Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 6 of Chicago P.D. Season 11, called "Survival."
The focus of Chicago P.D. shifted over to Voight for the first time in the 2024 TV schedule, with each of the previous five episodes of Season 11 (available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription) centering on one of the other members of the Intelligence Unit. The case of "Survival" quickly became personal for the sergeant after a nostalgic moment in the opening minutes, leading to a drastic decision that seems bound to continue affect him as the season continues.
What Voight Decided In "Survival"
The episode started with Voight in a bar, where an old friend handed over a Polaroid photo of none other than Justin, Voight's son who lost his way and was murdered all the way back in Season 3. Played by Josh Segarra (lately seen on ABC's Abbott Elementary as a possible love interest), Justin hasn't seemingly been on Voight's too much in more recent seasons, but that certainly wasn't the case in "Survival."
Being reminded of his late son was followed by the discovery of a 19-year-old named Noah, who was kicked out of his very religious family after they learned he was gay. The clock was ticking on the investigation, and ASA Chapman wasn't giving him as much leeway as he wanted to follow his instincts rather than a frightened young man's knee-jerk impulse.
The case was gruesome enough that I can imagine it hitting close to home even if Voight hadn't been reminded of his son earlier in the hour. Personally, I'm going to have a very hard time forgetting the visual of Noah's eyes stapled open, because OUCH!
And Voight took the case personally enough that he quite literally brought it home with him by letting Noah stay with him. The young man had nowhere else to go, and the case technically wasn't closed, so I have a hard time imagining P.D. not revisiting this storyline. Whether or not the rest of Intelligence knows or finds out is another question. Chapman only found out by chance when she dropped by Voight's place.
Is inviting Noah to stay with him the smartest decision for him as a sergeant of the CPD? Maybe not, but it's easy to understand why Voight would do it as a father still mourning his son, nearly a decade later. And it also made me think back to my recent interview with LaRoyce Hawkins, whose comments about Voight and Atwater make even more sense now.
What LaRoyce Hawkins Said About Voight In Season 11
I spoke with LaRoyce Hawkins ahead of the Atwater-centric episode that aired just one week before Voight's "Survival," and when I asked how ready his character is to step up as a leader and a mentor, Hawkins mentioned Voight as part of his response:
"Not just like a mentor to young people in the unit, but also as a support to Voight. I think that's also what Voight is looking for at this point. Who in the unit can he depend on, can he trust to protect him as well? He's getting, I don't want to say older, but more seasoned as a sergeant. How do we support him and make his job easy? I know that's something that LaRoyce Hawkins thinks about every day on the way to work. How we hold the old man up. And that's the approach for Atwater as well. You know, there's just ways to support Sarge."
Chicago P.D. doesn't often put much emphasis on Voight as a – to quote LaRoyce Hawkins – "seasoned" member of CPD, even though his experience is part of what sets him apart. The Atwater actor's comments struck me as perfectly reasonable when it comes to his character's growth; now, they hit harder by describing Voight as "the old man" who needs "support." Now, Hawkins of course wasn't suggesting that Voight is elderly, but the sergeant needing some extra support? That definitely tracks more after "Survival" than after the big Atwater episode. If only I'd known at the time!
I also looked back at what Hawkins had to say earlier this month about Atwater's changes after the time jump to Season 11 and the status quo of the Intelligence Unit. He told CinemaBlend:
"Atwater is one of those guys that just grows from everything. He has the capacity to learn lessons the hard way, and the easy way. And there are some things obviously that we've seen him go through that I think he's able to apply to how he moves. Currently, in a moment, right now, Atwater's intention, or his goal as he grows, is to be a bridge. And that intention started off as wanting to be a bridge between obviously the Black community and cops. And now that bridge has taken different forms. Like, he's now a bridge of support between the people in his unit, and the lives that he affects very personally."
There's a reason why I've been pitching Atwater as the next Intelligence officer to make detective for the past few years! A "bridge of support" within the unit seems necessary now more than ever after Voight taking the latest case so personally and bringing Noah into his home. LaRoyce Hawkins continued:
"I like to think about it like an invisible net, so to speak, that's not intrusive at all, but there just in case you fall. And I think that's the best approach that everybody in the unit is taking as we do our best to protect each other. I think we're growing more as a family, and it's hard to find balance on a job like this, but what's most important is harmony. And everybody seems to be really trusting the instrument in a way that is making beautiful cop music."
Whether the unit will continue making "beautiful cop music" together remains to be seen. With Season 11 expected to run for just 13 episodes due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, P.D. has reached the halfway point of the season. For a look at what's coming next on One Chicago's cop drama, check out the promo below:
Fans are in for a bit of a break, as Chicago P.D. (as well as Chicago Med and Chicago Fire) won't return with new episodes until March 20. The delay means One Chicago viewers can only speculate about Goodwin's bad news on Med and the aftermath of how Brett departed Firehouse 51 on Fire as well as Voight's decision about Noah on P.D. for the next few weeks.
