Chicago PD season 7 midseason report: Hailey Upton
By Kari Highman
What it means
While last year’s Chicago PD fall finale saw Hailey arguing with Adam over his loyalty to the 21st, this year’s saw Hailey concerned for another member of the Intelligence Unit. It seems that she is always tethered to another person’s story; but at least this year, her own emotions were explored a bit more.
This is a good thing in terms of Hailey’s character development, as she’s not been too keen on showing her true feelings all the time. She is definitely a strong-willed cop, but she also has a strong moral code that she tries to uphold, and all of that can really take its toll.
What this year’s midseason finale did well was leave the final moments of the episode open-ended. Obviously, we’re expecting to see how Jay being shot will impact the whole unit when Chicago PD returns, but it would be wise for PD to focus on Hailey’s reaction like they did before.
Remember in season 5 when Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) was kidnapped? There was that amazing scene where Ruzek broke down to Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciati) after yelling at Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda). That scene showed just how much Adam’s friendship with Kevin meant, and that while yes, it affects the whole unit, a partner being taken impacts their partner the most. It would add an extra layer of intensity to episode 10 if the writers take a similar route with Hailey and Jay.
Another part of Hailey’s life that is worth bringing up is her home life, especially now that Vanessa is living with her. We haven’t seen anything but Hailey’s kitchen on previous episodes, so it would be nice to see the rest of her living space. It would also further strengthen the bond Hailey has with Vanessa If they had some normal, homebody-type scenes.
If Vanessa and Hailey talking isn’t doable, the least they could do is give Jay and Hailey another opportunity to do “the thing that works” between them. Those late-night conversations the pair have had since Chicago PD season 5 have served them well, so why not bring those back? Besides, this time last year they had two successful talks under their belts. Looks like season 7’s got some catching up to do.