How Chicago P.D. Will Put Tracy Spiridakos' Upton In Serious Danger When Season 9 Returns

Chicago P.D. is heading into a mini hiatus to start February while the Olympics take over primetime on NBC, but it will return with an episode that should be a wild ride for Upton in particular. Even though Halstead and Voight seem to be entering into a new era after nearly a decade together in Intelligence, Tracy Spiridakos will seemingly be front and center with the first episode back from the break putting her character in some serious danger. It’s unlucky for Upton, but already sounds like some great drama for viewers!

When the show returns on February 23, TVLine reports that Upton will wind up in danger after witnessing a terrible car wreck. The good news for her is that she wasn’t involved in the car crash, and was just out jogging when she saw what happened. The bad news is that her life will be at risk while working to rescue the passengers. The case won’t be closed even after the rescue effort. The Intelligence Unit will be on the trail of the man who caused the crash after they get some details about the victims. 

It’s probably safe to say that Upton will survive the scenario that puts her in serious danger, and it’s also pretty easy to imagine some emotional Upstead scenes with what could be the first big scare for Upton and Halstead after getting married. Whether or not she faces some complications from her jog-turned-rescue mission, hopefully Upton will be up and at ‘em sooner rather than later to help with the case. 

A lot may depend on how exactly the crash goes down. The episode is called “Still Water,” and if water is involved while she’s out running on a February day in Chicago, she may be in for a bit of a chill! Upton-centric episodes have been some of the most emotional of the past two seasons, particularly with Voight’s influence over her growing and then the big secret about Roy’s murder. Now, with Halstead firmly in her corner as her husband and, as Tracy Spiridakos explained, Upton no longer seeing Voight on as much of a pedestal, perhaps she’ll handle things differently in “Still Water.”

Whatever happens in the episode, fans will undoubtedly be ready for Chicago P.D. to return after more than a month of hiatus, not too long after the winter break. P.D., like the other two One Chicago shows and a number of NBC’s other biggest hits, will be off for most of February while the Olympics dominate. Fortunately, there’s no reason to fear that P.D. (or Chicago Fire or Chicago Med) will end any time soon, as all three shows are already guaranteed at least one more season beyond the current one. 

With executive producer Gwen Sigan taking over the showrunner duties from Rick Eid (who is showrunner of CBS’ FBI and NBC’s upcoming Law & Order revival), it’s entirely possible that the show will continue finding new storylines to explore even as it approaches a decade on the air. For now, you can look forward to the return of Chicago P.D. with “Still Water” on Wednesday, February 23 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC in the 2022 TV schedule, following the returns of Chicago Fire at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med at 8 p.m.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).