Chicago PD Fans Are Fighting Back Tears Over The Tribute To Olinsky In Season 10

Whenever a character leaves a show, whether of their own volition or because the storyline calls for it, fans have strong feelings. When Sophia Bush's character Detective Erin Lindsay abruptly left "Chicago PD” at the end of Season 4, some viewers took to social media and declared they were done with the show. Redditor u/jdpm1991 wrote on a "Chicago PD" subreddit, "I watched it for Erin and her development on the show ... and now I find out Sophia is leaving and won't be in S5. I'm out!!"

Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas) was another staple of "Chicago PD" in the early seasons and an old pal of sergeant and commanding officer Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). The two were close friends and comrades who believed in nabbing the bad guys, no matter the cost. Unlike Bush, who chose to leave, Koteas' exit was storyline-based. Whereas Erin Lindsay simply moved to New York for a different job, Alvin Olinsky's death meant he was gone for good. "Alvin's death broke me too; he was my second fave next to Erin," wrote u/Buzilovecats. "I was yelling and crying during the whole scene."

So when "Chicago PD" had an unexpected tribute to Olinsky, fans found themselves fighting back tears.

Season 10, Episode 13 ("The Ghost in You") begins with Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) getting out of his car at a cemetery and chatting with the groundskeeper Jimmy (Jim Johnson) before walking to his intended destination: Alvin Olinsky's (Elias Koteas) grave. He stares at the headstone before removing a flask from his pocket and pouring some liquor on the grave. "Al," Voight says as he takes a swig. "['Chicago PD'] tugged at my heartstrings by having Voight visit the grave of Alvin Olinsky," @RobertD555 wrote on Twitter. "I didn't expect that." On a "Chicago PD" subreddit, u/pikachu-atlanta had a similar reaction, writing, "Voight visiting Olinsky's grave made me cry all over again."

Viewers weren't sure why Olinsky's grave was shown so prominently at the beginning of the episode, but some speculated that the callback was fitting, considering Voight's actions later involved the questionable decision to place a suspect in a cage and tell ASA Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) that in the recent case "your name won't come up, I'll make sure of it." It seems that old habits die hard, and despite his friend being six feet under, we don't expect to see Voight change his ways anytime soon.