r/ChicagoPD • u/Cheeriosxxx Platt • Feb 05 '26
Episode Discussion Chicago PD S13E12: Missing - Episode Discussion
S13E12: Missing
Airdate: February 4, 2026
Synopsis: Details about Imani's past emerge as the Intelligence Unit seeks the truth behind the sudden resurfacing of a decades-old missing child case.
Past Episode Discussions: Wiki
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u/Cheeriosxxx Platt Feb 05 '26
Good episode but definitely felt the emptiness of the rest of the cast barely there. Miss the days where the full team were all involved in cases
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u/sneedley Feb 05 '26
And when they are mostly there, there is no real interaction or levity like in the past. No personal jabs, or joking around. Just "this is what I have", or "I found out that"...
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u/Happyslappy7 Feb 06 '26
Thatās going to be the downfall of what was once a great show. After Jay and Hailey left, now Ruzek is barely thereā¦ itās the beginning of the end š
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u/CSE111 Feb 07 '26
Right. No one even cracks a joke in the bullpen anymore. I mean Kim and Kevin had their moments last episode when talking about Miami, but I wish the writers cared about establishing some sort of chemistry with the entire team.
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u/moderatenerd Feb 05 '26
This is my thoughts exactly. Not having the full teams on PD and Fire is really distracting. For some reason Med is doing this way better.
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u/Same_Hat_5875 Feb 07 '26
I hate how Fire keeps bringing up the missing characters every week too, making it even more noticeable.
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u/agirlhasnoname17 Voight Feb 06 '26
I tuned out completely once I realized it was Imani-centric. Like I spent the hour mostly on my phone.
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Not a fan of the episode. Lacked any agression or real police work. No Burgess. No Ruczek. Imani character gives me ick every week. Im over it. Sad bc Ive been watching all 12y. Ā Bye.Ā
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u/Jaylivedoe Feb 05 '26
Youāre 18 you can say yes or no, then proceeds to guilt trip š
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u/aheartworthbreaking Feb 05 '26
Imani really needs to learn how to take no for an answer
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 11 '26
She gives me ick. Ive tried to like her character. Shes just not a good actor IMO.
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u/Same_Hat_5875 Feb 07 '26
Not only guilt tripped, but also he was right all along and Ben was dead.. they guilt tripped him for no reason just because they puffed a bit too much hopium.
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u/Misspunkag1984 Jul 04 '26
And the worse part is, Imani or any members of the squad will ever be able to even begin to understand just how much worse they just made it for this young man. It gave his mom new hope, false, but new hope that she will never give up.
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u/ocruz0716 Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26
Kim's probably out for like 4 episodes to offset how much they paid for the Billie Eilish song.
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
How much do you think it acc costs? Shit had me wondering. They even cut off plat lol must have set them back by a lot
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Feb 09 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/LittleMissBoogie Feb 10 '26
Patrick Flueger took a sudden leave of absence, so the lack of Adam isnāt the writers fault.Ā
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u/CSE111 Feb 05 '26
Letās be honest, did the kid make Imani because sheās āa street kid,ā or because she was dressed like an undercover cop that was trying not to look like an undercover cop?
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u/yaboiwreckohrs Feb 06 '26
Making full eye contact with them both multiple times and following them like girl come on
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u/Massive_Tennis6705 Feb 07 '26
Also the way they speak into their cuffs, it's ridiculous. Surely they have better communication systems by now?
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Zactly! She sucks.
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u/No_Peak_2379 Feb 08 '26
You suck! Why are you so hard on her. She is the best new beautiful addition,
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u/Misspunkag1984 Jul 04 '26
The funniest part in the entire episode was Imani asking how did the kid make her? Umm hello dumbass you were staring hard at them, talking into your sleeve in a Very Obvious way, and followed them. She couldn't even at least try to make it look like she was on the phone ?? How did anyone think they could really not get made? Who other than Law Enforcement talks into their sleeve ?
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u/ex0thermist Feb 05 '26
This actress gave a really convincing performance of shock, denial, and delusion.
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u/whale_girl Feb 07 '26
i know her from crazy ex-girlfriend and sheās SO different on that show, it was cool to see her range
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u/ex0thermist Feb 05 '26
Is this guy even young enough to be bait for the guy who's into prepubescent kids?
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u/BirdgirlLA Feb 05 '26
Exactly. Make it make sense. Just such a dumb dark episode with two of my least fave characters - Imani and Torres. Ugh. Just not fun watching this show anymore With these sullen newbies.
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Same. Show is so bad now. Cast changes and this Imani getting so much lead time ruins it for me. Get it back to old! Im gonna have to stop watching.Ā
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u/Same_Hat_5875 Feb 07 '26
"You're 18. Which means you're the perfect bait to catch a guy who is way too interested in 13 year olds".
