Chicago PD season 7 midseason report: Jay Halstead
By Kari Highman
How has Chicago PD season 7 gone for Jay Halstead? Before Chicago PD returns, we’re reviewing the season for Jesse Lee Soffer’s character.
Before Chicago PD returns in the new year, we’re taking a moment to look at the current season for each character. What important events do fans need to remember?
What plot developments have been good for the character, and which ones need to be improved? And of course, where could they go next when new episodes start Jan. 8?
In this article, we’re profiling Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer). Click through our slideshow to see how season 7 of Chicago PD has gone for him.
What’s happened so far
He may not be running the unit yet, but Chicago PD season 7 showed Jay Halstead taking charge right off the bat. The season premiere “Doubt” had he and his partner, Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) try to clear Hank Voight’s (Jason Beghe) name in the murder of Brian Kelton (John C. McGinley).
Throughout the whole episode, we saw Jay question his initial thoughts of Voight’s innocence. He wasn’t saying that Voight killed Kelton, but he also wasn’t saying there wasn’t a chance he was involved.
When former Deputy Superintendent Kate Brennan (Anne Heche) was implicated, Jay confronted her against Voight’s orders. When Halstead brought Brennan in, Voight was pissed, and told Jay as much.
Hank had some harsh words for Jay, as he told him if the way he did business bothered Halstead that much, then he should just “get the hell out.” Despite the brash conversation, the two put it behind them for the time being as the season continued on.
This was proven when Voight enlisted Jay’s assistance when going to investigate the parade in “Infection Part III,” and when he reminded Jay that he was a “good cop with a good heart” in “False Positive.”
Chicago PD’s crossover episode put the spotlight on Jay when he was the one taken hostage by David Seldon, who invented the deadly bacteria that had wreaked havoc on the Windy City. Jay, being the selfless person he is, put himself in harm’s way by cutting his arm so Seldon could infect it to prove a point. Though Upton distracted Seldon long enough for Voight to kill him, Jay’s sacrifice showed his dedication to the job and to the city.
The amount Jay cares was showcased again in “False Positive” when Marcus West died in county jail, and Jay felt immense guilt for putting the innocent man there. This guilt wouldn’t be assuaged until he could make amends, which is what he attempted to do in the midseason finale.
“Absolution” saw Jay (as “Jim,” his undercover alias) bond with Angela and her son, Bobby. He continued to spend time with Angela despite Hailey’s warning, and paid for it when he was attacked at Angela’s house.
He woke up and found that he and Angela were chained to pipes in a basement somewhere, and even with the insurmountable pain he had, he kept offering Angela words of encouragement.
Things came to a head when Jay revealed the real way he knew Marcus West: he was the cop who arrested him. When Angela heard this, her intentions became malicious, to say the least. “You deserve to die,” she told him. While most would have gotten angry, Jay got compassionate and replied: “Yeah, but you don’t.”
Audiences held their breath when she didn’t reveal his true identity to their captors; but she would in fact, inflict harm upon Jay at the end of the episode. When Halstead came back downstairs to get her out safely, Angela shot him, and the last moments of Jay Halstead were seen on the floor, writhing in pain, as the screen faded to black. Not the happy ending we were expecting.