Chicago P.D. brought back Anna Avalos for the new episode on Wednesday night, as cast member Carmela Zumbado returned to continue playing the role.
Earlier in Season 9, Voight decided to make Anna the newest criminal informant (CI), and she has already helped Intelligence solve several cases.
Recently, Anna was placed undercover at a bakery where Intelligence was convinced the owner was carrying out an intense drug operation. The team had yet to find any evidence that would tie directly back to the bakery owner, Javier Escano.
This particular storyline wasn’t dealt with in recent weeks of the show, with the last Chicago P.D. episode being about Makalya and the people of Intelligence trying to save her from a team of kidnappers. Luckily, they were able to save Makayla.
Chicago P.D. recap for Closer
The beginning of Chicago P.D. Season 9, Episode 16 involved Voight going to Anna and telling her that she needed to find a way to get close to Escano as it was time to start forming a case against him. But could Anna pull it off?
Intelligence and Anna Avalos go to work
While working the case, Halstead and Upton were stationed across from the bakery in a stakeout when a man came up and started shooting at another man. Halstead and Upton engaged, but the suspect (Adrian Silva) got away. The man the suspect shot later died.
Voight was worried that their case against the bakery owner (Escano) was blown, but Anna had been the only employee working at the bakery during the shooting. She maintained her cover while tending to a pregnant woman who was also nearly shot.
Later, as Anna was working alone with Escano, the suspect (Adrian) came stumbling into the bakery, revealing that he had been shot by Halstead. Adrian called Escano “boss” and it appeared that he had ties to the bakery as well. Escano forced Anna to sew up Adrian’s wounds and then get him home without calling 9-1-1.
While all of this was taking place, Halstead and Upton could see the feed of what was taking place as Anna pleaded for help into her microphone. Voight would not let them intervene because he didn’t want to blow the case.
The scene shared below explains why Voight did what he did and how Anna reacted to it all.
Escano figured out Anna Avalos
While Anna was still at Adrian’s home after taking him there, Escano showed up and caught her trying to get information from him. Escano then pulled her aside and told her that he knew who she was, even though she had been using a fake identity at the job. Suddenly, the stakes of the case had risen quite a bit, because Escano knew her background and that she was a mother.
Intelligence went to arrest Adrian, but as Voight was trying to talk him down, Adrian killed himself, saying he was doing it for Escano.
Anna showed up at Voight’s house that same night, where she learned what had happened to Adrian. She was a bit shellshocked, but she agreed to keep working with Intelligence. Voight also saw it as an opening, and he turned out to be right.
At the bakery the next day, Anna told Escano she was sorry for what had happened to him, and Escano decided to make her a runner (the job Adrian had held). That’s where the episode came to an end, and we will likely see more from this in a future installment of Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS.