Chicago PD Review – Goodbye, Jay Halstead (1003)

That was a hard one.

It’s hard to imagine a world in which Jay Halstead isn’t part of Intelligence, but if it has to be this way, well, I’m glad he went out the way he did.

It’s never easy to do the right thing, and Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 3 honed in on that.

Since Anna’s death, Halstead has been all over the place trying to figure out exactly where his place is—is it by Hailey’s side or by Voight’s? I think the best way to describe his behavior was like a walking zombie doing things out of comfort rather than necessity.

But Intelligence, and the dark and twisted cases, were bound to get the best of him, especially as the job continued taking parts of his soul, bit by bit, without him even realizing. 

Halstead has always done his best not to be like Voight, but along the way, case after case, he lost his way and changed into an unrecognizable version of himself.

The last straw was when he responded to a shooting at a pharmacy and pursued a group of robbers trying to steal drugs to make meth.

Halstead got personally invested in the case because of Lenny, a good samaritan and ex-vet who ended up being part of the robbery crew. 

Halstead skirted evidence, used illegal tactics to get information out of suspects, and lied to Upton and others on the team. He was running the Voight playbook, and he couldn’t stop himself. 

Everything that made Halstead Halstead was fading. Yes, he had a good reason not to out Lenny’s involvement with the robbery, but that didn’t make it okay either. Halstead has always been a black or white guy, but lately, the job has just become a grey zone where you pick and choose when you want to follow the rules. It took a toll on him, naturally.

Instead of talking or confiding in someone, he kept it bottled up inside, which likely didn’t make it any better. It all festered unresolved until it blew up. 

And the absolute last straw was when he killed Benny, in self-defense, and then had to come up with yet another cover story to save his own ass. 

“We’re doing it again,” Halstead muttered to Upton and Voight with a glazed-over look. And he was right—they somehow found themselves repeating the same mistakes of the past in order and excusing the behavior as necessary. 

One mistake doesn’t make a bad guy, but when you constantly make the same mistakes, what then? Halstead didn’t want to be the bad guy, he wanted to stay the good guy he started out. 

In a way, it was admirable that Halstead went rogue to keep Lenny’s name out of it, but it was yet another example of just how long gone everything was. There was no semblance of order; this was just becoming common practice. They were desensitized, and it was quite alarming how quickly and seamlessly they came up with a cover story that was airtight.

Of course, Voight and Upton would do anything to protect Halstead, but to what end? We saw the ripple effects of Voight and Upton’s first rogue mission followed by the toll that Anna’s death took on them. 

It wasn’t sustainable. So I commend Halstead for recognizing that and admitting the hard truth instead of being in denial about it.

It was even more messed up because when he did want to come clean, he was basically praised for killing Benny as his death saved countless of innocent lives. It’s dangerous when you begin to justify bending and breaking the rules for the “greater good” in such a way that you lose your moral compass. 

Halstead decided against telling the truth so that Lenny’s family could reap the reward, but he also tended his resignation, a move that shocked Upton to her core. 

On one hand, I understand where Halstead is coming from, but as a woman who thrives on clear communication, I wish he would’ve talked this over with her. It’s possible that he didn’t because he was afraid she was going to stop him and he needed to pull the trigger, but honestly, if they are soulmates, then despite everything, she should’ve supported his decision. Upton deserved to know first; he could’ve at least given her that. 

Halstead’s exit was probably the most well-written and executed because it made sense. His past with the army has always been a huge part of his character, so it was a natural fit when Nolan mentioned a job bringing down some of the most dangerous cartels in the world. And, as Jay pointed out, it would be black and white, good or bad, a necessary way to reset and ground himself. 

The door for Halstead’s return, even in a guest role capacity, was left open as the gig seemed to be temporary as he mentioned 8 months in Bolivia. Of course, my guess is that Halstead will actually be a really great fit and it will become permanent, but I find hope in the fact that maybe this isn’t the last time we’ll ever see Jay Halstead grace our screens. 

It’s going to be a difficult road for Upton, who has lost her one true love and partner in one fell swoop. She didn’t even really get any closure as it was so abrupt. A mere hours after breaking the news, Halstead was on a flight out of the country and not looking back. I hope Upton doesn’t cling on to the hope that Halstead will eventually come back because I think he truly meant it when he said that she needed to “let go.” He never fell out of love with her, but he fell out of love with the job… and no one can really fault him for that. No one can fault him for needing to clear his head after a decade of dealing with the worst possible cases and trying to find himself again as the man she fell in love with. He needed to find the heart that made Halstead one of the best characters. 

The episode honored the character Jesse Lee Soffer built throughout the years, and it was a beautiful sendoff…even if his team deserved a proper goodbye. It was also an incredible performance from Soffer, who gave it his all. 

Though, it was most evident in the final scene with Voight, who came out to O’Hare for one last goodbye. It’s comforting to know he’ll always have a place on the team. 

When Voight said, “you don’t want to be,” my heart sank, but the gut punch was Halstead admitting that “it’s worse that I do want to be you.”

The next line, his final words, his final goodbye underscored why Halstead had become such a fan favorite through the years: “You always told me I’m not. And I shouldn’t try.”

It would be easy for Halstead to follow in Voight’s footsteps; it’s what all of us expected, but it’s braver that he’s carving his own path. 

After all, it’s the right thing to do. 

What did you think of Jay Halstead’s final Chicago PD episode?