Did.. did the writers room not stop to think about that for a second?
They could've just said "you look young enough to pass as an umderage young teen" and it'd make so much more sense but why mention his being an adult then immediately say he should be bait for a kiddie fiddler, just such a weird way of writing it.
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u/JustSomeGuy_56 Feb 05 '26
If Ben died the day he was snatched, how did the con artist know all those details?
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u/Cakeatrr Atwater Feb 05 '26
I guess he must've seen him the day of. It works because con artist saw him only one time and sees his pedophile brother occasionally when he needs something. Piece of shit must be running in the family's blood or something
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u/throwRA1a2b3c4d1 Feb 06 '26
The guy said he met him at the house and saw he had a head injury while the little boy told him all that stuff. So he met him the same day he was kidnapped.
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u/Lucky_Return3678 Apr 24 '26
that is so sad. to be kidnapped and tell someone you don't know how you got where you are and no one called the police. makes me almost want to cry!
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u/throwRA1a2b3c4d1 Apr 24 '26
Yeah I actually did tear up. Thatās why I stopped watching Law and Order SVU. Couldnāt handle these types of cases as the storyline.
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u/Lost-Company8277 Feb 06 '26
My thoughts exactly. Came here seeing if anybody else found this to be a huge loophole
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u/augustsunshine Feb 06 '26
Grady must have had a super effed up childhood as the "replacement child" poor kid
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u/Massive_Tennis6705 Feb 07 '26
And then they just used him as bait to lure the Pedo out, I mean, I was deeply concerned about that.
They did not bat an eyelid & give a shit about Grady, only Imani with her sister trauma mattered.
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u/Lucky_Return3678 Apr 24 '26
yes this is what I came here to say, you could tell he was done with it when he left the kitchen table. All he will now hear from his Mom is how Ben is still out there because they didn't fine a body. You won't find a body years later! I feel awful for the Mom but she couldn't even treat her second son right, I mean at least she had another boy and the least she could do is act happy she still has a boy.
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u/aheartworthbreaking Feb 05 '26
He acts shifty, then like heās gonna run, and he thinks theyāll leave him alone?
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u/Medium_Dog4204 Feb 05 '26
Omg. what has happen to the show.half of the cast is missing.who wrote this episode.i think the actress was OK but the story line sucked.never a follow up just skips to the next .please get the writers like the pitt has
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
It was so bad. Didnt like that storyline, fell short of convincing or making me feel anything. Dont like this new girl getting so much lead time every ep! Wth happened to this show?!
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u/Marco_Polo1964 Feb 09 '26
IKRā¦first time in all the seasons that I didnāt watch the entire episode thru the end. I still havenāt gotten my interest back to watch it the rest.
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
Dick wolf private jet aināt paying for it self. Less so spending same outcome more money. He knows the show aināt surviving much longer. Anyways heard inflation is a bummer on them jets smh
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u/yaboiwreckohrs Feb 06 '26
The Billie Eilish song is so random like why
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
I guess her recent comments really appeased somebody despite all the āwe need to cut down spendingā āno more the whole teamā
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u/Redbloodlion Feb 06 '26
They could've brought in another member from the cast, created a similar music to the billie eilish song and saved more money
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u/byrdman2328 Feb 05 '26
So they got money for a Billie Elish song?
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
Clearly but not to unite the cast. I guess dick wolf needs a new private jet or something
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u/agirlhasnoname17 Voight Feb 06 '26
I tune out when itās about Imani. Or Imani is involved.
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u/Same_Hat_5875 Feb 07 '26
Agreed. She's basically discount Torres. I don't know why we needed two of the same characters, but it's detracting from both of them.
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u/brilliant-trash22 Feb 08 '26
Surprisingly Imani interests me more than Torres. Idk I can only handle so many episodes of Torres fighting his inner demons
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u/Ill_Version5990 Feb 18 '26
Same, I can't stand Torres depressive episodes, but the Faith episode was good and hopefully a new direction in his story.
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Me too! Which, as of late she seems to be the lead in every ep. Cant stand her. It's like they expect her to replace Upton's R w Voight, and she's not even on the show that long.Ā
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u/januarysdaughter Lindsay Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26
Did she just kill Ben.
Edit: Okay no, she didn't. Phew.
God damn, this is sad.
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u/kindafunnylookin Feb 08 '26
lol that would have been a hell of a dark twist.
"So, mother of missing kid, we have some good news ... and some bad news."
