

Chicago P.D
Chicago PD Midseason Finale Review – [SPOILER] Is Married (9×09)
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!
Chicago P.D
One Chicago Shows Announce 2024 Premiere Dates

It’s finally happening—our favorite One Chicago shows are coming home to us!
Chihards, mark your calendars and get ready to sit down in front of the TV on January 17 because that’s when Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will make their highly-anticipated and long-awaited premieres!
It’s truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… though I hope that turning around new episodes doesn’t mean that the actors will have to work through the holidays.
one chicago wednesdays return January 17 on @nbc and streaming on @peacock!!!
— Top 1% of Burzek shippers (@NBCOneChicago) November 20, 2023
Chicago Med returns for season 9, Fire for season 12, and Med for season 11.
Of course, the full NBC 2024 lineup will kick off on Jan 1 with America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, which means they are wasting no time getting back into the swing of things following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays.
Law & Order franchises will have their moment on Thursday, Jan 18 with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Part 1 of The Voice returns on Feb. 26, along with BC’s new Deal or No Deal spinoff, Deal or No Deal Island.
La Brea will air its final season on Jan 9, leading into the final two episodes of Found. The Irrational will also air its final four episodes starting Monday, Jan. 29.
Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I., Lopez vs. Lopez, The Weakest Link, Password, That’s My Jam and The Wall currently don’t have a premiere date.
Coffee Table News
‘Chicago PD’ Shakeup: Tracy Spiridakos Leaving After Season 11

Chicago PD fans—we’ve got some bad news coming your way.
As you await new episodes of the crime procedural, the cast is getting yet another shakeup (we’re still not over Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit in the first half of season 10, to be honest).
Variety announced that Tracy Spiridakos, who has portrayed Detective Hailey Upton since season 4, will be leaving the series. She is set to exit after season 11, though it remains unclear if she’ll be around for the entirety of the season or pull a move from Soffer’s playbook and exit a few episodes in.
The outlet notes that the decision to leave the show was entirely her own; Spiridakos has yet to confirm or release a statement of her own.
Spiridakos joined the Dick Wolf Entertainment drama in 2016 as a recurring character and was quickly upped to series regular starting in season 5. Since then she’s become an integral part of Intelligence, getting her hands dirty with Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and sparking a romantic relationship with Soffer’s Det. Jay Halstead.
While it’s a bummer, her departure does kind of make sense when you look at her overall story. Since Halstead left the city to fulfill an Army task in Bolivia and basically broke her heart, she’s had trouble picking up the pieces and finding her place. Hitting refresh—which ultimately means leaving the show—is a logical next step as there’s nothing holding her back anymore. The writers could find a way to mend Upstead with her joining Jay wherever his duties take him or she can look for a fresh start in a place that no longer reminds her of her broken marriage.
Spiridakos’ character was also involved in a rather intense case that spanned several episodes last season, so they could use that as an excuse to write her off, noting that the case took a toll on her.
The 10th season has been delayed by the writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and while writers are able to get back into the rooms and craft storylines, production remains halted. No premiere dates have been announced yet, so it’s unclear how long we’ll wait for the upcoming highly-anticipated season… and Spiridakos’ last.
Without her, there are only 4 originals left standing; In addition to Beghe, the series stars LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater), Patrick J. Flueger (Adam Ruzek), and Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess). In 2022, newcomer Benjamin Levy Aguilar (Torres) was upped to series regular, rounding out the squad.
The One Chicago franchise has endured plenty of loss as of late, with many notable stars exiting their respective shows, including a total of 5 characters leaving Chicago Med.
Chicago P.D
Is Adam Ruzek Leaving ‘Chicago PD’?

Following Chicago PD Season 5’s finale, it’s understandable that fans are worried about Adam Ruzek’s fate as it hangs in the balance.
Questions and concerns immediately began popping up, with many wondering if Patrick Flueger is leaving the series.
For now, it’s unclear as the episode that ended the season left things on a bit of a cliffhanger in terms of Ruzek’s health.
During the episode, Ruzek, who was working undercover for months to thwart Richard’s, a white supremacist’s deadly terrorist plan, blew his own cover to Richard’s daughter, Sam, who was trying to skip town after her dad moved up the date for his attack.
Ruzek and the Intelligence team then convinced Sam to inform on her dad and his crew in exchange for immunity for herself and her son, Callum, which she did.
He then advised them to pack up their things and head over to a safe house, which she proposed as a little getaway to Callum. Unfortunately, Cal was so brainwashed by his grandfather that he immediately called him to let him know that his mom was trying to leave.
When Ruzek approached him and saw him on the phone, Cal pulled out a gun. Ruzek tried to diffuse the situation but Cal pulled the trigger, hitting Ruzek in the abdomen. He immediately started bleeding out and collapsed to the ground. Once Sam realized what was happening, she grabbed her son and made a run for it, leaving Ruzek alone to die. Thankfully, he was able to reach Kim Burgess and within minutes, he was in an ambo on his way to Med.

CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
Unfortunately, once he went into surgery, the doctors provided no additional updates, though Platt assured a very concerned Burgess that they got to him quickly.
It’s tough to say if Ruzek will survive, especially with so many Chicago PD and Chicago Med exits happening this year, however, Ruzek is one of the fan-favorite characters, so I can’t see him leaving the series anytime soon. He’s strong and he’s a fighter, and he has a lot to live for—he just made things official with Burgess, he’s a father to Makayla, and he’s an integral part of Intelligence.
My guess is that he will survive the surgery, but he’ll be sidelined for a bit and will likely have to go through some rehab and therapy in the same way Burgess did after her near-death experience.
This seems to be a still from an upcoming episode that shows Ruzek still alive post-surgery—though unconscious—with Burgess by his side, which is promising.

CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: (l-r) Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
While I can’t say anything definitively, I firmly believe that Adam Ruzek is not leaving Chicago PD just yet. And we likely won’t know more until Chicago PD Season 9 returns in the fall.
You can read our Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 22 review right here.
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