Chicago PD: Why Is It Always Kevin Atwater In Trouble?
When will Kevin Atwater catch a break on Chicago PD? Every time we turn around, he’s going through something that puts his badge on the line. He could fight for his family, defend another officer, and still get in hot water. Atwater plays by the book and that in turn, especially with the Intelligence Unit always having eyes on them, makes him a target.
His latest brush with danger was the shooting of a white unarmed kid. It was a great storyline for Chicago PD where the tables were turned, but why Atwater? When things like this go down, why is it always him? We’re told that his character has been through enough personal drama to last a lifetime. But when does it stop?
This is not about race. This has to do with the progression of his character’s arc. Where is it? Looking at the other members of the Unit, Atwater still seems to be treading in shallow water. Lindsay had her mother and the closeness with Hank Voight to deal coupled with her relationship with Jay until she walked away and took a job in NY.
Halstead has ties to Chicago Med with his brother Will and faced tragedy regarding his father’s death and still has great episodes as an undercover under his belt. And how can we forget the romances between him, Lindsay, and now the marriage with Hailey? Want to go further, we can. Every member has a back and side story but Atwater gets the cold shoulder where his side story should be.
Chicago PD Owes Kevin Atwater
Whatever happened to him and Celeste? I get that she was mad he was a cop but that storyline just faded away. Where is the screen time with his family? They are spoken of but never seen anymore. But what we do get is episodes like “Sympathetic Reflex” where he’s put in the crosshairs of the community and other cops.
Remember in Season 8 where he told the truth about a fellow officer who died? The entire Department gave him the cold shoulder while everyone else in the Unit was either in love or on their way to adopting kids. But not Kevin Atwater, he was busy following the rule book.
His time is coming. Hell, to be honest, his time is past due. It’s time for the Chicago PD writers to recognize they dropped the ball and give Atwater more shine. He’s a great cop with great morals but he’s still playing the background. He clocks in, does his job then we don’t see him again until the next morning. What does he do on his days off or spare time? Is he dating anyone? We need to learn more about Atwater and for 9.5 seasons, we’ve had nothing to fill in the gaps.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
