The Critical Incident series introduced some really complex characters who went through a huge transformation during their journey in the series. Narratively, Critical Incident explored how we can often mistake a person’s true identity but as we get to know them better, we finally understand who they are and what they are trying to do in life. So without further ado, let’s break down all the important characters in the show and see how everyone, despite being in the wrong at some point, tries to make things right in the end.
Spoilers Ahead
Zil AhmedÂ
Alright, so let’s talk about Zil Ahmed, played by Akshay Khanna. From the very beginning of Critical Incident, it was obvious Ahmed was young, ambitious, and honestly, one of the best cops in his precinct. You could just tell he had that drive, you know? He was respected by everyone around him, and he wanted to make a difference. But here’s where things started to go wrong. His girlfriend, Ali, got hurt during a house party raid, and suddenly, this wasn’t just another case for him. It became personal. At first, Ahmed was just trying to do his job—break up the party and keep things under control—but when Ali was attacked, everything changed. His focus shifted from protecting the public to avenging her injury. And honestly, I think that’s where his downfall really began. He became obsessed with busting Dalia Tun, this young girl who he believed was behind everything. You can very well understand that Ahmed’s ego got in the way. Ahmed couldn’t let it go; he couldn’t accept that things might not be as clear-cut as they seemed. A guy like Zil Ahmed was often fueled by anger, frustration, and a bit of guilt too, I think. When Luka got hurt at the train station after chasing Dalia—when Ahmed accidentally caused that tragedy—I believe that was a wake-up call for him. But by then, it was too late. The damage was done, both to Luka and to Ahmed’s career. He realized he’d let his emotions cloud his judgment, and that’s a hard pill to swallow, right?Â
What I find tragic, though, is that even after he realized his mistake, Ahmed didn’t just walk away. He owned up to it. Ahmed confessed that he hadn’t handled things the way he should have. Zil Ahmed had always been the flawed guy, but unlike many others, he had the courage to admit when he was wrong. That takes guts, don’t you think? In the end, despite everything that happened, Ahmed still wanted to do the right thing. Even after the whole mess with Dalia, after Luka’s injury, after his career started to fall apart, he didn’t give up on what he believed in. because when he saw that Dalia was turning into a drug dealer herself, he felt sorry for her and admitted to her lawyer that he’d pressured her, which led her to this path. In the end, he showed up to protect her from the drug lord. He died by the drug lord’s hand, trying to right his wrongs. I think that says a lot about Ahmed’s character. He wasn’t perfect—far from it—but he never lost sight of what mattered to him: justice, even if it cost him everything.
Sandra Ali
Sandra Ali, played by Roxie Mohebbi, was a strong-headed constable. Sandra wasn’t the type to back down, and she definitely wasn’t one to let emotions cloud her judgment. When Sandra started seeing how Ahmed was becoming obsessed with arresting Dalia, you could sense she was torn. She loved him, obviously, but she couldn’t just stand there and watch him go down this path. The thing is, Sandra knew that Dalia wasn’t some hardened criminal. And I think, for her, that was the hardest part—watching Ahmed, someone she cared about deeply, accuse this poor girl who hadn’t actually done anything wrong. When she realized Ahmed was too far gone in his pursuit of Dalia, she made the tough call to break up with him even when she knew he was doing this all for her. But that’s who Sandra was. She couldn’t just sit by and let the wrong thing happen, even if it meant losing Ahmed. And on top of that, she felt this deep responsibility to protect Dalia because she knew the girl had not wanted to go down that path in the first place. Sandra understood the bigger picture—she knew the real goal was to bust the drug lord, Ty, and not to destroy Dalia’s life in the process. She was smart like that. But Ahmed, wrapped up in his emotions and ego, couldn’t see that, and it just created this divide between them. In the end, though, when Ahmed died at the hands of Ty, Sandra was completely devastated. I think she thought she could handle it, that doing the right thing would make it easier, but when Ahmed was gone, it all hit her at once.
Dalia Tun
Dalia Tun, played by Zo Boe, had always had a rough life. Dalia was a foster kid who bounced around from one group home to another. In simple words, Dalia never really had a stable place to call home. It’s like trouble just followed her everywhere she went, you know? And when she got caught up in that house party where Ali got hurt, it felt like just another example of her bad luck.
