Why did Upton take her wedding ring off on Chicago PD?

Big changes for Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) on the latest Chicago PD. The character was double-crossed and kidnapped, but the professional strife still took a backseat to the personal drama that the cop endured.

The episode started with Upton on the phone, talking to Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) for the first time in what feels like weeks. She tried to get an answer as to when he would be coming back to Chicago, but Halstead didn’t give her an answer.

Did Halstead and Upton break up on Chicago PD?

The rest of the episode sees Upton struggle to accept the fact that Halstead is no longer a part of her life. She repeatedly reaches out to him over text and voicemail, insisting that she’s okay with the fact that he needs “space”, but she gets nothing back in return.

The straw that breaks the camel’s back is the aforementioned kidnapping. Upton nearly loses her life after a dangerous operation gets out of hand, and once she escapes she’s forced to deal with the fact that Halstead doesn’t even know about it. He won’t call her back, so he clearly isn’t worried about her well-being on the job.

A distraught Upton brings this up to Voight (Jason Beghe), and despite being a champion of the couple in the past, he tells Upton the painful truth that she needs to hear:

"“You know it is OK to let go if you’re the only one fighting. Doesn’t mean you don’t love ’em, just means you love you, too.”"

The statement lands with a thud, because Upton knows that her boss is right. She goes home and takes off her wedding ring while tears well up in her eyes. Tellingly, all of Halstead’s items are still scattered around the apartment.

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This is a huge moment for the Upton and Halstead marriage, but one that’s ultimately not surprising given how far they’ve drifted apart. Tracy Spiridakos talked about the crucial moment in which her character would remove her wedding ring during an interview with Variety.

"“I think her taking [her ring] off, I’m sure there will be a moment that will come, I assume that’s coming,” she revealed. “I’m interested to see what that will be like. Is that a goodbye? Is that self preservation?”"

While things could still turn around for Upton and Halstead, the episode does make it feel as though a divorce is in the near future…

For the latest Chicago PD season 10 spoilers and news, plus more on the entire series, follow the Chicago PD category at One Chicago Center.