Spoilers ahead for Episode 8 of Chicago P.D. Season 8 on NBC, called “Protect and Serve.”
After LaRoyce Hawkins’ character spent most of Season 8 since the first couple episodes as more of an ensemble character with focus shifting to other Intelligence cops, he was back in spotlight for a truly intense episode that put Atwater at odds with Ruzek, and Atwater also crossed paths with the person who will become the next member of Intelligence.
Chicago P.D. finally revisited Atwater’s arc as he deals with racism within the Chicago police department in “Protect and Serve,” when an officer-involved shooting caught on camera left a Black college student dead and a white cop claiming that he did absolutely nothing wrong.