Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, NBC’s ‘Chicago P.D.,’ steps into the 21st District and shines a light on the daily challenges of the police department’s Intelligence Unit. With Voight at the helm of the most eccentric and yet the most competent team of detectives and officers, each case turns into an experience in itself, shaping our understanding of how investigations work, both in good and bad shades. Voight is not alone in this journey, however, as for much of the show’s history, he is joined by Hailey Upton and Jay Halstead as his crew members. However, in the aftermath of a tumultuous relationship as well as career ups and downs, both Jay and Hailey leave the show after season 10 episode 3 and season 11 episode 13, respectively. As time passes, their trajectories grow farther apart, until an entirely new crisis compels them to share the screen once again. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Hailey Briefly Returns to Chicago P.D. as an FBI Agent on the Hunt for a Smuggler
Hailey Upton makes her grand return to the ‘One Chicago’ universe with ‘Chicago Fire’ season 14 episode 13, titled ‘Reckoning, Part I.’ However, given that the episode is a part of a trilogy, comprising a part 2 from ‘Chicago Med,’ and part 3 from ‘Chicago P.D.,’ Hailey’s role is limited to a cameo appearance for this expansive case. While the arc itself is set around the near-inexplicable death of almost 200 people aboard a plane, Hailey believes that the tragedy is directly connected to a case she has been digging into for months. To back up her claim, she identifies one of the passengers — the one who most likely started the poison chain reaction — as Omar, an international drug smuggler whom the FBI has been watching.
Although Hailey’s superiors remain convinced that the plane mass murder is an act of terrorism, Hailey hypothesizes that Omar was, in fact, on a routine drug shipment mission when the drugs sewn inside his stomach ruptured due to unforeseeable circumstances. The chemical released is strong enough to not only wipe out the entire plane in minutes, but also put the lives of characters such as Macy, Cap, and Cruz in danger. Hailey’s search for these drugs leads her to the morgue, which is where she has her first encounter with the real antagonist: a masked, scarred man who manages to overpower her and escape. Notably, this man fully intends to kill Hailey before she can catch up to him, but he is stopped by the sudden intervention of Jay.
Jay Makes a Temporary Comeback to the Show While Looking to Reconnect With Hailey
Just like Hailey, chances are that Jay Halstead is only back to make a cameo appearance in ‘One Chicago.’ Within the narrative, he reveals that he has been silently making connections with Omar as well, given his work in military intelligence. However, the reason he specifically chooses to be physically present for the job is in the hopes of reuniting. It is implied that the duo has not even met each other since they went their separate ways, and while their wounds are still fresh, Hailey makes it clear that she doesn’t intend to continue this arc before the mystery is solved. In the end, Jay plays a significant role in cracking the case, catching the culprit, Thomas, in the act before he can do any more damage.
While it is apparent from the get-go that Jay is not in The Windy City to reconnect with his team in the police department, the fact that the entire crew manages to get back together is enough to evoke nostalgia. Jay explains that his work in the army always keeps him busy, but that doesn’t mean that Hailey isn’t on his mind day in and out. From the looks of it, Jay looks ready to try things out with Hailey once again, but for her, it appears that her work is now the biggest priority. Although the communication gap between these ex-partners cannot be easily remedied, this still shows that they are excelling on the professional front and are not burdened by their respective emotional dilemmas.
Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer are Unlikely to Return as Leads in Chicago P.D.
While the brief return of actors Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer is potent enough to stir up everything we know about the world of ‘Chicago P.D.,’ everything points towards their role in the crossover episode being limited to a cameo appearance. There are many possible reasons as to why the actors are not returning full-time, and the most likely of these are creative and scheduling differences. Furthermore, with season 13 of the show fleshing out its existing cast, alongside the introduction of Eva Imani, it further means that the story is transitioning onto new stages, ones that don’t necessarily need former members of the core cast to add that extra oomph.
Though the chances of Spiridakos and Lee Soffer reprising their roles as leads in the show are slim to none, there is a possibility of the actors returning for more cameo roles down the line. With Hailey as a character working in the FBI, a storyline is established in how she interacts with her seniors, who both admire and disagree with her at every turn. Similarly, Jay’s plot threads as a covert military agent also have a lot of room for depth, and future episodes of ‘Chicago P.D.’ can easily introduce sections where the police join hands with the FBI or the army, resulting in more collaborative narratives. However, as of now, it appears that Spiridakos and Lee Soffer are most likely not joining the show for the next episode.
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