Chicago P.D. is on the verge of returning to NBC after the Olympics break, and Hailey Upton is in for a rough – and probably very cold – adventure with the first episode back. After witnessing a terrible car crash and risking her own life, Upton will have to try and close the case of what happened, with the help of the rest of the unit. Season 9 hasn’t been easy on Upton even before the dangerous new episode, and actress Tracy Spiridakos spoke with CinemaBlend about Upton moving forward in life… and what gets in the way in the February 23 episode.
The next episode of Chicago P.D. is called “Still Water,” and continues the second half of Season 9 that has had comparatively lower personal stakes for Upton (as well as Halstead and Voight). Moving on from the big secret and marrying Halstead doesn't mean that the cases have gotten easier, however. When I spoke with Tracy Spiridakos about what’s on the way with “Still Water,” she shared how her character is moving on in the post-Roy era of her life:
She’s trying really hard to be the best version of herself. And she's trying to keep herself in this, you know, she's set this routine. She's gonna go for a run every day. And she's gonna try to be the best version of herself... And so that's kind of her way moving forward and how she's been trying to live her life.
Roy's death being resolved and marrying Halstead may have done a lot for helping Upton move on in the second half of Season 9, based on the 2022 episodes so far, but her journey of working on herself isn’t over. According to Tracy Spiridakos, setting a routine is part of her effort to become the best version of herself. Upton does seem to do well when she has stability in her life, and jogging is evidently part of her process!
Unfortunately, that process is going to run into a problem in “Still Water” when Upton witnesses an emergency that will require not only some nerves of steel, but some serious physical and emotional stamina. She’s taking a dip in the Chicago River… in an episode set in February. Tracy Spiridakos previewed what kinds of decisions Upton will have to make when it comes to the crisis:
So while she's on a jog, there is a car crash that happens. And the car goes into the river, and she goes into the river as well to try and help whoever's in the car. And as the story progresses, we can find out more about the victims and the story ends up being, you know, the team has to come together to figure out how this happened.
In case there was ever any doubt that Upton is one of the heroes of Chicago P.D., jumping into a body of water in Chicago in February proves that she’ll do whatever she can to help people in need! As for the stunt work that fans will see in “Still Water,” the P.D. team went for practical effects that involved Tracy Spiridakos spending time underwater in a tank, as well as stunt double Kelli Scarangello going into the Chicago River.
Check out a sneak peek at what’s in store, and all the work that went into making “Still Water” an unforgettable episode:
All things considered, it looks like Upton is in for a seriously chilly start to a case (not to mention a twist that will definitely mess up her regular jogging routine), and fans have a lot to look forward to with “Still Water.” Be sure to tune in to Chicago P.D. on Wednesday, February 23 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC for Tracy Spiridakos’ big episode, following Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. ET and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. ET in the 2022 TV schedule. All three shows will run for 22 episodes in the 2021-2022 TV season, so there is still plenty to look forward to!
