When a new character comes into a show, we definitely need to know more about them. However, Chicago PD is running the risk of doing something FBI: International did with the introduction of Imani, and it needs to hold back now.
Imani is the newest member of Intelligence, and yes, we definitely need to understand her past and what makes her twist. However, that shouldn’t come at the expense of other team members.
What mistake did FBI: International make?
When FBI: International season 4 premiered, it came with a new character. Jesse Lee Soffer joined the series as Agent Wes Mitchell, taking over the Fly Team after Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester left. Of course, there was the need to get to know his character, but the show became all about Wes Mitchell.
Every case became focused on him and his past. We had agents at the top finding a way to plant moles to take him down, and we have his ex turning up for help with a case. It just became all about him, leading to other characters being left out in the cold. In fact, it led to a huge cliffhanger at the end of the fourth season, which would become the series finale, and the fourth season ended up feeling anti-climactic and inferior to the previous three seasons.
Now, Chicago PD runs the risk of that. There is so much focus on Imani that Burgess and Platt have been forgotten about.
Chicago PD needs to remember there’s an entire team
Platt did get an amazing episode that was heartbreaking on so many levels. That also allowed for Burgess to shine a little more, as she was able to look at the entire situation in an impartial way. However, outside of that episode, the two have barely had time on the screen. They are there in supportive roles to help with figuring out a case, but it’s rare that they’ve taken charge.
Instead, Imani has stepped up in more prominent ways. She helped Torres get to the bottom of the Odell Morgan case, and she’s been there when Voight got the letters with pictures of his past. Then there have been episodes that have been heavily focused on her, such as with finding Julie and the most recent case involving the boy who went missing 18 years earlier.
There’s clearly more to Imani, as she noted to Voight that maybe she was turning out like the mom, holding onto false hope as she continued to search for her sister. This hints that there is much more to Imani’s story to play out, but it means that there will be less time on other members of Intelligence as this happens.
Chicago PD already has a bit of an issue with finding a way for the Intelligence team members getting the right amount of screentime, and putting so much focus on Imani could cause a bigger problem. The series needs to find balance for all before it runs into the problem FBI: International had.
Chicago PD will return with new episodes on Wednesday, March 4 on NBC.