SPOILER ALERT AND WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chicago PD Season 13, Episode 16. It also contains discussion of sexual assault.

Chicago PD Season 13, Episode 16 is a Dante Torres episode, which makes it a reminder of how underrated actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar is as well. The NBC show stuck Torres in the same place for far too long, but “Restoring” is a reminder of what the character actually brings to the table. Yet that’s all the hour puts on the table.

That’s because for an episode that starts talking about restorative justice, and even takes its title from the idea, it really doesn’t make good use of the topic at all. It may begin with an example of how restorative justice is meant to work, but then Chicago PD devolves from that into its regular case of the week format. Not only that, but the character who’s supposed to be doing the restoring turns out to be the biggest villain. Audience members who aren’t familiar with the concept of restorative justice may leave this episode thinking that it doesn’t actually work, and that’s an unfortunate impression to make. Anyone curious who wants to see a better take on the subject should check out the final season of All Rise, in which it was a major plot point over multiple episodes.

But All Rise had more time to tell that story, and it was also a show that wanted to say something. Chicago PD, in contrast, is more entertaining than compelling. It’s certainly tried to comment on different issues, but it’s fallen into a routine of focusing on one particular main character and telling the most dramatic story for that character, with everything else kind of fading into the background. “Restoring” is another example of that. It’s got a lot for Benjamin Levy Aguilar to do, and audiences are going to fall in love with Dante Torres over again. They can see how much he cares, particularly in the last two scenes. And it’s just great to see an episode that focuses on his strengths as a character, instead of all of the angst he carried around for so long.

Yet the plot is another of those that seems like it exists mostly to put the featured character through the wringer. The audience likely won’t want to watch it again, either. That’s because in order to have a case for the team to solve, Chicago PD goes from restorative justice to murder to sexual assault. It’s revealed that the victim wasn’t murdered by the other teenager he had issues with; he was actually killed by the suspect’s younger sister, whom he had previously assaulted. All of the guest characters are painted in pretty unflattering lights here, with Torres trying to navigate through a story that gets worse and worse.

There’s also a genuinely cringe-worthy sequence in which Torres talks to the suspect’s girlfriend, who’s recently given birth to their baby. She’s annoyed at being stuck in the interrogation room, and starts complaining about how she’s lactating before she’s provided with a breast pump. There is no reason to be hearing any of this; it doesn’t add anything to the plot. It just feels like the script trying to be edgy.

“Restoring” sends a message contrary to its title. It leaves viewers with the feeling that nothing can really be fixed, even as Torres tries to put the same fence back together. It certainly doesn’t do anything with his interest in restorative justice, which is actually a perfect fit for his character with his complicated past. Yet this episode seems to suggest that concept doesn’t work in the Chicago PD world, because everything still ends in the same place. Benjamin Levy Aguilar does everything possible here and should be lauded for it, but the writing lets him down.

Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.