‘Chicago P.D.’: Kevin Atwater Caught in the Middle of ‘Black Lives Matter’-Themed Episode

An undercover mission gone wrong left Chicago P.D.‘s Kevin Atwater fighting between his police loyalty and his conscience.

The latest episode of the NBC police procedural followed as Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) and the rest of the Intelligence unit worked his undercover efforts to secure a big heroin supplier in the city.

His work involved Atwater getting very close to dealer Daryl, an at-first very guarded man who was the team’s only lead cracking their latest drug case. When he noticed that the man would be a tough one to get close to, the undercover detective went for the dealer’s younger brother.

The teenage boy showed a talent for basketball, which lead Atwater to get him contact with a college recruiter. And though Daryl considered his moves fishy in the beginning, helping his brother won him over and the pair became quick friends.

Once he had gained his trust, Atwater and Antonio (Jon Seda) worked together to set up a meet and arrest the criminals. The plan hit a snag, however, when Atwater and Daryl were stopped by another police squad just a few feet from the meeting site.

With Voight telling the team to stay in position and leave Atwater to control the situation, the police officers confronted him and Daryl and asked aggressive questions about what their plans were for the night and what they were doing.

Atwater tried to remedy the situation without blowing his cover, but that only seemed to make the white police officers angrier. The tense moment escalated after the officers heard a call on the radio of a nearby robbery and that the suspects were two black men.

At that moment, Atwater and Daryl were forced out of the car and questioned, despite not having done anything to be stopped. Daryl started to get angry as Atwater was moved into the police car and the altercation resulted in Daryl being shot and killed.

After the shooting, Voight and the team approached the scene. Voight took control of the situation by volunteering to book Atwater — getting him out of there before things got even more complicated. Since they kept his cover intact, Atwater was able to attend Daryl’s funeral and set up another meet with the supplier, leading to the drug bust the team needed.

Later, however, Daryl’s death led to serious unrest in the community and it was up to him to decide whether to accuse the racist cop of murder or side with the police. After reviewing the video footage and seeing Daryl had indeed gone for the officer’s weapon, Atwater continued to struggle.

Ahead of his testimony, Atwater was approached by Alderman Ray Price (Wendell Pierce), who asked him to go after the officer and they could use the controversy to get him elected as mayor in the upcoming election. In the end, however, Atwater decides to tell the committee the officer was not in the wrong.

The episode ends with Atwater confronting the officer at a bar. Despite sparing him with the committee, he beats the officer up and pledges that he will take his badge in the near future and he better watch his back.

What did you think of the show’s Black Lives Matter-inspired episode? Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.