The Chicago Code "Grills, Chase & Baby Face" Review

On Twitter, someone asked Shawn Ryan whether or not the third episode would show Gibbons as a bad, corrupted man because, in the first two episodes, the writers (through Teresa) only told people that Gibbons is the chief problem in Chicago. Ryan assured the questioner that it'd be rectified in "Gillis, Chase & Baby Face." Indeed, the episode belongs to Delroy Lindo's Alderman Ronin Gibbons. We see firsthand how Gibbons leverages power in Chicago and that informs the audience about how he became as powerful and influential as he currently is. Also, he's not a virtuous man.

Gibbons appointed Teresa as the city's superintendent because he believed he could keep the woman in line; he believed that she would abide by what he says; however, in the face of more and more pressure from Colvin, Gibbons decides to push back. He realizes that she won't cop to corruption or allow her force to be bought. Aware that the police department has a morale problem (morale problem is putting it lightly), Gibbons goes straight-for-the-heart with Gibbons. Teresa's new Chief-of-Staff experiences the same negative feelings as the rest of the force does towards his boss. Hampton, the chief-of-staff, understands Colvin's desire to arrest Gibbins so she can clean up the city that ruined her parent's marriage and her father's life. Hampton approaches Gibbons about a deal. Hampton proposes to keep Gibbons ahead of the Colvin curb if, in exchange, he receives an off-the-books monthly stipend. Teresa's stunned when Gibbons presents her with the recorded audio. If she wants to shut down the construction area then he's going to address the media about the police corruption problem.

The A story gives Delroy Lindo and Jennifer Beals plenty to work with. Both are terrific throughout, especially Lindo who plays Gibbons like a smooth serpent. The unspoken stand-off between the two powerful individuals is a snapshot of the current situation in Chicago. Gibbons wields the ultimate power. Teresa cannot hope to bring the man down when she can't even keep her own officers in place which is, essentially, what Gibbons expresses during his meeting with Teresa about Hampton. Soon, one of Gibbon's men (appointed by the mayor) becomes Teresa's new chief-of-staff. He is Lt. Kelly and, a few scenes before, he assisted Gibbons in planting child pornography in Killian's garage (Killian's a powerful force in the Irish Mob) after Killian threatened Gibbons' power. In the final scene, Teresa states how wrong she was about Gibbons with Kelly and Jarek in the room but she and Jarek will continue their attempts to bring down Alderman Ronin Gibbons. The task is just harder now.

In the B story, Jarek's place within Colvin's life has jeopardized his relationship with his fellow police officers on the street. The case-of-the-week involves a paranoid bank robber who shot both of the individuals who assisted in the robbery. The case itself is secondary to what happens within the police force as they try to catch the bank robber Robbins. Jarek calls for back-up when he and Caleb prepare to arrest Robbins; however, no one responds to the call because officers have chosen to freeze Jarek out because they suspect he's feeding Teresa a list of names for her to fire from the police force. Moosekian led the charge and the decision backfires because Jarek's forced to kill the suspect. Moosekian's plan nearly resulted in the death of a little girl. The story shows how fragile and fractured the police force. Again, how can Colvin expect success when her police officers don't have one another's backs on the streets?

The Chicago Code's 3-for-3 thus far. The "Pilot" remains my favorite episode but the last two episodes have successfully expanded the show's scope. The various battles for power or respect or against the corruption are immensely interesting and I look forward to the rest of the season.

Other thoughts:

-The chase in the teaser was expertly shot. It was full of energy, intensity and beautiful shots of the city of Chicago.

-Liam continues to walk a delicate line as an undercover cop. While he swears that his line is secure, anything he heard from the Irish Mob usually brings cops to the pub a few hours later. Eventually, one will suspect someone of wearing a wire. Liam also seems quite twitchy for an undercover cop.

-Isaac and Vonda's first day as part of the Organized Crime Department is spent giving tickets to construction workers. The task no doubt motivates Moosekian to stage his public protest to Jarek.

-An ad for Terriers can be seen during the train sequence. Ah Terries...what a show.

-Davey Holmes wrote the episode. He's a former member of The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones. Guy Ferland directed it.

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