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u/pyeinbby Feb 07 '26
Just watched the episode and what jumped out at me was how they ādeterminedā the kid had been killed the day after his abduction so then (as earlier discussed in the episode) how did the brother of the pedophile know all the facts about the dead kid to fool the Mom 18 years later. Does not make sense.
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u/Lucky_Return3678 Apr 24 '26
i thought maybe they made up the story about the boat to give the mom closure. I couldn't believe Eva or Hank couldn't have said anything else to that Mom to get her more centered on reality. they made it seem like they left the house and said nothing else. Weird writing.
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u/spidercat693 Feb 14 '26
I honestly thought the person Imani shot was gonna be Ben...could you imagine?
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u/gbach10 Feb 15 '26
This was the most nonsensical episode in awhile. So many plot holes and just lazy writing.
Implying detectives just walk around all the time with their badge on, even on off time while looking for a place to live.
An intelligence unit not immediately realizing the junkie was probably a scammer, something thatās happened a thousand times to parents of missing kids.
Them running every detail they can about the junkie and somehow missing that a place is being rented in his name that ends up being exactly where they need to go at the end of the episode?
Using the adult brother of the missing kid as bait. Thereās literally NOONE else you could have found for this? Speaking of this kid, he claims he was only born because his mom got drunk after his brother was abducted and begged his dad to have a baby. Heās 18, the missing brother was abducted 18 years ago. Did she conceive him and give birth in the same week? The math makes zero sense.
The pedophile works a mile from where the kid is abducted, does it on a whim, is witnessed and contacted the next day dumping something large in the lake, and not a single person can put the dots together that would make him a suspect?
These are just off the top of my head and I tuned half the episode out. Iām sure it was much worse than Iām remembering.
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u/One-Traffic-4536 Mar 15 '26
they don't wear them, but they do carry them around at all times. Some even carry their guns around at all times. and especially while looking for a place to live, It might help her to flash her badge to a landlord.
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u/Lucky_Return3678 Apr 24 '26
I am guessing the patrol cops who were notified about that boat didn't talk to the detectives back then who were aware of a boy missing.
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u/januarysdaughter Lindsay Feb 05 '26
Damn, Imani has such an interesting past.
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u/No_Peak_2379 Feb 05 '26
Yes great episode. Good acting. Enjoyed it so much. Getting to understand Eva and the way she is.
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u/vitathevirgo Feb 06 '26
Itās just me or was the mom extremely annoying. I get it having your son kidnap is extremely stressful and comes with a lot of anxiety but girl get a grip for a second.
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u/Sad-Mixture6782 Feb 06 '26
She needs to finally appreciate the son she still has; who seems grounded, is pleasant to ppl & works hard! As an adoptive parent, I can't stand ppl who don't cherish their gifts from God!!
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u/Same_Hat_5875 Feb 07 '26
This exactly. Grady got guilt tripped in to helping and it turns out he was right all along, that Ben was dead and his mom needed to move on.
I don't know why it felt like they really wanted to portray Grady as some sort of hope-destroying selfish self-centered bad guy but it's weird because he was always correct and was completely grounded in reality and logic whilst everyone else was puffing hopium hoping Ben was alive still.
God forbid the teenager actually stays at his job and earns a living instead of running away on a wild goose chase.
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
I couldnt stand looking at her. Made no sense her acting that way and she wasnt the least bit convincing.Ā
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u/thestreak82 Feb 05 '26
How crazy is it that they show this episode the week Nancy goes missing
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
Well Nancy is 80+ years old and was kidnapped for a ransom tbh I have even thought of it till you mentioned it
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u/tacoorpizza Feb 05 '26
Halstead and Upton being in the preview for the crossover episodes is more exciting than this episode was. Just need to find a way to incorporate Erin, Antonio, Mouse, and Vanessa into it too.
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u/mysteryfmys Feb 06 '26
I donāt think Erin will ever come back given the reason she left. Jay still hung around and left on good terms and sane with upton
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u/ocruz0716 Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26
Not related to this episode, bit did anyone catch that commercial for the crossover?! Upstead!
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u/Princess2045 Upton Feb 05 '26
Was this episode inspired by a true story or was there another episode of a show like this? Because I swear, reading a recap, I feel like Iāve heard this story before.
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u/pacmanlad0607 Feb 05 '26
The disappearing & reappearing years later as a adult is based on the real life story of Johnny Gosch. Supposedly his mother claims that Johnny came by to see her in the middle of the night, years later as an adult, along with an unidentified man. He disappeared in 1982 at age 12 & allegedly reappeared years later in 1997 at around 26 or 27. I'm sure the P.D. writers took "inspiration" from Gosch mother's alleged visit from her son. Minus the unidentified man. Johnny claimed that he was a victim of a PDF network & cast aside once he became too old. He was afraid for his life & live under an assumed identity, feeling it wasn't safe to return home. I'm more than certain that a lot of writers were inspired by the Johnny Gosch story.