Dalia wasn’t even responsible for what happened to Ali, but when the cops started chasing her, she panicked. Dalia was just scared and didn’t want to end up in jail for something she didn’t do. But running from the cops and Luka’s accident took a real emotional toll on her. Dalia felt like the world was against her, and to cope with all that pressure, she started using drugs herself. And that’s when things got even worse. She ended up helping out her boyfriend, Hayden, when he got busted for dealing drugs, even though she probably knew deep down it was a bad idea. But what else could she do? She was stuck in this life with no real way out. Dalia was trapped, getting abused and beaten down by everyone around her—whether it was the cops, her boyfriend, or the drug lord Ty. She had nowhere to go, no one to lean on. So, she kept selling drugs for Ty because, in her mind, that was the only security she could think of, as earning money that way felt like the only way to protect herself in this messed-up world she’d been thrown into. But as things started heating up and the police got closer to busting Ty and his whole operation, Dalia realized she was in serious danger. That’s when Dalia made the decision to get out.
Dalia always knew that if she kept going down that road, things would end badly for her. And even though Ahmed had been chasing her down before, she somehow knew that he was the only person who could save her. But then, when Ahmed tried to save Dalia and got killed by Ty in the process, it crushed her. Dalia might have been caught up in all this darkness, but she wasn’t heartless. Ahmed’s death hit Dalia hard, and she realized just how much he had tried to do for her, even when he could’ve just walked away. That’s why, in the end, Dalia did the right thing. Dalia came clean to the police, explaining how Ahmed was in the wrong place at the wrong time, all because he was trying to protect her. And by the end of it all, she was eternally grateful to him.
Ty Egan
Ty Egan, played by Hunter Page-Lochard at first, didn’t seem like much more than a guy who sold pastries and, on the side, peddled a few drugs here and there. But as the story unfolded, his true nature really started to show. Little by little, Ty revealed himself to be something much darker. He began pressuring Dalia more and more, and when she tried to sell drugs behind his back to get out from under his thumb, he started beating her for disobeying his orders. He didn’t care about anyone but himself, and when Dalia tried to flee from his grasp by getting help from Ahmed, Ty crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. He ended up killing Ahmed, which was a major turning point. I mean, killing a cop? That’s not something you just walk away from, right? As for Ty’s future, it doesn’t seem too bright or hopeful. One can’t just go around killing police officers and expect things to turn out fine. Ty is definitely going to face some serious consequences for what he’s done.
Hayden Broadis
Jai Waetford played the role of Hayden Broadis, Dalia’s boyfriend, but honestly, he wasn’t exactly boyfriend material. He was the one supplying drugs to the young people at that house party, including Dalia’s friends. Hayden had a bit of a reputation as a known drug dealer, and with that rattail in his hair, he definitely stood out—not in a good way. When the police were trying to reach Ty, Hayden kept throwing them off track and bought himself time and protected his drug business. He was more focused on keeping his dealings going than looking out for Dalia’s safety. It seemed like, in his mind, the business always came first, even if it meant putting Dalia at risk. That says a lot about where his priorities were.
Edith Barcelos
Simone Kessell played the role of Detective Edith, who was the officer brought in to investigate the critical incident after Ahmed chased Dalia and poor Luka ended up losing his legs on the train tracks. Now, from the moment Edith stepped in, you could tell she was sharp, really on top of her game. She wasn’t there to just blame someone and be done with it—she was there to get to the bottom of what really happened. After a thorough investigation, Edith came to the conclusion that Ahmed wasn’t actually responsible for what went down. Turns out, he did follow proper procedure while chasing Dalia; he’d clarified that he was police. It was Dalia who panicked and ran, ignoring Ahmed. Edith handled this whole situation with a lot of care. She wasn’t just out to protect Ahmed or Dalia; she wanted to make sure the truth came out and that everyone involved was treated fairly. The way she managed everything really showed her professionalism. And because of how well she handled the case, she ended up getting promoted in the precinct, eventually becoming the D.O.
