I haven’t given much coverage to ‘The Chicago Code’ here in the blog since the first couple of episodes. I’ve been continuing to watch all along, however. This seems like as good a time to check in with the show as any.

During last Monday’s episode, ‘Wild Onions’, a heat wave has hit Chicago. This brings with it rolling blackouts and increased agitation in the city. “Crazies are out today,” we’re told. Wysocki and his partner Caleb investigate the murder of an ice cream truck driver by gangbangers. Caleb makes the mistake of promising the victim’s orphaned son that they’ll catch the killer. Wysocki warns him that he shouldn’t write checks that he can’t cash. However, this being a TV show, of course they catch the perp by the end of the hour. Not without Wysocki stepping on the toes of some other cops first, though. That seems to be what he does best.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Colvin (Jennifer Beals) finally picks a new driver to replace the murdered Antonio, a young cop named Bidwell that Wysocki recommended. He’s very dedicated to the job and her protection, but she seems to be almost willfully trying to find ways to make him wash out. This includes putting herself in danger by personally responding to an armed robbery call at a liquor store. By the end of the day, Bidwell has sufficiently proven himself. There’s also an uncomfortable suggestion that there may even be a romantic storyline in this. (I hope the show doesn’t go there. That feels hack-y.)

Undercover cop Liam thinks he’s onto something big when Councilman Gibbons (Delroy Lindo) calls him up for a special job. He’s then surprised when Gibbons merely has him deliver bottled water to elderly constituents. At one of these homes, he finds an old lady unconscious from heat stroke. He almost blows his cover by saving her with emergency training he learned at the Academy. Gibbons is impressed, and offers him a job on the city payroll. The more time he spends with Gibbons, the more Liam seems to be succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome. He appears to be on the path to turning to Gibbons’ side.

I’m left confused by a storyline involving Wysocki’s neice Vonda and her partner Isaac hooking up. This is played as though it’s a new development, but haven’t they been a couple since the first episode?

I’ll be the first to admit that, despite its promotion, ‘The Chicago Code’ has not turned out to be the second coming of ‘The Shield’. The show is much more network-safe than that. Fortunately, it still has more depth than a typical procedural, and there’s enough interesting going on beneath the surface to keep me watching.