR purposes would exploit at-risk individuals in a way reminiscent of Reid, with the exception that Reid’s exploitation generally didn’t conflict with righteous endeavors.

In the world of Chicago PD, Atwater already had grounds for being upset with Voight regardless. Hank scolded Kevin for not mentioning Hype’s name to CPD sooner, but it’s unclear if this wouldn’t have ended up getting him in trouble anyway. Given that the series could delve deeper into Voight’s exploitative nature through Urban Vision, Atwater stands to gain the most by challenging the sergeant on these matters.

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2025-07-05 03:18