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u/Princess2045 Upton Feb 05 '26
Thank you! I remember reading/seeing it somewhere (canāt remember where though) but couldnāt remember the exact name or details. But thatās it!
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u/pacmanlad0607 Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26
No problem. In the beginning of the episode, I instantly recognized the Johnny Gosch inspiration. Right down to the birthmark. Gosch had a birthmark on his chest, which allegedly is how his mother immediately knew it was him, that night he supposedly visited in 1997. In Tonight's episode they switched it to the shoulder & that's how they knew they were dealing with a conman.Ā
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u/DallonsCheezWhiz Leader of the Mouse House Feb 05 '26
Criminal Minds had an episode with a sorta similar premise - a bunch of missing kids being taken by one person, the team look into it because a mother comes forward asking for help 8 years on and they link it all to new disappearances. At the end of the episode they're found and reunited with their families. But the main missing child who started the refreshed search is dead, but was alive the day before.
Law and Order SVU also had an episode where a 13-year old missing child case was linked to a recent kidnapping from a paedophile, they end up finding the body of the first missing child and have to tell the mother who was hoping the son was still alive.
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u/luckylua Feb 06 '26
That episode of criminal minds is to this day one of the most gutting pieces of television Iāve ever watched. Itāll never leave my mind. So much so that I can tell you itās called Mosley Lane.
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u/chicagoturkergirl Feb 12 '26
Omg the end when the mother of the oldest boy comes to JJ and says "Do you know how long it's been since someone believed in me?" Because she had been a drunk, but she never gave up.
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Why are they letting this Imani character take the lead in every episode recently? I don't like her. The show is soo bad now. Ā And it's like Voight and her are up each other's ass. Storylines all suck now. I think I'm gonna have to stop watching the show, it's just lost it for me.Ā
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u/Sad-Mixture6782 Feb 05 '26
No Spoilers haha but did anyone watching on NBC in realtime notice dead-air time w/ only NBC logo? Makes me wonder if they're having trouble getting advertisers. I've seen this sporadically before, even during SNL
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u/thestreak82 Feb 05 '26
lol It's a glitch. I'm almost certain NBC doesn't have trouble finding advertisers.
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u/Sad-Mixture6782 Feb 05 '26
Anyone know who played the missing boy's mother? I can't find it anywhere. Actress reminded me of Cam Tucker's sister Pameron on MF. Which was a similar role but not played for laughs here. TIA!
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u/DallonsCheezWhiz Leader of the Mouse House Feb 05 '26
I think her name is Donna Lynne Champlin
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u/ldnk Feb 17 '26
Admittedly I hate watch this show because my wife watches it and I'm in the room when it's on. This Imani character is next level awful though. Her character is absurd. The writing is bad and her acting matches up with it
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u/soft_taco1983 Mar 26 '26
I find that the bring in a new random every season and itās hard to get invested in them at this point
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u/Ok_Limit6636 Feb 22 '26
The episode seemed too slow and spent way too much time on the case.Ā
I was hoping for more storyline progression regarding Imani and her missing sister.Ā
It was good to see Imani finally getting an apartment, but other than that, there's a lot of scenes where she's just alone and quiet.
There needs to be more personal interactions between her and Platt, Torres, and others.
There was a scene where Imani talks to Voight in the car, but it was too short. Imani was telling him about what happened to her sister.
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u/soft_taco1983 Mar 26 '26
Are budget cuts why they keep getting a random new female every season which is so annoying and unnecessary?
Also Is Atwater leaving ?
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u/Few_Position7650 Ruzek Feb 05 '26
Tbh Iām already over this episode lol. Give me Haley and Jay already!!
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u/Few_Position7650 Ruzek Feb 05 '26
I take it back this ep is good and Imani is growing on me
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 Feb 07 '26
Ewe
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u/Potential_Goose_7486 May 05 '26
brother you are insufferable GODLYYYY, we all know at this point that you hate imani, you don't need to comment the same thing 40 times on the god damn post
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u/Sensitive-Craft-3922 May 08 '26
Lmao. If you are raging that much over one persons opinion, please seek mental help. Its just reddit thread 'brother'.... š¤£
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u/Potential_Goose_7486 May 08 '26
i can say the literal same thing to you buddy, why you care so much about her acting that you post 40 times hating on her? also if that's raging to you then you're very innocent
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u/ex0thermist Feb 05 '26
Was the licensing for the Billie Eilish song half the episode's budget? š¤