Things you never noticed in the first episode of Chicago P.D.

Premiering in January 2014, the first episode of the police procedural “Chicago P.D.” enters Dick Wolf’s “One Chicago” universe with an exciting series debut. Featuring Jason Beghe’s Hank Voight, Jon Seda’s Antonio Dawson and Amy Morton’s Trudy Platt moving to the new show from their previous roles on “Chicago Fire,” District 21’s elite intelligence team sees I fell into a painful new case right from the start of the series. Hot on the bloody trail of a drug gang attacking the man whose M.O. beheading his victims, the first episode of “Stepping Stone” certainly kicks off the series on an exciting note.

An action police drama — with an emphasis on action — the show’s opening is filled with wild chases, gunfights, and life-threatening confrontations. Add to that the introduction of many unfamiliar characters and relationships that any new series needs to provide to first-time audiences.

In other words, with all this going on, viewers could be forgiven if there were some things they hadn’t noticed in the first episode of “Chicago P.D.” until now.

The episode’s surprising connection to Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad

One important element of the series’ premiere that may have escaped fans’ attention is the identity of the show’s director and his connection to other hit television series. In addition to directing the first episode of “Chicago P.D.”, Michael Slovis also served as cinematographer on landmark series such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” . In 2006, his efforts on “CSI” earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a one-hour series. He then moved into the director’s chair to direct episodes of blockbuster series including “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad.”

As any “Chicago P.D.” seriously. As fans know, the vivid realism the show’s directors achieved became one of its trademarks. Matching the dynamic pace of the series, the show’s dynamic visual style reinforces the scripted narrative without getting in the way of the narrative. Discussing his approach to this kind of seamless visual storytelling, Slovis told The Hollywood Reporter, “I was interested in the most effective and non-intrusive way to tell the story… I wanted a graphic language The art is beautiful, but I also don’t want it to be something that gets noticed. I want it to be integrated into the story. I really try, when I go to different places, to fit myself in and not impose myself. anything… but turn It yourself.”

The episode features many Chicago Fire cast members crossing over

One thing that Chi-hard fans are well aware of in the extended Chicago saga is the phenomenon of intersecting storylines, with all three shows sharing similar plots and characters to great dramatic effect over and over again. . How often does this type of cross-pollination between cells and stars occur? One Reddit user did the math and compiled a list of no less than 17 times the three shows have swapped personnel, including a tie-in with another Dick Wolf series: “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit “. In a discussion of the episode on TV Line, commenter Angie mentioned how the crossovers gave her a better appreciation for the connections between the different shows. “I would love the crossover of the Chicago firefighter players. Since they all live and work in Chicago, never seeing them meet would be very unlikely. It also gives continuity to any story lines in either show.”

All that said, with everything going on in “Chicago P.D.” first episode, even the most observant viewers might not realize that some of the cast appeared from another “One Chicago” show. For example, in addition to Jason Beghe’s Hank Voight and Jon Seda’s Antonio Dawson making the jump from “Chicago Fire,” other guests dropping in from Firehouse 51 include David Eigenberg’s Christopher Herrmann, Yuri Sardov’s Otis Zvonecek and the staff medical Lelie Shay (Lauren German). And in “Chicago P.D.” her only. appears, “Chicago Fire”‘s Julie Willhite (Melissa Sagemiller) arrives to help on a case, but dies from a gunshot wound before the episode ends.

The intel unit is only a month old – and it shows

“Chicago PD.” The premiere episode “Stepping Stone” finds District 21’s intelligence unit immediately fully engaged in a fast-paced, high-stakes case as they hunt for the notorious murderer Pulpo, the octopus. With the number of mutilated victims piling up, the team deploys with all the expertise and energy that will become a hallmark of the series going forward. But the truth is, at the time of this episode’s release, the department’s intelligence unit had only been in operation for about a month (via One Chicago Center). And while the team generally handled the case with all the professionalism one would expect, there were a number of instances in which the newness of the unit exposed some glaring shortcomings, one of which caused serious problems. dead.

For example, while searching for clues about Pulpo’s whereabouts, the team arrived at an apartment complex. Gunfire erupts and Voight and the rest of his team assemble at the front of the building and prepare to enter. However, standard protocol, according to Officer.com, would require sending patrol officers to positions that would allow them to monitor all possible exits from the building to prevent suspects from fleeing. Later, when officers Julie Willhite (Melissa Sagemiller) and Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) were sent into the building, she stood right in front of the suspect’s door. As a result, when an explosion shot through the closed door, it hit Willhite directly in the neck, seriously injuring her. The correct procedure, according to “The Strategic Edge: Surviving High-Risk Patrol,” is to avoid standing in front of the door before taking up a position to break in.

Detective Willhite may look strangely familiar

Many fans of Dick Wolf’s “One Chicago” universe of connected shows may have recognized Melissa Sagemiller’s detective Jules Willhite as the character who debuted in the 2013 “Chicago Fire” episode “Let Her Go.” . Go to “Chicago P.D.” The following year, Willhite’s character would form a close partnership with both her squad mate Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) and officer Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush). But when the decision was made to write the character out of “Chicago P.D.”, Willhite was killed off rather abruptly in the show’s first episode.

However, despite her appearances on both “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” actor may look eerily familiar for another reason. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if fans had spotted the actress before as well – on another network show from producer Dick Wolf that focuses on the criminal justice system. As it turns out, Sagemiller played Assistant District Attorney Gillian Hardwicke in several episodes of Wolf’s series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Making her debut as Hardwicke in 2010, she would go on to appear in a total of ten episodes of the long-running series.