It’s not totally surprising when the One Chicago franchise broadcasts one other exit.
We’ve grown accustomed to the revolving door of our beloved actors as we bid adieu to fan-favorite characters or these we love.
The most up-to-date Chicago PD exit, Tracy Spiridakos, just like the departure of Jesse Lee Soffer roughly a yr prior, remains to be reverberating throughout the fandom.
While it is not unsurprising given numerous components, starting from Halstead’s disappointing exit, the grim path of Upton’s storyline since, and the occasional budgetary measures, it does not change the incontrovertible fact that this information will pose a blow to the sequence for a lot of of its viewers.
And we’re left to marvel what the future holds for Hailey, Jay, and the Intelligence Unit.
Even earlier than this casting shakeup, we had been already questioning what Chicago PD would seem like for Hailey Upton.
While I can attest to having some controversial and unpopular misgivings about the sequence’ Upstead focus, even I known as foul on the abysmal means the sequence dealt with Halstead’s abrupt departure and subsequent storytelling for Hailey following that.
Halstead’s exit felt wildly out of character and was a disservice to his decade-long tenure with the sequence.
Halstead working off to Bolivia after quitting the power and rejoining the military was odd, and the lack of closure or any actual sense of a goodbye shared together with his colleagues was weird.
His therapy of Hailey main as much as that exit was stunning in how far eliminated he had turn into from their relationship, such a pointy heel flip from his habits in Chicago PD Season 9.
But nothing ready viewers for the downright unusual abandonment angle they performed up all final season that left Hailey in the darkish, eager for an absent husband who would not even talk along with her and opted to increase his tour relatively than return dwelling to her.
Not solely did this growth really feel totally international to what we would come to know of Halstead’s evolution and bonds over the years, nevertheless it screwed over Upton whereas satirically nonetheless contributing to the irritating tactic of revolving each characters’ storylines and existence round Upstead.
Losing Halstead in the method that we did didn’t resolve some of the points with the Upstead pairing — simply doubled down on them in ways in which had been a disservice to each characters.
Throughout Chicago PD Season 10, any reference to Halstead was staggeringly disagreeable as a result of viewers needed to reconcile with how the season tarnished what many knew and liked about him.
A personality of such energy got here throughout as cowardice, callous, and customarily thoughtless, and his actions felt intentionally hurtful to Upton.
In flip, the sequence fell into the frequent pitfall it does with its feminine characters that elicit criticisms, and this growth primarily made Hailey Upton a sufferer.
If she wasn’t coping with violent assaults, kidnappings, and different such dramatic issues that the sequence likes to do when placing her (and Burgess) in peril, we had the additional dose of her falling sufferer to the kind of emotional assault unleashed upon her by her ghost of a husband.
We noticed her isolating herself from the relaxation of the staff as an alternative of leaning into them, one thing that might’ve been the fascinating end result and an attention-grabbing character growth for her after Halstead’s departure.
Instead, Jay’s absence merely trapped her with Voight most of the time in a “business as usual” method, with the occasional detour of her connecting with Torres, who probably felt like a final vestige of Halstead in the unit as his mentee.
And if that wasn’t darkish sufficient, she fashioned that distinctive bond with a serial killer, Sean O’Neal, with the sequence leaving issues with them in a spot far too reminiscent of Hannibal for consolation.
Regardless of sentiments about Halstead’s departure and the particulars round it, if final season did not show something, they principally wasted something good that might come from the growth for Hailey.
It may’ve led to an evolution of her character as we unraveled extra layers of the girl and cop outdoors of her dynamic with Halstead.
It may’ve been the excellent alternative to discover deeper and extra significant bonds with the different characters, one thing the season hinted at now and again with Burgess and the severely underrated interactions with Atwater however barely scratched the floor of.
While most viewers did not wish to see Halstead go away, as he is been each bit of a staple of the sequence as Voight himself, any effort to pursue the silver lining in that exit was principally squandered, which was usually disappointing.
Standout installments like Pink Cloud apart, with how completely misplaced and aimless Upton appeared for many of the season, there wasn’t precisely any pleasure about the place the writers may take her storyline throughout the upcoming season.
In that sense, Spiridakos’ departure, whereas one thing that may deeply influence the fandom, feels comprehensible.
Where else may they go together with Upton if, when given an opportunity to point out us, they nonetheless lowered her to a heartbroken, workaholic, social recluse left in limbo over her husband?
And with Voight giving her recommendation, brutal and arguably painful for the Upstead shippers however cheap and real looking given the circumstances, that she ought to let Halstead go and transfer on, leaving Hailey in an attention-grabbing predicament.
Either we would get a hopeful Upton who refused to totally surrender on her husband, even when she did take off her marriage ceremony band, or we would have some model of her that might doubtlessly get wrapped up in one other relationship with some unknown particular person down the line.
We’re uncertain when, in the upcoming season, Hailey Upton shall be signing off.
With the Writers Strike resolved, one has to think about that they’ve a minimum of workshopped some ideas about this and perhaps actually have a concrete plan.
