Chicago PD Review – House of Cards (9×21)

And that’s how you end a penultimate episode on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger! 

Chicago PD crafted a compelling case with Los Temidos and Escano, and bonus — it’s a case that has invested audiences for multiple episodes.

It’s fun to watch Intelligence work a case that doesn’t just wrap up within the hour. Blood, sweat, time, and energy has been poured into building this case up, mostly from Anna (guest star Carmela Zumbado), who is self-motivated to take down the gang and Javi. 

As far as CI’s go, Anna has been one of the most intriguing and promising. Over and over again, I find myself rooting for her and hoping that maybe she’ll be offered a spot in the unit after all of this is over. 

But, admittedly, I was also very terrified for her safety on Chicago PD Season 9 Episode 21. 

The long game is not an easy one to play, especially when you’re trying to one-up a very paranoid man while also gunning to go back home to be with your child.

Escano is well aware that he’s a target, so he’s kept himself clean as a whistle. There’s nothing tracing him back to Los Temidos and no money trail linking to the drugs. Heck, the man doesn’t even use his personal car to go anywhere aside from the bakery. He’s that careful. The dude knows what he’s doing, so nailing him is almost an art at this point. They only have one shot, and they cannot waste it. 

The fact that he’s so aware and ahead of the game means it’s also incredibly dangerous. He knows everything about Anna, he’s suspicious, he has Voight’s direct number, and there’s no telling what he’s thinking and plotting. 

Voight has been very strategic in his movements because he wants to land the big fish, and his only shot at it is Anna. She has built up a repertoire with Escano, and he trusts her.

Voight and Anna have also formed a special bond as well. In fact, Voight cares about Anna and her safety a lot, which is why he’s been an open book with her.

So when he found out that Escano was likely responsible for ordering the gang rape on Anna just like he did with Mateo, it was a bit jarring that he kept the piece of information to himself. 

Hailey suggested being upfront with Anna about the whole thing. As a woman, she was probably right, but Voight was coming at it from an entirely different perspective.

He knew that being a full-time, around-the-clock CI was taking a toll on Anna. He knew that despite being internally motivated that she was in a bit of a fragile place, so he weighed his options and understood the risk he was taking by not telling her. 

Anna has proved that she’s whip smart and can handle anything thrown her way. I mean, she’s a pro at navigating this lifestyle; she does it with ease. Voight could have told her the truth about Escano ordering her rape and hoped that she would make an informed decision rather than an irrational one, but he wasn’t willing to take that chance. 

I understand where he’s coming from because when Anna found out from the source — Escano himself — her reaction was exactly what Voight was afraid of. 

And no, I’m not talking about her anger at being blindsided by the person she trusted unconditionally. I’m talking about the red hot motivation to take the enemy down by any means necessary, which also meant throwing caution to the wind. 

Anna was furious — all she could see was revenge that she wasn’t listening to reason or logic. 

Voight and the team knew that something wasn’t right with the buy. There were too many moving parts, too many unexpected visitors, and, of course, Escano’s decision to change routes and head back to the cash house in the suburbs, but Anna ignored his concerns. 

Also, shout-out to the series for finally venturing into the burbs! 

Voight meant it when he said that his number one priority was keeping Anna safe, so when he realized that there was no way he could talk her out of going through with the buy, he ordered his team to move on it. 

It seems as though the plan was to seize everything now and hope that something against Escano would stick. 

I know that they are hoping to link the drugs to Escano, but they have all this video footage of him clearly not being an upstanding citizen, so I wonder why they can’t just use that. His pat down with Anna, in particular, seems like it could definitely be admissable in some way.

But again — big fish require a big score. 

Intelligence almost had it, but then, in the blink of an eye, the whole thing just blew up in their faces… literally. There was a literal explosion from within the truck filled with drugs. 

The driver got away, but Halstead and Upton didn’t come out unscathed. In fact, last we saw Upton, she was completely unconscious from the blast. 

And it wasn’t any better for Ruzek, who was forced to shoot the man who ambushed the driver of the truck in the motel. 

Anything that could have gone wrong did. 

There are plenty of unexpected twists, turns, and moving parts with this case, but my best guess as to what happened is that another gang tried to move in on Escano’s territory and take out his buy. 

Either that or this was all part of Escano’s plan since he knew the feds were onto him. He seemed convinced that Voight was a dirty cop that could be paid off, but it’s Escano, so it could’ve all been part of the plan to pull one over on them. 

I mean, why else would he switch up directions at the last minute?

There’s also the fact that they have no clue whether or not Escano was at the gang initiation where Anna’s rape was ordered, so it’s possible that she was burned from the beginning. Maybe the explosion was meant for Anna. 

Bottom line is that none of this bodes well for Intelligence. They are in a cat-and-mouse game with a very dangerous man who has unpredictability on his side. 

Unfortunately, Hailey’s decision to respond to the rape involving Mateo put the cops on Escano’s radar. I’m glad she did because she helped Isabella, a victim just like Anna, but it definitely hindered their chances of bringing him down and putting him behind bars.

I don’t know how it will all pan out in the upcoming finale, but I am hoping that Anna will find a way to get her peace and reunite with her son. I want her to get a cut of Escano’s money and start fresh with Rafa so that he has a better life. 

As for Hailey, she’s a fighter, so let’s hope that the explosion only left her a little banged up. Intelligence needs her.

It’s a wise move on PD’s part to end the best season to date with an established case because it keeps the audience fully invested in wanting to find out the outcome. We’ve bonded with Anna, we have a soft spot for her just like Voight does, and we want to see justice served. 

How do you think this will all come to an end? Will Upton survive? Will Anna get her revenge? Will Escano be so spooked her gets tripped up with his own shady business dealings? Let us know in the comments below! 

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