Chicago P.D. is coming to a premature end in Season 7, which means some character arcs will be cut shorter than originally intended. In the case of partners Halstead and Upton, their separation and Upton’s absence will last a lot longer than a few weeks. With Upton in New York for FBI and Halstead without his usual partner-in-crimefighting, what’s next? Well, a clip for the April 8 episode of Chicago P.D. confirms that Halstead is missing Upton, and the episode description for the upcoming finale is fuel for speculation.
First, the sneak peek! In the clip (also featuring another P.D. duo) released ahead of the April 8 episode of Chicago P.D., called “Buried Secrets,” Halstead has a brief conversation with Trudy that reveals his feelings about the absence of Upton.
Given that the episode will focus on Ruzek, Burgess trying to connect with Ruzek, and Intelligence investigating a kidnapping, Halstead likely won’t get the spotlight for much of the hour. Still, check out the fun little scene with Trudy that proves Upton is on his mind, if not by his side investigating:
What would Chicago P.D. be without Trudy to step in and step up to drop some truths on the Intelligence cops from time to time? Whether setting Upton straight on the arguably ill-advised relationship with Ruzek, helping Burgess realize the time had come to come clean about her pregnancy, or ribbing Halstead here about missing his partner, she can add some levity and perspective to the Intelligence drama.
While Halstead admitting that he misses Upton because she’s his partner isn’t quite Upton admitting she loves Halstead, Upton didn’t have to get shot for Halstead to confirm his connection with his partner. He did seem to have an (understandable) moment of fear that Trudy knew something he didn’t and Upton wasn’t coming back to CPD before it became clear that Trudy was just giving him a hard time.
Fortunately for Halstead (and fans), actress Tracy Spiridakos has assured in no uncertain terms that Upton will be back from her crossover to FBI, even if the production halts mean that she won’t be back until Season 8. (In case you missed Upton’s appearance on CBS’ FBI, you can find what happened here!) With FBI’s Season 2 finale with Upton already having aired, we can pretty safely say that what’s next for Upton is Upton returning to Chicago next season. What about what’s next for Halstead?
To this, we can turn to the Chicago P.D. Season 7 finale, “Silence of the Night,” airing on April 15. Based on the episode description, Halstead isn’t going to be a major player next week either. Here’s what’s happening:
Atwater goes undercover to take down a gun-trafficking ring, but discovers an officer from his past is undercover in the same organization.
The good news is that Season 7 will seemingly end with an Atwater-centric episode, since Atwater hasn’t necessarily gotten as much focus this season as some viewers expected. The bad news for fans hoping for more Upstead updates is that Halstead once again doesn’t seem likely to be a focus.
In fact, Jesse Lee Soffer only appears as Halstead in two of NBC’s promotional photos for the Season 7 finale, both of which look to take place in the same scene. Take a look:
Only time will tell if Upton gets more shoutouts in what remains of Chicago P.D. Season 7 or if Halstead missing his partner will impact him in the last couple episodes, but there’s still a lot to look forward to.
Atwater didn’t receive as much attention in Season 7 as I was hoping based on news ahead of the premiere, so I’ll be glad to see him in the spotlight at least one more time before the end of the season. As for Ruzek and Burgess in the April 8 episode, I just hope that the hour ends with them on good or at least calm terms. They’ve had a rough enough season already.
Catch the final episodes of Chicago P.D. Season 7 on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following new episodes of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET., and swing by our midseason TV premiere schedule for the latest in what's coming to the small screen.
