How does Jay Halstead fit into Chicago PD season 8?

What will Chicago PD season 8 do with Jay Halstead?

The latest Chicago PD repeat, “Intimate Violence”, is a major episode for Jay Halstead. It’s also proof that the show needs to figure out what Halstead’s purpose is going to be when Chicago PD season 8 begins.

“Intimate Violence” is great for giving Jesse Lee Soffer a ton of screen time, but it’s also one of season 7’s most uneven episodes (including some unintentionally troubling messaging about domestic violence).

And Halstead’s “righteous instinct,” as NBC officially describes it, is on full display—as is his burgeoning relationship with partner Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).

So what, exactly, does Chicago PD want out of Jay Halstead?

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Fans know for sure that Upstead will be part of Chicago PD season 8. Showrunner Rick Eid has publicly said that Halstead and Upton are “falling in love with each other,” so that train is on its way out of the station.

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That’s fine, and there’s certainly story material there; how will Jay handle having dated both his partners in Intelligence, especially since the last one left as he was about to propose? There should be more than the traditional ship to get into here, if Chicago PD is willing to dig into it.

But what comes after that? No character should be defined by their relationship with another character, romantic or otherwise—they need to also be able to stand on their own and have their own development. And that’s where Halstead’s future is particularly unclear.

Back during the Kelton debacle, Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) told Halstead that he was in position to run the Intelligence Unit someday. But at the same time, the show has also tried to create some tension between Jay and his boss, as if the writers want him to have the push-pull dynamic that Voight had with Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda). Neither angle has completely come to fruition.

It’s unlikely Halstead would emerge as a confidant for Voight; the two have never had that kind of relationship, and the end of Chicago PD season 7 was pushing Upton as the character following in Voight’s footsteps. Plus, since Voight is a Sergeant, neither Upton nor Halstead can get promoted even just in rank, since that would make them his equals.

But the idea of Jay following after Antonio is a lot more interesting, and would make him a critical part of the show. The series’ biggest weakness is that Voight and his tactics haven’t had any kind of real counterpoint; just look at what happened with Jay this season. That instinct only led him to getting chewed out by Voight in the season 7 premiere, and apologizing in the next episode.

He has not truly pushed his boss—but as the most upstanding of the main characters, he’s in a natural position to. If anybody left would have an issue with the way things are done, it should be Jay Halstead.

Jesse Lee Soffer has been on Chicago PD long enough to hold his own with Jason Beghe, and that change of dynamic would also prevent Halstead from getting lost in his own relationship (an issue that occasionally cropped up in Linstead stories). And consider this: if Upton is turning into Voight, how will it complicate Upstead—professionally or otherwise—if Jay disagrees with him?

It’s time to reinvent Jay Halstead a little bit. He needs something new that makes him different from the other characters. It can’t be that he’s dating his partner (again). The writers have already gone through his Army background enough. Let him turn heel a bit, hold true to his opinions and not immediately back down when Voight challenges him, and season 8 could wind up being his best season.

For the latest Chicago PD season 8 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.