SPOILER ALERT AND WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Chicago PD Season 13, Episode 21. It also contains discussion of suicide and other topics that may be upsetting to readers.
The Chicago PD Season 13 finale is surprisingly atypical. The NBC drama normally ends its seasons with some controversial thing that Hank Voight did or is going to do, and the rest of Intelligence either reacts to it or it’s a part of a larger story. “Born or Made” completely belongs to Arienne Mandi as Eva Imani, and even Voight is standing in her shadow.
That part isn’t a shock; fans have known for a while that the season would end with the truth about Imani’s missing sister, and the finale even picks up exactly where Episode 20 left off. But it’s still refreshing that this isn’t one of the countless stories of Voight getting into or out of trouble. And it’s a bold choice to center the finale—typically one of the biggest episodes of any TV season—on the show’s newest character, whom audiences are just getting to know. But Mandi’s performance has been so good all season that she’s earned that distinction. Viewers care enough about Imani that they want to follow the end of her saga.
There’s still a “Voight does something” moment, as he bashes suspect Russ Kirby’s head in with a basement door. But that’s just part of the episode, and not something that the other characters have to cover up or argue about. In fact, given how creepy this storyline is, the audience is pretty much fine with it. The whole “it’s okay that my adoptive father is also my husband because we’re not biologically related” argument is one of the more disturbing things that Chicago PD has ever come up with, which is saying something on a TV show that’s known for being grim and dark.
But that’s where the Season 13 finale falls back into line. There is another version of “Born or Made” that just ends with Kirby being arrested, and Shari recovering and having a chance at a happier life with her sister. That more straightforward story would’ve satisfied fans just fine. Yet that doesn’t fit with the Chicago PD ethos, where there’s more often than not a bad ending. Instead, audiences learn that Shari has been lying to Imani all along, that it was her and not Kirby who killed Laura Kerr, and she almost murders Imani. And as if that’s not enough, Shari then attempts suicide after Kirby dies. It’s all a bit much; the script could’ve eased off a little, such as nixing the suicide attempt, and still had the same dramatic impact. Or just cut Imani (and the folks watching at home, and Imani’s late parents for that matter) a break.
Because of the strong emphasis on Imani and Shari, this is an episode where everyone else but Voight fades into the background. Normally that’s an issue for Chicago PD, yet in the finale the work done by Mandi and by guest star Selin Cuhadaroglu as Shari is so strong that the viewer doesn’t mind the narrow focus. It would actually be a distraction to pull too far away from them. Even when the script gets glaringly obvious—like when Shari convinces Imani that they have to go alone—the actors make it work. Imani’s almost painful naivete makes sense, despite the cynicism fans have seen all season, because she’s so desperate to save her sister.
There’s a psuedo-cliffhanger here, as “Born or Made” ends with Imani asking Voight if Shari is going to be charged with Laura Kerr’s murder, and Voight just giving her his patented “you know the answer to that” look. It’s left open-ended, but it’s also entirely possible that Chicago PD Season 14 begins with a time skip and all of this is in the past. Frankly, that would be a better option both for Imani as a character and for the show. Imani doesn’t need to keep being crushed emotionally, and with her sister’s storyline being one of the most prominent subplots in Season 13, it’s just more efficient to close the chapter for the time being and start fresh. But the Chicago PD Season 13 finale is a devastatingly powerful outing for both Imani as a character and Arienne Mandi as an actor, and that’s what viewers are going to remember. Imani is no longer just the new arrival; she’s a character this show can build its future around.
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.
