The solely good serial rapist, pedophile, and trafficker is a lifeless one.
At least, that is what Hailey Upton would argue. On the one hand, she managed to nab Sean and convey him down on Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 9, however on the opposite, she did not get what she desired, and the person was nonetheless respiration.
As for Hailey, she’s circled again to her Dark Hailey Era. And she and Voight could also be of their Daddy/Daughter Era once more, too.
Sean has been an issue for many of the first half of the season. The workforce has been devoted to taking him down, despite the fact that they needed to cope with the Chief.
The workforce succeeded in doing that by the tip of the hour, spearheaded by Hailey, who has thrown her whole being into this case as a result of it distracted her from all the pieces she would not wish to unpack in her private life.
It’s commonplace for the job and a particular subset of individuals working it. We’ve watched Hailey battle with self-care since Halstead left, burying herself into work to her detriment.
The Sean case consumed her greater than anything. She left a chunk of herself in that one, and never solely did the case get into her head, however Sean managed to do it too.
Voight: Paddy, your son led us to this. Shawn is concerned on this. You cannot defend him. You cannot save him from this. Help me herald Sean now.
Chief O’Neal: He’s my son you are not bringing him in.
We’ve heard about their connection, and I’ve watched intently. While I can course of what they could have been angling for with Hailey and Sean mirroring one another as damaged individuals, or one thing to that diploma, I nonetheless cannot say I’ve seen it.
Maybe they have not performed the most effective job promoting it, despite the fact that Spirandakos and White have an attention-grabbing chemistry that works effectively sufficient.
When Hailey spoke to Isla about Sean moving into her head and making her consider him or having a pull on her regardless of her being a cop, it was exhausting to react to that. Despite the time we have spent with Hailey and with Hailey and Sean, it appears like she’s additionally been inaccessible to the viewers.
One cannot unpack what it means for her that it was simpler to let Sean, a suspect revealed to be a monster, into her head simpler than any of the individuals round her who care about her.
Hailey’s dogged pursuit of him led to her willingness to do something to get him and deep emotional responses to the case.
She was in tears speaking to Isla, attempting to get her to open up and reply to Isla’s horrific expertise with Sean, which prompted her to go on the run for six months. One of the standout moments of that scene was Isla checking Hailey on needling her for data to save lots of different ladies.
It’s too usually a tactic that legislation enforcement makes use of when urgent a sufferer; understandably, they wish to make their case and take a foul individual off the streets.
But it was nice how Isla identified how damaging that’s on the sufferer by placing the onus on this traumatized survivor to push previous what they’re battling to help legislation enforcement and future victims.
It solely additional invalidates an individual once we’re asking them, particularly ladies, to put aside their trauma and emotions for the second to consider and prioritize another person’s well-being.
Some of this carried over when the ASA was able to throw all the pieces out as a result of Isla was a “Bad Victim.” When speaking about these survivors and their conditions, the language will get your hackles up.
Isla pushed previous her discomfort, acquired hauled in when she did not need it, and nonetheless gave up data to assist when she did not wish to for the sake of different individuals, and the implication is that she was ineffective if she would not get on the stand and likewise she was a foul sufferer.
It’s such reductive of the hell she went by means of and completely captured why survivors do not feel just like the system helps them or consider it is exploitative in an entire completely different manner.
Dark circumstances like this at all times have delicate methods of addressing these minor points, and I admire that.
The unit acquired stonewalled at each flip of their try to seize Sean. There was clearly extra hesitation due to his connection to the Chief.
For the lifetime of me, I did not perceive why Voight introduced the Chief to the crime scene the place they discovered that previous physique to show that Sean was responsible.
Voight, a person who bent and broke legal guidelines to guard his personal son, is aware of what it is wish to go to nice lengths to guard a toddler; the job be damned.
All it did was give the Chief a head’s up on how you can defend Sean, and it felt ridiculously contrived to maintain Sean one step forward, destroying proof and so forth.
Without a dumb transfer like that, strictly conjured up for battle and drama, there would not be a lot of an episode.
Voight and Hailey paralleled one another, every of them going to their respective O’Neal to speak to them.
Voight did his greatest to get by means of to the Chief, who was in denial about his son and what a monster he was and did not wish to face the reality. He left him with that file of all of the terrible issues Sean did and the case they constructed towards him — the ladies and ladies he harm.
Voight: So you wish to try this now, make circumstances any manner you may. He’s in your head.
Hailey: I do know.
Voight: So let’s return to work. Me, you and the workforce. That’s how we’ll get them. That’s how we’ll save them.
