Spoilers ahead for Episode 18 of Chicago P.D. Season 9, called “New Guard.”
Chicago P.D. shifted the spotlight over to Halstead as he worked with his partner in “New Guard,” but his partner wasn’t Upton as per usual. Instead, he was paired with young rookie cop Jose Torres, who turned out to have some potentially dangerous secrets. In fact, unbeknownst to Halstead (and Platt), he was under investigation himself, and the good detective couldn’t get a read on Torres for most of the episode. Now, after this episode, P.D. has presented some questions that need answers ASAP.
Jose Torres was played by Dennis Garcia and spent most of his screentime opposite Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, so it’s hard to say how he would fit into Intelligence as a full unit, but it’s still worth considering what could come next.
Is Torres Sticking Around?
The biggest question after Halstead’s episode as Torres’ teacher is whether or not Torres is going to be sticking around. If he’s a one-off guest star, then Chicago P.D. gave him an awful lot of focus and backstory. That said, he doesn’t appear in the promo or episode description for the next case, which will be Atwater-centric.
I could see it going either way, personally. There aren’t many episodes left in Season 9, so I can imagine that this was a way of testing the waters with a new character, and potentially bringing him back in Season 10 if viewers respond positively. It’s hard to say with much certainty at this point.
Plus, when actor Cleveland Berto was cast as Andre Cooper in Season 8, he was originally reported as becoming a series regular, but ultimately only appeared in three episodes, and there has been an odd number of cops working under Voight in Intelligence ever since. With no news either way on Dennis Garcia’s future as Nick Torres, we can only wonder: is he sticking around?
Is The Case Closed On Torres’ Loyalties?
Torres seemed sketchy enough for much of “New Guard” that Halstead even went to Anna to try and get the information that the young cop wasn’t disclosing. He lied, covered up facts, and made questionable decisions over the course of the case, but that’s not exactly unprecedented for working in the Intelligence Unit. (See: Voight, Upton, and even Halstead in the first half of Season 9.) By the end of the hour, he proved that he wasn’t dirty, and seems to be at least close to the straight and narrow. But is the case closed?
Well, he may not have been dirty in this episode, but it’s probably safe to say that there are plenty of skeletons in his closet that haven’t been unearthed yet, if P.D. decides to bring him back and flesh him out as a regular or recurring character. He knows people who are involved in crime (and some of them know him), which would presumably be tricky for him as an officer in the long run. Is he really a good cop who had to do some bad things because the system failed him, or a bad cop who’s just good enough to fool Halstead?
What Happened To Rojas?
Yes, I still want to know! There may come a day when I fully forget that Chicago P.D. never explained what happened to Vanessa Rojas after becoming a series regular back in Season 7, but the debut of another replacement is not that day. Lisseth Chavez’s character was written out of the show between the end of Season 7 and beginning of Season 8, and viewers never actually got any answers about where she was or why she left.
It wasn’t a case of losing a character like Andre Cooper, who barely had a presence. Sparks had been flying between Rojas and Atwater, and she was even sharing an apartment with Upton. And what can I say? Thinking about the possibility of a new cop joining Intelligence just leads me to wonder all over again what happened to the last series regular cop who left Intelligence. Even a passing mention about her going back undercover or giving Upton a call would be enough at this point.
For now, Chicago P.D. seemingly has plenty on the way for the existing cast of series regulars, with Atwater getting the spotlight next week. He doesn’t always get a happy ending in episodes that center on him, but I’m still hoping (and so is LaRoyce Hawkins) that he finally makes detective in the foreseeable future. Keep tuning in to NBC on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes of Chicago P.D., and check out our 2022 TV schedule for more of what’s on the way.