Chicago P.D.'s Emotional Episode Is a Reminder That Voight Is Human

With his penchant for getting out of impossible situations, it's easy to forget that Voight (Jason Beghe) is actually human. This week's Chicago P.D.was a friendly reminder that, yes, the thick-skinned sergeant still has a few weaknesses.

The episode, titled "Pain Killer," found Intelligence on high alert following an assassination attempt on alderman Ray Price (Wendell Pierce). This set the stage for a tense hour, as the assailant went after different sectors of the criminal justice system, also murdering a prison guard and opening fire on the police station. As the crew dug further into the case, alarming details began to surface, including the stunning revelation that the shooter was actually aiming for Voight.

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Years ago, Voight helped cut a deal for Darius, a good kid who got caught up in a bad situation. Voight thought he was doing the teen a solid by sending him to juvenile detention but that turned out to be the worse thing for him. Darius was regularly assaulted while a corrupt guard turned a blind eye, and he never recovered from that. A stint in prison and a rejection from the army recruitment office due to his felony charge broke what little spirit Darius had left, leading to that deadly rampage.

As his final act, Darius returned to the juvie center that had caused him so much pain and took three teens hostage in the hopes of securing a face-to-face meeting with that corrupt guard. Instead, he got Voight, who tried to talk him down with a promise to make things right. In the episode's most emotional scene, Voight pleaded with Darius to no avail to put down the gun and walk away. Voight had already failed him once, so those assurances to help him get out of this meant nothing.

Choosing to die instead, Darius stepped in front of the window and was promptly shot down -- a moment that hit Voight hard. Realizing he'd failed the troubled young man, he tried to make it up to Darius' mother by offering to pay for his funeral expenses, and she slammed the door in his face. Judging by Voight's pained expression, this loss is going to stay with him for a while.

Darius' story may have ended tragically but it was not in vain. Digging further into that corrupt guard's past, Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) found enough evidence to start building a criminal case against him. It's not much, but this small win took the sting off an otherwise gut-wrenching episode.

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.