One Chicago’s Top 5 best developing friendships
By Kari Highman
2. Hailey Upton and Vanessa Rojas, Chicago PD
When Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) was paired with newcomer Vanessa Rojas (Lisseth Chavez), it was a surprise to One Chicago fans as well as Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and Upton herself. When she confronted Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) about his decision, he reassured her that he had a good reason behind the switch-up.
“It’s always better to find the right person before they learn the wrong habits,” Voight told Upton, and he had a point. Upton and Halstead work well together because they came together early on, so why not see if Upton could do the same for Rojas? And Upton was always the one to tell Voight the truth, which was precisely why she was chosen to suss out the newcomer.
While the two didn’t immediately see eye to eye—Rojas went off-book one too many times for Upton’s liking—they demonstrated some similarities in terms of behavior. They both have huge hearts, and both have been known for their undercover skills, so their partnership turned out to make complete sense.
What made them unique as friends was that their bond continued to grow. At the end of the Chicago PD episode “Familia” we saw Rojas open up to Upton about her lack of living space. Upton compassionately offered up her apartment as a place for Rojas to stay, and the duo’s friendship has blossomed from there.
In “Informant,” Rojas’s foster-home past was brought up again, thanks to Upton’s curiosity about her cleaning habits. Vanessa told Hailey that she kept things neat to help survive in her various homes. What was great about that scene was that there was no judgment from Upton, which made their interaction very normalized.
Another instance of their similar behavior, as well as their growing friendship, occurred in the Chicago PD fall finale “Absolution,” when Rojas assisted Upton in looking for Halstead’s whereabouts. The laser-focused duo checked his truck, as well as his last known location. Even though they didn’t turn up anything, it was nice to see them working so well together to help one of their own.
Upton and Rojas’s bond will have another opportunity to develop when One Chicago returns, as Upton will need someone to lean on given the ordeal surrounding Halstead, whose life is currently hanging in the balance. Hopefully Rojas can be there for Upton when she needs it most.