And Hailey made one final try to speak to Sean, and she or he succeeded. I do not know what she supposed to do with the data he gave her or what the purpose was past no matter pull she needed to him and this want to know the reality to save lots of the women.
But in their very own bubble, Sean had a moderately chilling monologue concerning the complexities of him being a monster. He acknowledged that he was irrevocably damaged and drawn to different damaged issues.
And there was some complexity to him as a result of he did assist many of the SafeSpace youngsters and did some good. When he was good, he was actually good.
But when he was dangerous, he was a real monster.
He expressed that he tried all the pieces to assist himself, turned to medicine to battle his urges and ideas, did each sort of remedy, tried a number of religions, and spoke to his father about issues.
But as soon as he realized his father would not course of what he was saying and see him for what he was, he knew it was a misplaced trigger. I ponder if he spoke to therapists the best way he claimed why they would not have reported him or one thing.
He arrange some twisted guidelines for selecting which ladies to rape, abuse, site visitors, and kill. He created his personal convoluted code of conduct and carried on with it.
He was sensible sufficient to cowl his tracks and had a father who would do the identical. But the spell was damaged when Hailey’s cellphone went off, and no matter his claims had been about attempting to be a greater individual in his manner shattered when he did not inform her the place the women had been.
Sean: Do you know the way many packages I’ve performed?
Hailey; Twenty-two.
Sean: Joined six religions too, did you discover that out?
Hailey: No. Sean: Six. I learn all these books. Did each sort of remedy. Poisoned myself. Talked to my dad, as soon as. Don’t fear, he did not perceive what I used to be attempting to inform him. His mind would not let him. He beloved me an excessive amount of. But I did strive. I did not wish to be like this.
Fortunately, Hailey and Voight had been capable of finding them in a nerve-wracking few scenes that had you fearful somebody would bounce out of the shadows and assault them, particularly when the radios weren’t working.
Anytime Hailey or Kim wanders off by themselves, there is a worry of assaults, kidnappings, or no matter else.
Finding the truck with the women in it was lastly sufficient to get Sean, however by then, it was too late.
The Chief opting to place his personal son down like a canine felt downright biblical. He beloved his son an excessive amount of however did not need him to trigger any extra hurt or go away, so he shot and hoped to kill him.
Then he killed himself, possible as a result of he might dwell with what he did, who he raised, and what he enabled.
But the Chief is lifeless, and Sean is alive. Of course, evil by no means dies simply.
And this introduced us again to Hailey circling round to her Dark Hailey Era once more. One factor that continues to be constant is how inconsistently this single character is written to the purpose that I’m unsure which model of Hailey is meant to be the proper one anymore.
There she was, encouraging Voight to let Sean die, refusing to assist save him till the very finish, as Voight, of all individuals, proceeded to do his job by the books.
The fixed function reversal between these two may give an individual whiplash. But this model of Hailey was a far cry from the lady who drove herself to a psychological breakdown after a technically good shoot and shoddy coverup with Roy.
But it’s just like the Hailey who orchestrated a person’s dying with a smile. Is it that sleep deprivation brings out one other aspect to her?
She wasn’t too happy that Sean survived that ordeal, and whereas this portion of the investigation is probably going over, one thing tells me the mark Sean left will not be gone anytime quickly.
The hour wrapped up the Sean arc and investigation. But general, it did not really feel like a midseason finale in any manner. And whereas it was closely case-centered, the remainder of the workforce disappeared, which isn’t enjoyable.
The urges, they do not go away, as a result of they can not. See, dangerous issues do occur, Hailey. Bad issues occur however you may management how they occur. You can management who they occur to, that’s what I discovered. you may sacrifice those who’re already damaged to save lots of the remaining.
Sean
Hailey and Voight are again to this complicated dynamic sans Halstead, the place he is taken her beneath his wing a bit extra, feels paternal, and could also be attempting to save lots of her soul once more.
And Hailey stays this difficult character with males enjoying such a relentless, consuming a part of her life on a regular basis. Halstead continues to be in her head and coronary heart, Sean acquired in her head and was who she was drawn to whereas alienating herself from everybody else, and Voight is a touchstone for her now.
She’ll possible nonetheless spend a lot of her time linked to him.
It was a moderately uninteresting hour, and there wasn’t something notably gripping about it to go away you with bated breath till the collection returns.
It’s factor we’ll wish to come again regardless.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. What did you consider this midseason finale? What do you make of Hailey’s conduct? Sound off under.
You can watch Chicago PD on-line right here by way of TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior employees author for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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