After the frustrating news two weeks ago of the series cancellation, the much anticipated finale of The Chicago Code gave the viewers almost all they wanted. Since the episode was shot way before the show was denied its renewal, I was curious to see what aces creator Shawn Ryan had up his sleeve that might have led to a potential upcoming season. I wasn't let down.
The Chicago Code, "Mike Royko's Revenge" Plot Summary
For Teresa (Jennifer Beals), fighting corruption in Chicago is more of a marathon rather than a sprint. And she always aims for the head, because that's where the teeth are. She's learned her lessons well and this is what becomes apparent during the whole episode.
In her quest to finally put Ronin Gibbons (Delroy Lindo) behind bars she clashes with Jarek (Jason Clarke), who is being teased by the Alderman with his knowledge of his brother's killer. Jarek calls Teresa out, accusing her of being willing to make a deal with Hugh Killian (Patrick St. Esprit), a cop killer, to get to Gibbons.
She simply cannot risk throwing away everything they've worked for, but on the other hand Jarek's brother needs justice, too. As much as both of them are right, that scene is too painful to watch.
Teresa enlists FBI Special Agent Cuyler's (Adam Arkin) support in Killian's case. He's happy to help but fails to convince Teresa to go on a date with him. The rule she never breaks is that she always keeps her work and personal life separate.
With his judgment clouded, Jarek turns up at Killian's hotel door step. Hadn't Caleb (Matt Lauria) showed up and actioned with so much confidence, the whole thing would have ended ugly - to say the least - for Jarek. His younger partner stood by him even if that would mean risking his credibility.
The unpredictability of the show continues when Lilly, Gibbons' secretary and lover, kills Killian right under the police nose. Not only that, but Vincent Wysocki turns out not to be the good undercover cop and honest man everyone in his family thought he was.
With no witness to testify against Gibbons and not being able to have enough evidence by cutting Killian's daughter a deal, Teresa is just one step away from her resignation. Meanwhile, when Jarek goes through his brother's stuff, not only does he discover an old videotape of Vincent which makes his eyes tear as he watches it, but he finds a whole set of information on Gibbons dating 15 years back.
With that in the police hands, Teresa and Jarek have all the evidence they need to finally arrest the corrupt Alderman and see their efforts pay off.
The Chicago Code, "Mike Royko's Revenge" Review
Co-written by Shawn Ryan and Christal Henry, herself a former CPD officer turned TV writer (she also wrote "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" episode) and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, the finale was as great as the rest of the series.
Shawn Ryan promised closure and we got it. When I said in the beginning of this review that he gave us almost all we wanted, I was having in mind the brave Superintendent Teresa Colvin.
While I'm happy with most of characters' closure, I wished a rather different conclusion for Jennifer Beals' one than seeing her in search of a random encounter with a stranger in a hotel bar, pretending she is somebody else. But, at the end of the day she's human. All work and no play can't go hand in hand endlessly. I really pulled for Teresa and Agent Cuyler, played by the ever so charming Adam Arkin. As I say that, I'm having in mind the little "red velvet cupcakes" scene they shared a few episodes back when they first connected.
I loved the little montage at the end of the finale, edited to an unheard-before sweet tune, marking each character's parting moments. "I Dream of Chicago" is a song performed by a little band from Des Moines, Iowa, called Parlours. As simple as it sounds, whoever chose it to illustrate the last minutes of the finale had a brilliant idea.
The Chicago Code may be over, but the journey we embarked on since the pilot was unbelievable. Die-hard fans have created Facebook pages in support of the show using their voice in the social media to have The Chicago Code back even if on a different network.
Ryan tweeted Tuesday that the numbers were up for a third week in a row. A renewal/pick up by another network depends on the last two episodes' ratings. He also thanked all who watched the finale "and gave us a nice bump. We're doing everything we can to see if there's a future for it."
Let's hope so. Until then, kudos to each and everyone who contributed to the The Chicago Code and to the quality of television!
Anca Dumitru - A Romanian native, Anca has been living and working in different European countries for a long time. With over 16 years of corporate life ...
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