Chicago P.D. is fresh off of a case that forced Atwater to face yet again the racism within the police department, and it's already clear that this week's episode isn't going to be easy on him either. The murder that kicks off the case of the week will make the investigation personal for Atwater, and a sneak peek at the new episode (seen above) suggests that Atwater is going to stop at nothing to catch the killer.
In the March 17 episode of Chicago P.D., called "Impossible Dream," the case of a local business owner gunned down in his shop becomes personal for Atwater, as he had patrolled that neighborhood when he was a young cop. In the clip, Atwater and Burgess question a pizza shop owner about the homicide that took place just across the street, and Atwater reveals that he has some history with Roy and he counts Roy as "a good friend."
Burgess at least looks sympathetic when the pizza shop owner more or less admits that he won't give information on local gang members because of his need to protect his wife and kids; it remains to be seen how Atwater will react. His statement that he doesn't intend to sleep until he catches the killer suggests that Atwater might not have the most patience this week when it comes to witnesses who won't give up information, but Atwater also isn't one of the characters who tends to get rough to get his way.
That said, after what Atwater went through at the end of Season 7 through to the first couple episodes of Season 8, on top of the case in the latest episode that had him at odds with Ruzek as well as the cop who killed a young Black man, I don't think anybody could blame Atwater for not being the most patient man in the world. "Impossible Dream" promises to be a pretty eventful episode; not only will Atwater be investigating a case that got personal, but Samantha Miller will come to Voight with a special request about Andre Cooper, played by Cleveland Berto.
Cleveland Berto actually made his Chicago P.D. debut as Andre Cooper in the previous episode as the cop fresh out of the academy partnered to the man who pulled the trigger, and Atwater and Ruzek have already met him. Assuming P.D. brings Cooper into the unit (possibly revealing what happened to Rojas in the process), the dynamic of Season 8 could change. Intelligence is a very close-knit unit not always inclined toward the straight and narrow, and newcomers sometimes to have to adjust to the way things are done.
Rojas found a way to fit in during her time with Intelligence, and Upton definitely found a place thanks to her partnership with Halstead and dynamic with most of the team, but what about Andre Cooper in an episode that could already be intense for Atwater? Fortunately, fans won't have to wait too much longer to find out. The "Impossible Dream" episode of Chicago P.D. airs on Wednesday, March 17 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med (complete with a new recent addition) at 8 p.m.
