Chicago P.D. saw a big brawl in its latest episode, here’s why

The police procedural drama series Chicago P.D. aired its penultimate episode from season 12 on May 14, 2025, on NBC. Episode 21, titled Open Casket, is written by Gavin Harris and directed by Victor Macias. In the episode, Sergeant Hank Voight goes on a collision course with the Deputy Chief Charlie Reid, which culminates in Voight's IU team getting disbanded by Reid.

The series centers on the lives of the Intelligence Unit members at the Chicago Police Department's 21st District. It's co-created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead and developed by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt.

Chicago P.D. premiered season 12 on September 25, 2024, and will conclude on May 21, 2025. As the series gears up for its finale episode, here's a look at the major plotlines from episode 21.

The episode's official synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"The showdown with Deputy Chief Reid intensifies when Intelligence narrows in on Otero."

Voight and Reid's showdown in the latest Chicago P.D. episode explained

Chicago P.D. season 12 episode 21 begins with Sergeant Hank Voight, head of the Intelligence Unit, planning to take down the corrupt Deputy Chief Charlie Reid. He brainstorms with ADA Nina Chapman about their best course of action.

Meanwhile, Reid has his sights set on the drug leader Jesus Otero's drug operation. Voight informs Reid that his IU team is following a lead to capture the notorious drug dealer. The team plans to catch Otero as he deals drugs at a funeral home, but things don't go as planned. They stumble upon his son, Rennie, stealing a sizable quantity of drugs to sell off on his own, against his father's wishes.

Rennie is arrested by Adam Ruzek following a chase in which Rennie gets injured. Voight uses Rennie's arrest as leverage to seek Otero's help in exposing Reid's illegal activities. In exchange, he promises to get his son's prison sentence reduced. The IU team sets a trap for Reid by staging a fake robbery and stealing $750K from Otero.

However, Reid gets tipped off by one of Otero's men and outsmarts the team by kidnapping the drug dealer and eventually killing him.

Furious at the team's actions, Reid disbands the Intelligence Unit at the end of the Chicago P.D. episode. He goes after individual members by firing Kim Burgess for misconduct and arresting Dante Torres on similar charges. Moreover, the IU's future will be decided in a final review, which is headed by Reid himself.

What to expect from Chicago P.D. season 12 finale?

The season 12 finale episode, titled Vows, is set to premiere on May 21, 2025, on NBC. Voight will begin the episode on the backfoot but will rally his IU members to put up a strong fight against Reid to end his rampage across the city.

The episode's writer Gwen Sigan called Reid "a formidable opponent," while speaking to TV Insider, and added that Voight will have to contend with his "darker instincts" if he wants to defeat Reid for good.

The episode's official logline, as per Rotten Tomatoes, says:

"Forced to cease operations while under investigation by Internal Affairs, Intelligence goes off-book to bring down Reid once and for all; Ruzek and Burgess consider delaying their nuptials amid the uncertainty."

Watch the season 12 finale of Chicago P.D. on May 21, 2025, on NBC and Peacock.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Bhargav