Chicago P.D. kicked off the second half of Season 7 with an episode that revealed Hailey Upton loves Jay Halstead. While she said she loves him because he's her partner, the episode implied that her feelings are romantic, and she held back on saying those three little words to him. P.D. hasn't revisited their relationship as anything other than partners since the winter premiere, but showrunner Rick Eid teased their "strong feelings" have a part to play coming up, and there are reasons to suspect it will happen soon.
Speaking with TV Guide about the crossover between Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. as well as what's still to come, Rick Eid said this:
I think that their strong feelings for each other will ultimately present themselves in some sort of romantic way.
Interestingly, Rick Eid did not say "Upton's strong feelings for Halstead," even though hers are the only ones that have been explicitly confirmed on P.D. By referring to their strong feelings "for each other," Eid seems to say that Halstead at least somewhat reciprocates Upton's for him. Of course, Eid didn't say exactly when these feelings will present themselves or confirm that a romance between the partners will really happen, but developments in their relationship could come sooner rather than later.
As in, in the very next episode! Called "Intimate Violence," the episode airs on March 4. While the trailer for the episode didn't give much away except that some bad guys will do some bad things, the description courtesy of NBC proves that Upton and Halstead should have a lot to do:
An armed robbery case quickly turns into a homicide investigation. When one suspect’s background suggests domestic violence, Upton is forced to reckon with her childhood. Voight and Halstead butt heads over Halstead’s righteous instinct.
Characters generally don't appear in Chicago P.D. episode descriptions unless they have major parts to play. "Intimate Violence" appears to somehow be both Upton- and Halstead-centric. If that's the case, doesn't it stand to reason that some intriguing scenes between them are in store? After all, the teases in the description are for plots that are deeply personal.
The only person with whom Hailey has discussed her childhood on screen is Ruzek from during their somewhat bizarre fling, so any opening up about it would be a big deal. Meanwhile Halstead's "righteous instinct" to do the right thing apparently wasn't entirely stamped out of him when he was shot. Halstead and Voight have conflicted before, notably at the end of Season 6 and beginning of Season 7.
Whether or not Chicago P.D. finally revisits Upton's close call with telling Halstead she loves him in "Intimate Violence," it sounds like must-see TV for fans of either character. It is worth noting that they appear together in several promo photos for the episode. Take a look:
Admittedly, pretty much all that can be deduced from this image is that Halstead and Upton will hit the streets together, will be entering a dangerous enough situation to warrant wearing their vests, and it will be cold. Not much out of the ordinary for an episode of Chicago P.D., but also not necessarily something that would be deemed big enough to be released as a promotional image.
Another image is a lot more intimate:
I'm going to go ahead and assume none of the other Intelligence cops are in the room for this scene, and I'm guessing Upton and Halstead aren't discussing why he decided to sit on her desk when there are so many chairs around. In all seriousness, could this be when Halstead finally finds out about what Upton did to Darius Walker?
Hopefully these photos combined with Rick Eid's comments and the episode description at least mean a meaty episode for Upton and Halstead's characters; as for their relationship, we'll have to wait and see. The "Intimate Violence" episode of Chicago P.D. airs Wednesday, March 4 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC as the third hour in the One Chicago block, including Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET.