But will it’s passable to the viewers? Sadly, even for many who weren’t the greatest followers of the character, that feels uncertain.
Chicago PD has an extended historical past of characters departing disappointingly, from the horrific deaths of Olinsky, Nadia, Jin, and Justin to the blink-and-you-miss inexplicable disappearances of Rojas and Miller and the underwhelming exits of Erin, Antonio, and Roman.
Given the timing of all of this, there is a chance that they will think about an Upstead reunion for the sole function of giving the devoted followers one thing to hold onto and revel in.
We’ve seen the One Chicago franchise do issues like this earlier than, whether or not it was Chicago Med’s Natalie and Will Halstead or April and Ethan.
We’ve additionally had nods to comparable issues on Chicago Fire, primarily with Casey and Brett.
There could also be an avenue for a reunion to come back to fruition, whether or not Upton chases after or goes to seek for her husband or Halstead reaches out to her from some other place, apologizes, and needs her to take a leap of religion with him.
It’s one thing that would not need to require Jesse Lee Soffer’s bodily return to the sequence if he is not up for it.
But it could even be a tricky promote narratively after some of their selections relating to the dissolution of the pairing in his absence.
It can be a fanservice completely satisfied ending for the sake of it, however maybe it will take the sting out of every thing else that transpired.
We may additionally envision that they’d tie issues up with Hailey in a fashion of her doing a little soul-searching and self-reflection on her personal, leaving the job, unit, and Chicago behind to try this.
It may coincide with the character the place they will promote an inexpensive need for her to get a contemporary begin after every thing she’s endured over the years.
Hailey can also be a personality propelled ahead usually for being an important detective. She can be prime for a promotion of some form or a relocation to a different unit.
You may simply see the sequence pushing her towards a novel profession alternative she can be a idiot to show down.
She’s the character who was chosen for the thrilling community and Dick Wolf franchise-spanning FBI crossover.
It’s additionally potential that with the state she’s been in and the way usually the sequence delved a bit into her previous, she’d discover a new function in a unique area altogether which will consist of serving to trauma survivors or one thing of that nature.
During many of the montages they gave us in the aftermath of Halstead’s departure, we noticed Hailey choosing up shifts in different models, and it would not be stunning if she pursued a component of the gig that concerned extra motion and fewer emotion.
Of course, they may go for the most emotional choice of killing her off. Still, it could positively really feel low cost to take action, particularly when there’s greater than sufficient criticism of how this sequence handles its feminine characters and what it locations them by repeatedly.
If they kill off Upton, it might be one thing from which the sequence could not recuperate.
There are any quantity of ways in which they will strategy writing Upton out of the sequence, and we’ve not gotten additional phrase if her exit can be closing or if Spiridakos can be open to returning.
The growth does elevate a number of questions on what we are able to anticipate throughout Chicago PD Season 11.
With Upton leaving, we’re down a feminine character, which is extremely unlucky.
We barely get sufficient of Trudy as it’s, and it could go away the bulk of that perspective to fall upon Burgess.
It additionally would make the partnerships attention-grabbing. Voight usually pairs with Hailey, particularly since Halstead’s departure. It makes you marvel who he’ll take below his wing and pair with along with her gone.
It may result in some attention-grabbing dynamic explorations, which we have been craving from the sequence for some time.
An even bigger query is, who will turn into Voight’s “Second in Command” and have any seniority?
For seasons, we have been questioning why Atwater, Burgess, and Ruzek have not gotten round to taking the detective assessments so anyone of them may get promoted.
It has been lengthy overdue for a minimum of one of them.
Upstead had been the solely detectives left on the unit, so with each of them gone, now looks like the time to bump somebody up lastly.
Atwater looks like the most pure selection, as he is taken on the mentorship function by taking Torres below his wing. He’s developed an important deal as a cop on the unit, taking over extra accountability, and he’d each stability and complement Voight.
It would additionally give him a pleasant, hearty storyline and arc.
But that does not rule out the chance that Ruzek could rethink his place on making detective, particularly as he recuperates from his near-death expertise in Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 22 and retains his household in thoughts.
And, of course, Burgess could possibly be a viable choice as nicely, with every thing she’s endured just lately and her potential to beat it highlighting her energy.
Tracy Spiridakos’ departure will undoubtedly go away a void in the sequence.
One cannot even start to take a position the storytelling that transpires main as much as Upton’s departure.
But and not using a shadow of a doubt, this growth is sufficient to have Chicago PD followers reeling.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics.
How do you are feeling about this information? Will you miss Hailey Upton? Are you hoping for an Upstead reunion? How do you assume she ought to be written out? Hit the feedback.
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We’ll proceed to maintain you abreast of Everything We Know About Chicago PD Season 11.
Jasmine Blu is a senior workers author for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching means too many reveals and binge-drinking means an excessive amount of tea. Her eclectic style makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for advanced characters, various illustration, dynamic duos, compelling tales, and responsible pleasures. You’ll positively discover her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
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