This week's episode of Chicago PD centers around Cook, the newest addition to the Intelligence unit, as she juggles a complex case and her strained family relationships. The episode begins with Cook at her family’s hardware store, engaging in a conversation with her father. She suggests hiring a new employee, but he’s hesitant, reluctant to change their longstanding routine of just the two of them running the store. Although Cook presses him on whether they can afford it, her father resists the idea. She reassures him that she’s headed to work, and after a brief farewell—he gives her a kiss on the cheek and tells her to stay safe—she drives off.
On her way to the station, Cook witnesses a high-speed crash. A Range Rover swerves erratically through traffic, crashing into a parked car, which triggers a chain reaction involving several other vehicles. Cook immediately jumps into action, trying to help the victims and call in the accident while securing the scene. When she approaches the driver of the Range Rover, he’s in bad shape, but still conscious. He repeatedly mentions that "they took his wife and kids," making it clear that this is more than just an accident—it's connected to a kidnapping. Cook notices a bag in the passenger seat containing cash and jewelry, which raises red flags about a ransom situation. She presses the driver for more information, but just as emergency responders arrive, he flatlines in the ambulance.
At the hospital, Cook briefs Voight, informing him that the driver, Gregory Miller, was an executive at a law firm, married with two kids. Meanwhile, Ruzek investigates the contents of the duffel bag, discovering $22,000 in cash and jewelry, but no clear clues about the kidnappers. The team starts digging into the Miller family’s background. Gregory's brother, Travis, reveals that Gregory had been living beyond his means, covering up gambling debts and bad investments. Gregory had been secretly borrowing money from family and others to maintain the illusion of financial stability, even going so far as to take out loans on his penthouse. Despite his financial ruin, Travis claims that Gregory’s wife, Kara, was unaware of his troubles.
As the investigation unfolds, the team discovers that Gregory received a mysterious burner phone call around 10 a.m. the morning of the kidnapping. Shortly after, he called two banks and then contacted his brother, Travis. They also get footage from the building’s parking garage that shows a masked man getting into Gregory's car, which raises even more questions about the abduction. Security, however, failed to properly monitor the area.
The team heads to the Millers' penthouse to search for clues. The doorman is hesitant to let them in but eventually complies, revealing that Gregory left about an hour ago, while Kara and the kids left early for a gymnastics class. The team learns that security cameras in the parking garage could offer more information, but when they check the penthouse, it seems untouched, except for the master bedroom and the walk-in closet, where the safe has been left open. After further inspection, Cook finds a disturbing clue: a box on the desk in the office contains a bloody female finger, still wearing a ring with pink nail polish. The implication is clear: Kara Miller may have been attacked.
Back at the station, the investigation intensifies. Forensics confirm that the blood on the finger matches Kara's DNA. The team also learns that Gregory’s financial woes were deeper than they thought. They retrieve a video from the kidnapper demanding $300,000 for the safe return of Gregory's children, threatening to kill the kids if the ransom isn't paid. Voight and the team scramble to track down the kids and the perpetrators.
They identify the location of the ransom drop and set up a sting. However, when the criminals pick up the bag containing the money, they manage to shake the tracker placed inside it. Voight refuses to let the van out of their sight, leading to a tense chase and confrontation. Cook and Burgess cause an accident to box in the offenders, but when they try to apprehend them, the driver attempts to shoot Ruzek. In the end, they manage to subdue him, but the kids are nowhere to be found in the van.
Back at the station, Cook gets a breakthrough when they discover that Kara had been having an affair with one of the kidnappers, a personal trainer named Ed. Ed had hoped that Kara would leave her husband and live with him, but she rejected him. This rejection sent him into a rage, and along with another accomplice, Ed orchestrated the kidnapping. Cook confronts the trainer during an intense interrogation, threatening him with prison time for hurting children. He eventually cracks, revealing that the children are being held at Ed’s cousin’s house.
The team rushes to the location, but after sweeping the house, they find no sign of the kids. Cook, in a desperate move, spots an attic and climbs up to investigate. There, she finds a locked room with the two children, alive but terrified. The rescue is a success, though Cook is visibly shaken by the toll the case has taken on her emotionally.
Back at the station, Ruzek asks Cook whether she got the ransom money back, to which she confirms she did. However, he presses her about her family, curious about the strained relationship between her and her mother. Cook opens up to him, revealing that her mother had an affair with her father, and her family disapproved of her existence, leaving her father to raise her alone. Her grandfather, now seeking political office as Alderman, is determined to present a "perfect" family, which only adds to the tension. Cook’s relationship with her mother remains rocky, and it’s clear that her family’s expectations continue to haunt her.
The episode ends with Cook attending a family party, dressed up and ready to face the tension. From the outside, her mother appears to command the room, but Cook, standing at the threshold, watches her mother from a distance, unnoticed. She looks down at a scratch on her hand, a physical reminder of the case, and then turns away, choosing to leave rather than face her family’s expectations. It’s a poignant moment, signaling that Cook’s complicated relationship with her family is far from over. Given her grandfather’s political ambitions, it’s clear that Cook will continue to be caught between her career and her family’s influence.
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