Chicago P.D. Season 14 Episode 4 Recap: Officer Penny Makes a Memorable First Impression

Every once in a while, Chicago PD introduces someone who makes you curious about their story before you even know much about them. And with Officer Penny, it's already clear that this man isn't going to be easy to forget.

We meet Penny during roll call, where his lieutenant has one request: an uneventful shift. He's determined to make his daughter's dance recital, and the last thing he needs is Penny finding trouble like last night and six hours of OT. But something tells us Penny and an easy day don't exactly go together.

Sure enough, Penny spots a stolen Honda, that his lieutenant told them during roll call was stolen and most likely in their district, and within minutes, everything goes sideways. Shots are fired, and 17-year-old Bernie is critically wounded.

Watching Penny desperately try to keep Bernie alive was tough. He knew this kid, knew he was trying to help his family, and hearing him repeatedly promise Bernie that help was coming made the outcome even harder to accept. Especially when he would have walked away and left it for the next shift things could have possibly gone differently.

Penny wasn't ready to walk away. This is where Penny is introduced to intelligence Voight to be exact. Voight is intrigued by Penny’s knowledge and puts him with Ruzek to get more intel. 

The investigation leads him and Ruzek to Jackie, the owner of the corner store, whose surveillance footage helps identify three teenagers connected to the Four Corner Boys. Their reckless decision to steal drugs and guns from Tone has now left a young man dead.

Intelligence takes over, but Penny isn't interested in sitting on the sidelines. Donovan, Penny’s partner that caught the case with him last night warns him that his inability to leave things alone will eventually catch up with him. But Penny sees things differently. This is his neighborhood, these are people he knows, and he wants answers.

Meanwhile, Intelligence identifies Trez Brown, and after questioning his mother, the investigation leads to an arcade where another suspect, Dre, is taken into custody after trying to shoot at police with the stolen AK from the robbery where Bernie was killed. 

Dre isn't exactly cooperative, but the team eventually discovers that Trez and Willis Peterson are planning another robbery. And this is where everything gets even more dangerous.

Penny responds to the suspected stash house and realizes there's a child inside. He's ordered by Voight to wait for backup, but when he believes that the child's life is in danger, he goes in.

Now, whether you agree with that decision or not, what happens next tells us a lot about Penny.

With armed teenagers threatening innocent people, he tries everything to calm the situation. He offers to get them the money, promises that police won't rush the house, and even puts himself in danger to protect the child.

He's not just trying to stop a crime. He's trying to save lives, including the lives of the boys holding those guns. The situation is tense. Intelligence has the home surrounded. Voight tells Ruzek to take the shot. Leaving one of the boys dead. 

Things unravel, and Penny's desperate question afterward, asking why they couldn't just stop, really stays with you. These were kids who made terrible choices, and now everyone is paying for them.

By the next shift, we finally learn why he's called Penny. A bad penny always turns up. And apparently, so does he. This is what he has been told for six years at the Chicago PD.

He explains that when he sees something wrong, he can't ignore it. That's simply how he's wired.

Then comes the unexpected offer: a place in Intelligence. Voight makes the offer. Clearly replacing Kevin Atwater. But there's also something intriguing about Penny's past. His time policing in Durham is sealed, and although questions are raised, we're left without answers.

What makes this character's introduction work is that Penny isn't perfect. He's stubborn, impulsive, and doesn't always follow orders. But there's something genuine about the way he cares for the people he serves.

Chicago PD has given us a new character with plenty of heart, a few rough edges, and a past we know very little about.

And with Penny heading into Intelligence, I have a feeling we're only scratching the surface of who this man really is.