The action-packed three-hour crossover event continued on Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 4.
On Chicago Fire Season 8 Episode 4, it was established that there was a deadly outbreak in Chicago, while Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 4, established that it was bio-terrorism, a man-made attack on the city.
To quote Will Halstead: it was apocalyptic.
Fittingly, the last installment of the crossover event focused on finding the man responsible.
No time got wasted as Intelligence jumped into figuring out who was behind the massive outbreak sending mass hysteria echoing through the city confines.
Chicago Fire Review: Infection, Part 1
Before I dive fully into this episode, I have to say that this was some excellent work on behalf of the #OneChicago team — from the writers to the directors to the actors to the makeup department.
Ruzek: You and your ex-husband built a panic room. Some of this must make sense.
Seldon’s wife: For when an outbreak happened, not for when he caused one. My ex-husband is not crazy, he’s not a monster, he dedicated his whole life to infectious disease, and it’s not paranoia. It’s fear, it’s educated and grounded fear. And look, all you have to do is turn on the news to see that there are a thousand ways the world could end. I mean, there’s climate change, and there’s famine, and there’s the war, and then there’s lack of water, and there’s disease. And the right outbreak at the right time with the right factors, it could end this race within months and that’s not paranoia. That is a truth that people can’t handle looking at. And he had to look at it every single day.
That flesh-eating bacteria was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.
It felt more like a movie than an annual crossover.
It’s taken them a few years, but they’ve perfected the formula.
Best of all, all three shows were integrated organically.
All the heavy hitters from Chicago Fire, Med, and PD were utilized accordingly throughout the entire length of the crossover making it hard to tell which show you were watching.
They embodied the word “crossover” in every sense of the way.
Everyone was affected; everyone had something at stake.
We are not going to be led on a wild goose chase, we are not going to be led into a panic, look, he’s buying time. We gotta get ahead of him now.
Voight
The final hour picked up right after Med patients broke free from quarantine, but since the episode was so intense, the moment became a blimp in the overall story.
First on the agenda was identifying the suspect.
Chicago Med Review: Infection, Part 2
While some “cases of the week” are relatively easy to crack, there wasn’t much suspicion being raised about Dr. Seldon until Halstead identified him on video.
When Seldon got revealed as the culprit, we knew everyone was in trouble, specifically Will Halstead, the woman from the CDC (whose name I do not remember), and the other lab doctors.
Seriously, how is Will always in the middle of some crazy situation?
And how is he flirting with his old schoolmate from the CDC while people are dying from gnarly infections left and right?
My working theory was that the suspect was the doctor more concerned with his research than saving human lives.
You know, the same one who refused to help find a cure because a company had a proprietary right.
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Dr. Seldon’s motives weren’t immediately clear, which made tracking him down all the more difficult.
Halstead even said that “up until today, he was an upstanding citizen.”
Seldon attempted to play a cat-and-mouse game by deliberately creating false leads to overwhelm Intelligence.
The severity of the situation called for a manhunt with Trudy Platt leading the troops to battle.
What a boss!
Fear is a funny thing. Some of the time, it brings out the worst in people. But fear also brings out our very best. We certainly saw that today. Their love, loyalty, care, and kindness, their support, generosity, and appreciation. And for a certain few among us, fear brings out something different, their choice to be heroic. To stand steady, to hold onto each other, to find a way to hold onto hope, and to lean on each other like family.
Goodwin
It’s clear why Upton was inspired by her when she was just a little girl!
Intelligence started looking into Seldon’s past to pinpoint what made him snap.
Turns out, this was all about money.
The company first mentioned in Chicago Fire by the initial carrier of the virus, BRT, refused to give Seldon funding for his research because it wasn’t profitable.
It was a “I’ll show you” plot in which Seldon attempted to infect the entire world to prove his point.
Talk about extreme.
Treadstone Review: The Cicada Protocol
It’s a little difficult to prove your point when you’ve already killed every single board member that has a say about funding, don’t you think?
The motive was slightly weak.
Seldon: I don’t need help. I’m not a bad person. I just need to show them. I need for them to see so that the whole world could see.
Halstead: See what?
Seldon: See that this is how the world is going to end. Thousands of strains of bacteria that we don’t know how to combat. This bacteria kills people so fast they barely have time to know that they’re dying.
If not for the nerve-wracking, one-on-one face-off between Seldon and Halstead, I would have thought the ending of the crossover didn’t live up to the powerful beginning.
Halstead got backed into a corner, about to infect himself, when Upton created a diversion by shooting a bullet into the ceiling, and Voight came in guns blazing.
Now, that’s teamwork.
The crossover was stronger because of the teamwork between all the cast members. They really are #OneChicago.
Seldon dedicated his whole life to fighting infectious diseases, which is great but also dangerous.
The Purge Review: This Is Not a Test
Anyone so passionate about something has the potential to become dangerous.
He wasn’t exactly wrong about his beliefs — bacteria infections that are immune to antibiotics are a real threat.
But in this case, no one would have been exposed if it hadn’t been for him!
Considering how quickly Halstead and friends were able to conjure up a cure, it also wasn’t as dire of a situation as he was making it out to be.
And, as seen by his ex-wife, they were both a little paranoid and obsessed with how the world would end.
If Halstead and Upton hadn’t checked in on her, I wonder how long she would have been locked up in the basement bunker.
Upton’s connection with Amanda was sweet.
Even when she was dealing with trying to find the deranged lunatic that threatened the whole city, she still stopped by the hospital to be there and check in on her.
Chicago Med Season 5 Episode 3 Review: In the Valley of The Shadows
Thankfully, Amanda’s leg didn’t have to be amputated like Mr. Kwan’s arm.
She may have been the only patient to survive the mutated infection.
The Mayor’s office was ridiculous, as were the media outlets, who were inciting fear in citizens.
The Mayor’s assistant was more concerned about hosting the parade than he was about the general public’s well-being.
It was obvious that a mass murderer would target any large gathering of people.
A word to the wise: never piss off the people who have the power to heal you.
Halstead’s guilt at sending Upton to check in on the infected patient and her saving him at the end planted the storyline for their romance.
It was surprising that they weren’t the ones going home together at the end of the night.
However, Ruzek and Burgess did, and it felt forced.
They’ve barely worked or spoken to each other in weeks and all of a sudden, they’re back to hooking up.
Rojas joined Atwater for a drink, which she deserved. Can you imagine that being your first week at work?
I’m going to have a humblebrag moment for a minute because I was a stand-in for Tracy Spiridakos’ Upton this episode.
Chicago PD Season 7 Episode 3 Review: Familia
Being a stand-in means you look enough like the person to help the directors and producers stage each scene so that the actor can relax.
It isn’t glamorous work by any means, but it was a blast being on set and watching them film all the quarantine scenes.
Check out my photo below with the girl who stood in for Amanda!
Other Thoughts
- I’ve never seen Chicago so deserted. It was eerie.
- What cell phone provider does Halstead have because that was some amazing service he had when he was being held hostage.
- The gun Upton was holding when she was going to shoot Seldon was bigger than she was!
Don’t miss out on all the action, watch Chicago PD online now!
What did you think of the crossover?
Which part was your favorite?
Let us know in the comments below!
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Lizzy Buczak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and read her personal blog at CraveYouTV.