Chicago P.D. is finally returning to NBC on May 3 after a brief break, and the first episode back will be a big one for Atwater. A deadly shooting means that his work as a cop will have to overlap with his role as a landlord in Burnside, with the significant complication of having his dad in the mix. Atwater and Lew came to an uneasy peace when they last interacted on screen, but this episode – called “The Bleed Valve” – will have entirely different stakes. Star LaRoyce Hawkins opened up to CinemaBlend about what’s on the way!
“The Bleed Valve” will bring the formerly estranged father and son together after a child dies in a shooting at Atwater’s building, where he offered Lew a place to stay earlier this year. Between his job as an officer in the Intelligence Unit, his role at the building he owns, and his relationship with his dad, Atwater will have plenty going on. LaRoyce shared what his character’s priorities will be in the episode:
I think [there's] a lot on his mind right now. Atwater's a little spread thin. I think his priority is always to save life, and then from there is: how do we solve the case? If we can save a life first, which I think is Atwater's mission, then we did a great job. And if we can also solve the case, then we did even better.
The cops of the Intelligence Unit sometimes make complicated decisions about saving as many lives as possible vs. closing cases, and whether they will follow all the rules to do so. Atwater is the one who usually stays closest to the straight and narrow; as LaRoyce Hawkins said, his priority is to save lives… but he has a lot on his plate in the new episode on May 3. The actor continued:
At the same time, he has his dad in his ear, he has the unit that he has to also navigate through and maintain, as well as his establishment, which he's worked extremely hard [on]. Now it's a crime scene, and it's hard to say why. There's so many things that are going on in the back of his head that LaRoyce Hawkins has to remind himself to think about, as Atwater does his best. It's a heavy one, but we like it like that.
There is enough going on for Atwater that LaRoyce Hawkins had to remind himself about aspects as an actor, which fans can probably take as a sign that there will be a lot of weight on the character’s shoulders in “The Bleed Valve.” In fact, it seems like Atwater already had two full-time jobs even before the shooting at his building. When I noted how much Atwater has going on as a character, LaRoyce Hawkins made a very good point:
And y'all still want him to have a girlfriend! I don't know how he's gonna find the time.
While Atwater has had the fewest romantic storylines of any of the longtime cops working under Voight and went years without an on-screen love interest, he’s kept very busy in other areas! Even fans who are ready for Atwater to get a little love will have to admit that he already has a lot going on, which contributed to the end of his last relationship.
Plus, his family hasn’t gotten any less complicated since the return of his father. He ultimately gave Lew a place to stay in his building, but there was no sign that they were going to start bonding as father and son. So, has their relationship changed off screen since the last time Erik LaRay Harvey appeared as Lew Atwater? LaRoyce Hawkins answered that very question, saying:
I think it gets a little better every day, but we find Atwater and Lew in a place where they still miscommunicate and they still miss. There's miscommunication and missed communication, if that makes sense, that they have to overcome and navigate in order to find a balance. In this episode, Atwater learns a lot about his dad and what his dad does in his spare time, who his dad hangs out with, and things like that. He kind of has to learn on the fly in moments where he has to think ahead about solving the case and saving lives.
MIscommunication is inevitable when two people aren’t making the effort to talk to each other, and that seems to be on the way for Kevin and Lew. It also sounds like change is on the way… for better or for worse. This is still Chicago P.D., after all! Hawkins continued:
So there are these missed communicative moments, and then there's this miscommunication that me and Erik LaRay Harvey had to navigate through, as we did our best to show these conversations authentically. And I think we did okay. I think we did okay. I think the audience will relate to the frustration and the confusion. It's love there, but it's tough love there also. So I'm excited for people to see Atwater in that element.
Fortunately, the wait for fans to see the episode that LaRoyce Hawkins is excited about is almost over, nearly a month after the previous episode that dropped some foreboding clues about Ruzek in the Season 10 finale. In the weeks since, Hawkins has been able to celebrate Chicago P.D. being renewed for Season 11, and addressed why it was a “great relief.” For now, check out the promo for the new episode:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, May 3 at 10 p.m. ET for the new episode of Chicago P.D., following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. All three will air their season finales on Wednesday, May 24, and it remains to be seen whether any of the questions left over after the Wolf Entertainment renewals will be answered ahead of summer hiatus. You can also revisit past episodes of P.D. streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription.
