Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, NBC’s ‘Chicago PD’ completes the ‘One Chicago’ trilogy with its razor-sharp focus on the lives of the Intelligence Unit. In season 13 of this crime procedural series, we are introduced to Eva Imani, an ATF officer who joins Voight’s controversial division due to how much investigative freedom it provides. While she is an excellent police officer with a stellar record, her real obsession is with the past. Her little sister, Shari, was kidnapped at the age of 6, and since then, Imani has traversed all over the country on the lookout. In the season’s penultimate episode, she at last gets a lead on her sister, who is a part of an abusive relationship with her kidnapper, Russ Kirby. However, as the season finale, titled ‘Born or Made’ reveals, the truth is far more complicated. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Shari Stands on the Precipice of Being Separated From Her Sister Once Again
Season 13 of ‘Chicago P.D.’ ends with Voight suggesting to Imani that her sister, Shari, might get arrested for murder. What makes this news that much more tragic is that Imani has only just found her missing sister after decades of searching for her, only for fate to potentially snatch them away yet again. Though everyone initially assumes that it’s Russ who murdered Laura, the truth turns out to be something far more complicated, starting with the murder weapon. While chasing down Russ’s trail, Voight comes across one of the many people he’s attacked along the way, and finds a stiletto knife wound on their body that is identical to the one found on Laura’s corpse. As a grim possibility begins to surface in his mind, Voight orders a DNA re-run on Laura, except this time, the team is to look for a match to Shari.
Meanwhile, Shari seems to have baited Imani into her elaborate trap, which leads them both right under Russ’ control. Though Shari seems to have conflicted thoughts about her past and identity up to this point, the mere sight of Russ triggers enough of a traumatic response to shut down those memories for good. However, that is not enough for Russ, and he demands that Shari prove her loyalty by gunning Imani down. Notably, he claims that this should be no different than Laura, which directly implies that it was not he, but Shari, who committed the murder. Voight’s DNA test results also confirm this detail, leaving both him and Imani with a horrifying dilemma.
Voight Confirms Shari’s Crimes Off the Record For a Reason
Though Shari is technically to blame for the murder of Laura, reiterating so without much thought erases layers of context, and Voight understands that well. All of Shari’s actions and reactions thus far are a result of the severe brainwashing and conditioning that she’s received over the course of this decades-spanning abusive dynamic. A victim of abuse and continued suppression, Shari was most likely coerced into killing Laura by Russ, which brings into question the true nature of her compatibility. Even in the present, her psychological conditioning is strong enough that she attempts to kill herself, which shows how delicate the case is and how little it can be extracted from Shari’s traumatic past.
Notably, when Voight asks for the DNA testing to be done, he makes sure that it’s off the records. As such, while we don’t see his answer to Imani regarding the question of Shari’s arrest, we can decently predict what it is. Voight has never been someone who only understands the law in black and white terms, which means that he likely has his own plans regarding what justice means in this context. Chances are that he might just let Shari go off the hook this one time, on the condition that Imani ensures that Shari gets the help she needs, and has a smooth journey returning to a normal life. Conversely, it’s just as possible that Voight does submit the evidence out of necessity, but personally rallies for Shari’s voice being heard amidst all of this. While the season ends on a decidedly precarious note with regards to Shari’s fate, if there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Imani will be there for her sister every step of the way.
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