Chicago P.D. didn't hold back in delivering the intensity in its Season 8 finale, so there are a whole lot of questions heading into the ninth season. One of the biggest twists was when Upton killed a man to protect Voight and Voight manipulated the situation to make her hands just as dirty as his. With Burgess' fate still unknown after being shot and Halstead in the dark about what Upton did before she proposed to him, it's probably safe to say that P.D. won't get off to a gentle start in Season 9. Fortunately, Tracy Spiridakos and Jason Beghe spoke with CinemaBlend to weigh in on what's on the way.
The Upton/Voight twist at the end of Season 8 was really the culmination of an arc between their characters as they built a somewhat twisted mentor/mentee dynamic, and not to Upton's benefit. Tracy Spiridakos shared where that will go moving forward into Season 9:
Where we'll go from here will be, there's definitely tension going forward between them. And we see how differently they respond to the situation. And Hailey really struggles with the guilt and has a lot of anxiety with it. And we see the dynamic difference between the two of them shift.
Upton was already an emotional wreck at the end of Season 8, and understandably so, after what was arguably a good shoot to save her sergeant turned into Voight disposing of the body and pulling her into a secret that there's really no good way out of. Her breaking bad back in Season 7 that resulted in her being sent to FBI was nothing compared to what she's now in the middle of, but Voight's hands have been dirty since way back when he debuted on Chicago Fire. No wonder they'll react to the situation differently!
As for Voight, Jason Beghe went on to confirm that guilt is going to be less of an issue for Voight for some very Voight reasons compared to what Upton is going through. Beghe said:
Voight is not really afflicted with things like guilt. He's able, I think, to realize when he's made a mistake or done something wrong, or been wrong, but he doesn't dwell on it. And I think in largely a healthy way. You know, he learns from his mistakes, he does not seem to find much use or interest in suffering needlessly. I feel like he's certainly suffered, there's certain things that have caused him to suffer and, you know, just by the nature of his job, I think he's been forced to view a lot of suffering. And I think that this is one of the ways that he copes with all that bad stuff, but he doesn't sit around worrying, and he tends to be very present in this moment, and deal with what is, which can be a very full moment, you know, with a lot of issues flying around.
A lot of Voight's actions may not really qualify as morally healthy when it comes to doing things by the book at CPD, but he certainly has found some coping methods that let him keep going without breaking down. The loss of his son of course changed him and caused a lot of that suffering, not to mention Olinsky's fate. He arguably took advantage of Upton's struggles earlier in Season 8, so it should be interesting to see their dynamic now that both of their hands are dirty. As Jason Beghe reiterated:
Two very different characters.
Further complicating the big secret is that Halstead was completely in the dark at the end of Season 8, and had no idea what motivated Upton to suddenly propose seemingly out of nowhere. Chicago P.D. didn't reveal his answer before the credits rolled on the eighth season, and Upstead fans have had to wait through hiatus to find out what happens next. Whether or not he says yes to her proposal, their relationship was going strong to that point despite all the hurdles. Tracy Spiridakos shared how Halstead will fit into the situation, as he's currently in the dark:
Halstead does start to, I mean, with Hailey, her guilt and her kind of unraveling, Halstead does start to pick up on a little bit of the tension between her and Voight and just her being so weird. And things affecting her the way that they do. He does start to pick up on that. And I can't say more if he kind of figures it out or not, but he definitely notices that something's up.
Halstead is a detective, after all, and Upton "unraveling" is something that he'll have to pick up on. What he does with what he notices remains to be seen, but Jesse Lee Soffer already previewed how long it will take Halstead and what the secret means for his relationships with Upton and Voight in season 9. Jason Beghe shared more on what the situation will be with Halstead, as well as the rest of Intelligence:
Oh, it definitely affects Halstead and Voight eventually. You know, I would argue it affects the entire unit. Even whether or not they know it. I mean, this is seven hearts with one beat, basically. And you know, when one of the components is aberrated or skipping a beat or in trouble, the entire body is going to have to adjust. And it's not just that. Kim, we almost lose her. And there's big changes going on with us individually and as a group.
The Intelligence Unit did already almost lose Burgess by nearly not finding her in time to even have a chance at survival in the Season 8 finale, as Jason Beghe noted, and her fate is still unknown heading into Season 9. The "seven hearts with one beat" from Season 8 could be down to six if the worst should happen. They could still lose her, which would be especially heartbreaking for fans after she took in Makayla in Season 8, not to mention what it would mean for Ruzek.
Even if Upton won't be in the best place to start Season 9 and complications are on the way with how she reacts vs. how Voight reacts, there is definitely good news for fans: the wait for new episodes is nearly at an end. Season 9 of Chicago P.D. premieres on Wednesday, September 22 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Chicago Med (which will handle the major character absences) at 8 p.m. ET and Chicago Fire (with a "terrifying" opening," according to the showrunner) at 10 p.m. ET. More One Chicago coverage is on the way, so be sure to check back with CinemaBlend!
