How about that heat wave? Tonight’s episode was all about atmosphere, something that The Chicago Code has worked hard to create, making a living, breathing city come to life and function as a view of the real Chicago. It also showed off just how strongly the show has managed to develop its key characters, so much so that both the atmospheric elements and strength of character covers up an underlying weakness in plot.
Instead of breaking down into easily digestive A, B, and C plots, “Wild Onions” is far more of an ensemble piece, giving equal time to Jarek and Evers investigating the shooting of an ice cream truck driver, Superintendent Colvin taking on another driver after her protégé Santiago was shot and killed at the end of the pilot, Vonda and Isaac on beat cop patrol during the heat wave and rolling blackout, and finally, Liam helping Alderman Gibbons deliver water to constituents.
As outlined earlier, the myriad plots in the episode don’t come together very well, and they’ve got their share of plot holes. Jarek gets into a tiff with another officer over taking the case of the murdered ice cream man, and after a confrontation with Colvin, has to partner with the same guy in finding the killer. That whole plot solves itself a little too easily, but the character moments that move outwards to encapsulate how Evers learns to restrain his emotions to a manageable level when dealing with the orphaned son of the ice cream man is the payoff.
Superintendent Colvin gets a new driver, former marine Ray, who’s done two tours of duty in Iraq and obviously manages to prove himself throughout the day with Colvin, working an attempted armed robbery as well as standing up to her and providing night security. It veers towards romantic tension, but not nearly as much as the storyline for Vonda and Isaac, who go on patrol through the streets. During a rolling blackout an angry kid fires shots at them, and while chasing through a dark housing project, it’s clear that Vonda fears for Isaac’s life in a romantic way. The show pulls off chase scenes incredibly well with compelling visuals, but the obvious direction these two have been going in makes the whole “partners becoming partners” conclusion hollow, predictable, and boring.
Underneath everything is the idea that when heat waves in Chicago increase crime, the cops have a duty to step up their patrol, and government officials look out for their constituents. Gibbons in particular gets his hands dirty in this regard, overseeing water distribution to the elderly members of his ward, and enlisting Liam and the Irish mob member who leads the team of arsonists to make house calls and deliver cases of bottled water. Liam sees firsthand the nicer side of Gibbons, the one that cares so much about his constituents that he’s out helping with his sleeves rolled up, unlike any other politician who would easily sit in air conditioned rooms looking out at other poor unfortunate souls. When one of Liam’s last deliveries leads him to discover a woman dying of heat stroke, it’s a very nice touch that his police instincts kick in to save the woman, so drastically that it risks blowing his cover.
Of course Liam is conflicted when he sees just how much Gibbons cares about the people, though Jarek attempts to deflect that image to one where the Alderman simply sees the people as votes, but the truth is much more complicated. Gibbons walks the walk, he truly does care about the people he represents, but he goes about helping them in a patchwork and public fashion, the way that gets him a lot of recognition but does nothing to change the power structure with him sitting at the top. That’s the key difference. He wants to help the people insofar as it will maintain his power, and when Liam demonstrates his ability to take care of Gibbon’s interests, the Alderman offers him a cushy position on the city payroll, effectively inviting him even further inside the ring of corruption.
I’ve said it over and over again, but Delroy Lindo is by far the breakout star of the series, and the complicated nature of his character has managed to raise the level of Liam’s contribution to the show, but the romantic plotlines with Vonda and Isaac, as well as the unfortunate romantic implications of Colvin and Ray distract from the great work the show has done in creating a believable atmosphere. They’re building a lot of horizontal knowledge, but now all that needs to be added is a way in which that development can be braided in such a way that it drives the plot of taking down Gibbons forward towards a compelling conclusion in the coming weeks.
Final Grade: B+
Other Notes:
In the pilot Vonda cries to Isaac that she doesn’t want him to get hurt, and here we are seven episodes later finally getting into their relationship in an explicit fashion. There’s been tension the whole season, and I wonder what kinds of trouble this will stir up.
We ramp back up with the Cubs/Sox banter tonight, with the background touch of interleague play going on during the heat wave. I wonder if the rolling blackouts affected US Cellular or Wrigley.