That almost seemed too easy, didn’t it? 

On Chicago PD Season 9 Episode 9, the conflict between Halstead, Upton, and Voight surrounding the murder of Roy Walton was resolved, and they may as well have slapped on a big, red holiday bow on top. 

I’m not upset with the fact that Halstead, Upton, and Voight found a solution that basically absolved them of any wrongdoing because I was rooting for them. I love them, so I always cheer them on, even when they’re covering up a murder that was a well-deserved conclusion for the likes of Walton.

I am, however, annoyed with how easily they got there.

I wanted to see Halstead sweat a little bit. I wanted Voight to sincerely think he was going down for this. I wanted Upton to think her career was over. 

I wanted something more. 

Instead, Halstead and Voight immediately found an out of the situation by figuring out Agent North’s weak spot — his drug addict brother Joey. 

But while it allowed them to get off scot-free, it didn’t come without consequences that weighed terribly on Halstead’s conscience. 

They’ll forever have to live with what they did, but at least they can avoid jail time and continue on with their careers!

Halstead wasn’t comfortable using Joey as bait, but he also wasn’t comfortable having Upton go to jail. 

And he wasn’t comfortable with Voight taking the fall because — as he so beautifully admitted in one of the most honest scenes this season — Voight is good for the city. 

For a moment, I thought Halstead lost his edge and was merely just a pretty face, but he proved that he has the brains to back it up! 

Halstead knows that while Voight plays a dangerous game, the city benefits from his ruthlessness. He goes where no cop dares to, which definitely comes in handy. 

And Halstead could never accept that the only person getting justice in this mess was Walton. Because while Voight broke the law, crossed a line, and dragged a willing Upton with him, the fact is that he put a really bad dude where he belonged. No one can argue that. 

So, while he had to do something that wasn’t entirely moral, he chose the lesser of two evils. Their only option was leveraging the dirt they dug up on North for their own gain. 

And it was convenient that North just so happened to have a brother that they could leverage for information that was willing to tell them everything. 

For once, it would be nice for an Agent trying to restore order and bring back justice to be clean himself. 

North may have had an iron-clad case against them, but if he went through with it, he would’ve gone down for bribing all those officials to get his brother out of jail. 

I hope that after accepting the evidence that Halstead gave him, North focused his efforts on bettering himself and helping his brother. 

Because honestly, he’s not one to wave the morality flag at Halstead either. 

Halstead accepted that he was going to have to pull some kind of trigger to make this go away; he still knows exactly who he is, even if he has to clean up some messes. 

The situation also lent itself to another pivotal moment in Halstead and Voight’s relationship. 

Halstead and Voight have never seen eye-to-eye, and while there have been times that Halstead was riding his high horse instead of doing what needed to be done, the truth is that they counter each other quite well. 

You can’t have a unit full of rogue, hot-headed detectives. Can you imagine if it was just a bunch of Ruzek’s and Voight’s?!

CHICAGO P.D. — “No Way Out” Episode 909 — Pictured: Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)

Halstead loves to challenge Voight, but now, he’s also demanding that he be taken seriously and to be seen as an equal. 

He’s no Antonio or Olinsky (RIP), but it sets up for a nice dynamic between the two of them. 

Halstead is finally finding his footing in the unit and is voicing his beliefs and concerns in a way that doesn’t make him seem like a hypocrite. He wants to do better while acknowledging that sometimes getting your hands dirty is necessary. 

Yet, he doesn’t want to completely give up on being the moral cop. 

If he’s going to be the one walking around with a mop while Voight “handles it,” he at least wants him to be upfront about the messes he’s going to be cleaning. 

I think moving forward, this transparent moment will allow for a more balanced unit.

Halstead wants to hold Voight accountable because, let’s be honest, he needs that sometimes.

I’m also hoping it leads to more blunt conversations. We’ve always known that Halstead didn’t agree with the way Voight runs things, but it was awesome to see him acknowledge that and explain that despite all of that, he sticks around because he knows in the end, it’s worth it. Intelligence isn’t just as good as the leader, it’s as good as the group the leader is leading. 

And Voight has a solid group. 

In the same vein, it was great to see Voight accept responsibility. He didn’t want Halstead to carry the weight of making the wrong decision, so he was ready to accept the fallout. 

Voight would have gone down for this if Halstead decided to tell the truth and cooperate with Agent North. 

And that says a lot about Voight. He does what’s necessary because he can take the heat if it all comes crashing down. He’s not just a man that talks, he talks and acts and accepts responsibility if he can’t find a way out — though, there’s always a way out. 

After almost losing Upton and himself, Halstead decided to re-propose, and then the duo just went to City Hall and tied the knot right then and there.

There’s nothing like a union bonded by shared trauma, right?

Then again, they both just proved to each other that they are willing to do anything for the other, so why not make it official?

While I would’ve loved to see an intimate wedding with all of their closest family and friends — especially since Halstead has a brother in the franchise! — the impromptu wedding felt right. It was very Jay and Hailey. 

And since they always give it their all — they’ve dedicated their whole life to this city — it was nice that they had something just for themselves. 

However, I think it’s important to note that the tone set for the scenes was very specific. It wasn’t cheery, happy, or bubbly; it was gloomy. The colors set the tone of a scene that indicated sadness and despair not typically associated with weddings, honeymoons, and typical “happily ever after” stories.

I’m interested to see how things pan out moving forward. Will Jay and Upton find a way to make their union work? Or will it always be bogged down by their careers?

So much was going on with the trio that it was hard to focus on the case-of-the-week, which involved a bus shooting and a drug trafficking situation. 

The young woman was caught with $50,000 worth of heroin in her stomach wrapped in PARTY BALLOONS. 

If that doesn’t tell you that this was a novice operation, I don’t know what will. 

Despite nearly dying, she wasn’t willing to give up her recruiter because he was a close family friend. 

That kind of loyalty is admirable, but it’s also stupid when it comes down to your very survival. The moment she was informed that she wasn’t the first — or the last — girl that this happened to (some have even died before), she immediately gave up her friend. 

And to be honest, she probably saved his life since Mateo, the ringleader, was definitely about to kill him. 

What did you think of the midseason finale? Are you happy the Walton storyline has been tied up?

Do you wish the other characters got a chance to shine? I kind of wish Burgess could’ve said her peace. She at the very least deserves to know the truth. 

And I’m hoping the next half of the season gives us Atwater some more good material. The show’s strength and the secret weapon is La Royce Hawkins! 

Share your thoughts in the comments below!