Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Snitch
Lizzy Buczak
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Sometimes, people don't talk because they are afraid of getting deported.
On Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 4 they're afraid of being killed for being a "snitch."
Ruzek and the rest of the Intelligence unit are putting in some mad overtime as they work an undercover assignment, which goes south when Ruzek is made.
From the get-go, you knew these guys wouldn't believe a white guy, who occasionally wears eyeliner and is named Billy. I actually snorted everytime Curtis and Andre called him Billy.
Shortly after Curtis and Andre picked up interference from the transmitter, Eddy, who was working with "Billy," was killed.
One of Ruzek's faults has always been that he gets too emotionally involved.
I ain't going out like that, like a snitch.
Eddy
While I can understand that seeing a man you work with pay the ultimate price is upsetting, it comes with the job.
And Eddy, despite being a nice dude, was doing illegal things.
Ruzek is convinced Curtis and Andre are to blame for the shooting, but as always, no evidence, no witnesses, no case.
And no one is willing to talk because of the "no snitch" code, which Ruzek finds surprising because his white privilege has shielded him from the hardships of growing up in a bad neighborhood.
In this part of town, the phrase "snitches get stitches" is all too real. Except instead of stitches, they get buried. Everyone is looking out for themselves or their family; otherwise, they'll end up cold like Eddy.
In fact, that's what happened to Eddy's brother Roland. He was so scared that someone would come after him if they knew he was there when his brother got shot, he actually left him to die alone.
Roland summed it up perfectly when he vehemently defended his decision not to speak up, "He's gone, I still gotta live here."
What I found to be so messed up about this whole "no snitch" policy is that even if you don't rat someone out, they still come for you. Roland kept his mouth shut and still turned up dead in his store because they needed to tie up loose ends.
It was upsetting because he was a good guy who was a victim because the cops couldn't protect him after putting him in the spotlight. Which goes back to the rule of thumb in these predominantly African American neighborhoods: if you don't trust the cops, you don't cooperate.
For the most part, cops only want info but aren't there to protect or offer witness protection.
Even Voight was skeptical when Atwater brought in his 15-year-old brother Jordan to testify after witnessing Roland's murder. I applaud Atwater for trying to raise his brother with integrity; to raise him, so he looks in the mirror and knows he always did the right thing.
And while that might sound nice on paper, the reality is much grimmer. Jordan has a target on his back, and despite his promise, Atwater isn't going to be able to protect him at all times.
When Atwater was paranoid, waiting for someone to waltz in and kill his brother, I was squeezing my sweaty palms harder than he was holding that trigger.
Is the Intelligence salary really that bad? Halstead was able to afford a nice condo, so why can't Atwater?
Speaking of not having trust in the police, this was Ruzek's second time getting into a questionable situation with an African American male. While we know Andre Walker wasn't a decent man and he did act out of line, Ruzek shouldn't be so easily provoked.
Anytime a white police officer puts his hands on a black male, regardless of motive or intention, it becomes a headline.
Everyone is always watching, and like Upton mentioned when she aggressively pulled him away, there are civilian cameras and city cameras that are continuously recording, which makes it much harder to make up a lie in your defense.
Still, when it came down to it, she vouched for Ruzek, and the only witness recanted her statement. Why did she do it if she didn't do it for him?
Well knowing doesn't mean a damn thing so go out there and find something.
Voight
Did she think it was expected of her? Or is there some backstory with her getting out of line and someone helping her out? She doesn't exactly seem like the kind of cop who bends the rules.
Not to mention there's the whole police reform movement and the uppers are just waiting for them all to mess up so they can shut Intelligence down.
The whole storyline – which comes on the heels of Lindsay shoving a gun down a suspect's throat to make him talk (how annoying is it that she's not there for the consequences?) – should really tell you something about how our justice system works in Chicago.
As far as I'm concerned, Intelligence is the only squad protecting the city most of the time.
Sure, Voight goes too far sometimes and breaks some laws, but for the most part, he has the right intentions, and these are good people doing good things.
Then, there are the people who believe that the law is the law and intentions do not matter. Antonio is one of them. So is Denny.
Voight caught him chatting up a State's Attorney when he was supposed to be at parent-teacher conferences. According to Olinsky, the State's Attorney is a good friend of Denny's, who has it out for Voight and his team.
Could Antonio really be the mole? Is he feeding intel to Denny? Or is he simply trying to get info to help save Voight and his colleagues?
If Antonio came back to the unit just to backstab them, I would never be able to forgive him! And would he really want to make an enemy of Voight?
Voight has that "I'm coming for you" stare down completely, and I seriously need some lessons from him. He doesn't even flinch in the face of his worst enemy who is threatening him!
Be sure watch Chicago PD online and share your thoughts with me below!
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
