CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Rick Eid on the Upstead Twist

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the January 13 episode of CHICAGO P.D.]

With Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) being offered a job at the FBI—after her brief stint there last season—on the Wednesday, January 13 episode of CHICAGO P.D., she and Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) finally sat down and confronted their unspoken feelings.

While Halstead supported Upton taking the job, she told him, “I don’t want to take it because of you. I’m better with you as my partner. You, 21, Voight. I know I’m better here. So, I’m not going to take it.”

Upton got a bit emotional, lamenting giving something up to gain something else. “It’s been a long time since I saw you as just my partner,” she finally admitted, prompting Halstead to kiss her.

The moment had been a long time coming, with Upton nearly confessing her feelings for her partner over a year ago when his life was in danger. Back then, Soffer thought his character might not have been ready to face his own feelings. “I think he definitely cares deeply for her,” he said at the time. “Does he know what that kind of caring is? I don’t know. I think he would absolutely admit, ‘Oh, I love her. Absolutely.’ What kind of love is it? I don’t know if he knows that. I don’t know if he’s thought about exploring that.”

But a mix of time apart—which, showrunner Rick Eid noted at the time, meant “absence makes the heart grow fonder”—and the threat of being separated for good pushed the duo to take a step forward.

And what now, since they’ve established their feelings and they’re remaining partners—especially given how close the squad is?

“They’re both professionals, and fairly private people,” Eid said via email. “They’re not going to broadcast their relationship, especially while it’s new.”

“At the same time, they’re not going to repeatedly lie to their friends and colleagues,” he continued. “In other words, they need to see where the relationship takes them, and how much it impacts their professional lives.”

CHICAGO P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC

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