Finally.

I'd like to believe that the writers heard my calling and felt persuaded to dedicate Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 8, the strongest installment this season, solely to our boy, Atwater.

Atwater has been on the backburner for a while now, even though he's the only one in the unit constantly volunteering to put himself in the line of fire.

know you remember his recent undercover stint on Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 7.

You'd be blind not to notice that Laroyce Hawkins is one of the most talented cast members and he finally got the recognition he deserved, even if the writers did do him a little dirty in the end.

Someone give this man, and his abs, a huge hug after the night he's had!

The complexities of Atwater's storyline came to light as he tried to find a happy medium between being black and being a cop in Chicago.

Laila: I'm not wasting calories on that fruity crap. Or a Heineken.
Atwater: What?
Laila: Straight up, you've been around them white boys too long.

Permalink: Straight up, you've been around them white boys too long.

This probably won't come as a surprise to most of you, but there is no happy medium for a black cop in a city that holds so much resentment towards law enforcement.

Hawkins always gets the heavy storylines, especially when it comes to race. However, he's the only one that can handle them.

After all this time, he finally got a love interest, one that complimented him well, and the writers just snatched her away from him.

Is he supposed to remain alone and miserable forever?

Not only that, but they made her resent him for doing his job. It wasn't his fault she was messed up in illegal stuff when she was younger.

I liked Laila -- she was tough, spunky, could hold her own and had the history to back it all up -- but sadly, she didn't understand that he took an oath to follow the rules.

When she was flirting with him, she thought his reason for joining CPD was admirable -- he didn't want to end up like his father -- but the minute that sleeping with a cop backfired on her, she made him feel guilty about rising above the streets.

It wasn't fair to see her lay into him like that when he tried to help her and talked to Voight about protecting her.

It's one thing to be outspoken; it's another to accuse someone when you're really to blame.

Someone had to pay for the crime and the fingerprints linked back to her.

If the writers were going for the emotional gut-punch, they should have stretched Laila's arc a bit longer and made us equally as invested in the relationship as Kevin seemed to be.

Instead, the romance was over before it even began.

Atwater's decision to cover up a murder for a kid he just met was the result of Laila getting into his head.

He felt guilty for "betraying" his people, so he chose to protect the kid and disposed of the murder weapon.

Since he couldn't help Laila, he decided to make up for it by helping Nathan instead.

I also think he saw a little bit of his nephew in Nathan and didn't think he deserved to go down for ridding the streets of someone as worthless as Kenny.

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Unfortunately, you know that his momentary lapse in judgment is going to come back and bite him later on.

Atwater's brief romance with Laila reminded me of Halstead's temporary romance with Camila Vega.

Kevin wasn't necessarily undercover, but he still should have known better than to pursue a woman involved in one of his cases.

Didn't he learn anything from Halstead?

That boy has a target on his back the size of Soldier Field and you want him to wear a wire?
Laila

Permalink: That boy has a target on his back the size of Soldier Field and you want him to wear a wire?

Going forward, can we establish a new rule that co-workers and those involved in ongoing cases are off limits? There's a city full of people; sleep with one of them!

Someone needs to bring Al back because, since his death, this squad has become a complete mess.

A two-week hiatus before the fall finale is probably for the best. We all need some time to cool off and digest all of the darkness that these characters have been experiencing.

Antonio's pill addiction wasn't addressed for ages, but we got a glimpse into the storyline as it set the scene for the upcoming episode.

Antonio displayed two classic signs of an addict: getting upset with the doctor for not being able to score more pills and lying to his friends about why he's taking them.

He's going down a dangerous path that will most likely sideline his career once everyone figures out what's going on with him.

Especially if what we saw in the Chicago PD Season 6 Episode 9 teaser -- Antonio getting caught running from Burgess in an alley -- makes him a suspect in their next case.

For someone who has witnessed addiction first hand, Antonio seems completely unaware that he's become addicted to his pain medication.

You're one of those brothers that like to straddle the line. You like to pick and choose when to be black and when to be blue.
Laila

Permalink: You're one of those brothers that like to straddle the line. You like to pick and choose when...

As for Ruzek and Upton, there wasn't any movement on that front, but we can assume they are still sleeping together.

It's crazy to think that we're already at the halfway point of the season, isn't it?

Why are you waiting? Make sure to watch Chicago PD online and share your thoughts about Atwater's torrid love story below.