REVIEW: Chicago PD Season 11, Episode 4 Is No Escape for Torres

Chicago PD Season 11, Episode 4, “Escape” brings Dante Torres back to Intelligence – and then the NBC show puts him into a dangerous corner.

Dante Torres makes his return in Chicago P.D. Season 11, Episode 4, “Escape” — but it’s not a grand occasion. The episode provides lots more screen time for Benjamin Levy Aguilar’s character, but does so by putting Torres in a terrible situation. The plot goes to places that Chicago P.D. has already explored before — as well as in directions many other TV crime dramas have covered. The end result is that the audience sees a lot more of Torres, but doesn’t actually learn more about him.

“Escape” sees Torres and Kevin Atwater involved in a car chase that puts Intelligence on the trial of notorious drug kingpin Rafael Perez, whom no one else has been able to catch. Torres offers to go undercover in Torres’ organization and quickly crosses paths with Gloria Perez, the drug lord’s long-suffering wife. Torres hopes he can convince Gloria to become a confidential informant, but the episode is essentially a series of bad decisions on both their parts.

Chicago P.D. Is Still Searching for Dante Torres

Benjamin Levy Aguilar’s Character Has Development Left to Do

“Escape” is the opportunity for Chicago P.D. to bring Torres back into the fold. Torres was introduced to fill the open spot in Intelligence after Lisseth Chavez’s Vanessa Rojas exited the series, but while actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar has settled in, the character hasn’t. Torres has already missed several episodes in both Season 10 and Season 11 — with the on-screen explanation being that he was on furlough, which is unlikely for such a new police officer. And he’s played a supporting role in most of the episodes he has appeared in, so the audience hasn’t gotten past the surface of who Dante Torres is.

That doesn’t change in “Escape.” There’s an opening scene between Torres and his mother which establishes his commitment to his family and the tensions at home, but there’s nothing in the rest of the hour that makes fans look at his character differently or feel like they’re closer to him than they were before. In fact, the scene with Mrs. Torres is foreshadowing for a plot that makes Dante seem like he needs a lot more experience before Intelligence lets him go undercover again. There’s a certain amount of naivete that’s allowed for being the relatively new guy, and a certain amount of empathy since Chicago P.D. establishes that Torres sees his mother in Gloria, but then “Escape” goes well beyond that into him just not making good decisions.

Benjamin Levy Aguilar does the best he can with every moment, but he can’t overcome the weaknesses in the script. Torres has yet to find his unique quality or point of view among the Chicago P.D. team. Is he the impulsive, hot-headed guy? Adam Ruzek’s filled that role for a while. Is he the guy from the rough upbringing looking to make good? “Escape” leans into that part, but so many of the characters have difficult histories. The biggest lesson in “Escape” is that there’s more that can be done with Torres — just not in this episode.

Chicago P.D. Falls Back on Old Habits in ‘Escape’

Episode’s Reliance on Tropes Undercuts the Suspense

“Escape” follows a path that’s been traveled on several TV crime dramas, including Chicago P.D. The “main character goes undercover , develops feelings for someone close to the case and may be compromised” idea was also utilized in Season 5, Episode 13, “Rabbit Hole” when Jesse Lee Soffer’s now-former Detective Jay Halstead was involved with Camila — and it didn’t work well for Jay either. “Escape” has similar themes, but it’s also very on the nose with them.

Both Gloria Perez and her husband Rafael are stock characters with no interesting qualities or emotional depth. The episode eventually reveals Rafael’s long history of abusing and mistreating Gloria, but it comes too late and it feels like telling the audience a reason to be sympathetic to her rather than showing that through the character. Yara Martinez is a wonderful actress; she’s best known for her role across the entire run of CBS’ Bull, but she also has underrated comedic talent (see her role in the live-action version of The Tick). She doesn’t get to bring any of her personality to Gloria, who is almost constantly flat as she maintains her “tough woman” persona. Even when she agrees to help Torres, she still seems more angry at him than anything.

That’s the fundamental problem with “Escape.” The plot may be commonplace, but it can still succeed if the audience buys into the emotional investment between the two characters. There’s some talking about feelings, but Chicago P.D. never generates real feelings between Torres and Gloria. It’s too clear where he’s coming from; Gloria explicitly calls out how he’s comparing her to his mother. But she doesn’t seem to even like him… up until the scene when they’re having spontaneous sex on a rooftop. Even if one throws in the heightened state of Gloria nearly being outed as the mole, there’s no emotional underpinning to make that moment matter.

What Does ‘Escape’ Mean for Chicago P.D.?

Episode Highlights a Big-Picture Concern for the NBC Drama

The open ending of “Escape” means that Dante Torres isn’t out of hot water yet, but that’s no surprise to Chicago P.D. viewers. Almost every character has had their fitness for duty questioned at some point, because the show’s world is one giant grey area. Torres could have asked his own partner for advice on what to do in this situation, because Kevin Atwater has had numerous romantic interests who’ve been mixed up in one thing or another. But he doesn’t get the chance to, which points to an ongoing issue with Chicago P.D. as a whole — one that’s been more prominent in Season 11.

The Intelligence Unit doesn’t feel like a unit anymore, because most episodes are now structured specifically around one character or perhaps a romantic pairing. Before this, the season already had its Hailey Upton-centric premiere, the Ruzek-centric installment “Retread” and the Kim Burgess-focused story “Safe Harbor.” The other characters are present in these episodes — but not enough. Voight is the one constant in the Chicago P.D. world, while the rest of the team are off on their own individual journeys. And if there’s anyone who needs support from the rest of his group, it’s Dante Torres, because “Escape” proves he definitely needs to sharpen up his judgment.

The episode is somewhat like Torres. It clearly has good intentions, wanting to spotlight the character of Dante and what Benjamin Levy Aguilar can bring to the table. But those intentions are never realized because Chicago P.D. relies far too much on tropes — and those tropes take Torres to a place that is, one way or another, going to hurt him. If the series wants to make Dante Torres better, it has to give the character more, both in-universe and in the scripts themselves. “Escape” is a Chicago P.D. episode that falls well short of what the series is capable of producing.

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.