Warning: This review contains spoilers for Chicago PD's Season 12 finale! One Chicago's police procedural has been struggling with its identity for a couple of years now. Exacerbated by some big departures, including Jesse Lee Soffer and, subsequently, Tracy Spiridakos as Jay Halstead and Hailey Upton, not to mention its storytelling format, Chicago PD has been flailing its storytelling with occasional bouts of great episodes. ittedly, while I still watch the show, it's difficult not to miss its edgier and more focused iteration.

I felt like Chicago PD season 12 was on the right path back to its old and better version, bringing in Toya Turner's Kiana Cook as the newest permanent member of Hank Voight's Intelligence Unit. That led to Burgess finally getting promoted, the introduction of a strong villain in Deputy Chief Reid, as well as the beginning of a possible romance between Voight and Nina Chapman. There was also the promise that Burgess and Ruzek would finally get married. Most of these arcs have payoffs in the Chicago PD season 12 finale, but not everything is done to my satisfaction.

Classic Hank Voight Is Back But With Major Improvements (& That's A Good Sign For Chicago PD Season 13)

Voight Reinforces The Idea That He Will Protect Intelligence At All Costs

Reid is an old-school Chicago PD villain, and I long thought that it was something the show was missing for years. Voight's best professional stories are when he is forced to play politics with higher-ups, whether to protect himself or the team. I wish we could have seen more of Reid and Voight's dynamic moving forward, considering their similarities. However, season 12's episode 22, "Vows," puts an end to the villain in a totally unpredictable way. Reid is killed, but through Voight's off-screen ministrations. While almost everyone recognizes this despite not knowing exactly what happened, Chapman is extremely disappointed.

With his wife and son gun, Intelligence is Voight's family, so he is willing to go to any lengths to make sure that they are okay.

I understand why Chapman isn't happy with what Voight did, but it also highlights how she really isn't part of his circle. Chicago PD season 12 gradually brought them closer, but while she wants more, he's hesitant. Perhaps not because he isn't attracted to her, but because, at the end of the day, his number one priority is his team. With his wife and son gone, Intelligence is Voight's family, so he is willing to go to any lengths to make sure that they are okay. I'm afraid Chapman doesn't understand that.

Voight's actions may have sabotaged his romance chances with Chapman, but it reinforces his love of his team, which I think is more important at this point in the story. So much of his story in the last couple of seasons was focused on his relationship with Halstead and Upton, leaving the rest of Intelligence sidelined. Moving forward, I hope this is an indication that Chicago PD season 13 will have more team-centric storylines instead of picking a character of the week.

Chicago PD Continues To Shortchange Burgess & Ruzek

Burgess & Ruzek's Wedding Is Insulting To Anyone Who Has Followed Their Story

While Chicago PD delivers a thrilling end to the threat of Reid, it does it at the expense of Burgess and Ruzek's wedding, and this is extremely frustrating. While Chicago Fire arguably has the most popular pairing in Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd, Intelligence's couple happens to be the longest-standing romance in One Chicago. For a decade, we've seen Burgess and Ruzek deal with relationship problems, spend time apart, grow independently, and find their way back to each other. Despite that, Chicago PD cannot even devote a portion of the season 12 finale to focusing solely on them.

Intelligence hasn't had a cause for celebration in years, and the Chicago PD season 12 finale offers the perfect opportunity for that, but they don't take it.

To make things worse, an episode titled "Vows" doesn't even feature Burgess and Ruzek saying their vows. At least Upton and Halstead got to say theirs during their shotgun courthouse marriage, which ended up in a disaster, so not to give the same courtesy to its long-time and enduring main romance is extremely disappointing. The celebration is even clipped with the last shot of Chapman in tears because of her and Voight's conflict. Intelligence hasn't had a cause for celebration in years. The Chicago PD season 12 finale offers the perfect opportunity for that, but doesn't take it.

Ultimately, I think Chicago PD should have prioritized Burgess and Ruzek over whatever tension is happening between Chapman and Voight. Not only do Marina Squerciati and Patrick Flueger deserve it after being in the show for more than a decade, the procedural also owes it to those who have been emotionally invested in this love story for years. Chicago PD has time to further explore Chapman's disappointment, but it cannot repeat this occasion. Perhaps next time, it can look at Chicago Fire in of staging a proper wedding sequence.