There is still so much we don't know about Hailey Upton.
The series has a way of sprinkling little tidbits about its characters into installments, but they can still go years being as enigmatic as the day we first met them.
And with a few installments remaining before the character departs, Chicago PD Season 11 Episode 10 provided some insight into her background, unlike anything we've seen before.
Regardless of how one may feel about the character, it was genuinely nice to have it, particularly during an hour with such a strong and riveting case.
The personal character exploration through a great case was at its best. They essentially balanced the Hailey and Ruthie/Hope situation well, with the most daunting aspect of the hour being how they shoehorned Petrovic into the mix.
By now, whether we love or loathe them, the character-centric installments that result in many characters benched or flat-out absent is a thing that's happening, and there's very little we can do about it.
And we're also forced to grin and bear Hailey at the forefront for the umpteenth time. If they didn't oversaturate the series with her prominence at the expense of the other characters, resulting in a noticeable imbalance, there would be little worthy of complaint.
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However, it is her final season, and a few installments remain. We need to build up her storyline so that her departure makes sense.
To some people's chagrin, she's prime for focus as they lead into that inevitable exit.
But setting all of that side, this was one of the strongest of the season. There's something to be said about how great Chicago PD can be when it's case-oriented and puts personal matters on the fringes and peripheral of an episode.
We got that with "Buried Pieces," as we saw the competent, dedicated, compassionate, badass, and leader-focused version of Hailey that's her at her absolute best.
Atwater: How is the running going, is it helping?
Upton: Helping with what? I don't know. I hope that it is.
It was unusual to have Voight absent altogether. At the very least, we typically expect him to grunt somewhere in the background. But with him gone and a reference to the update of the serial killer case, it meant that Hailey would take point.
And for once, the idea of her leading the team and taking point wasn't irritating. Instead, we got to see Hailey at her best, showing what she looks like in that position of authority.
If this case were the best example, then it would be possible for her to relocate elsewhere and lead her own team. She did well with this, delegating tasks to the appropriate people and handling the situation with Petrovic.
Hailey getting to exude her leadership would be an excellent setup for her to depart the series and head a unit of her own somewhere else.
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Her endearing partnership with Kevin was a breath of fresh air, too. They spoke more in this one installment than they probably have for the series' duration.
Awater is astute and observant. He couldn't resist checking in with Hailey because he knew she was still having a hard time like the rest of the unit, and he did it so casually and smoothly.
The Upwater was strong, and it's evident how good they are as a pairing. It feels like a colossal waste that we haven't had them paired up more often throughout the series.
But as we've been implying with great frequency, this season feels like one that is making the case for Kevin Atwater ascending to the role of "Second" with Upstead gone.
If this isn't headed toward him getting a promotion, I won't know what to think anymore.
He's exuded his own leadership and maturity in a more upfront manner from what we've gotten of him this season. And this was another way of setting him up to step into a bigger role once Hailey is gone.
They worked well in tandem with each other, as did the team as a whole.
Unfortunately, Burzek had little presence at all, but Torres had a bit more than one would've expected, and he also works incredibly well with Hailey.
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Some of the shots of the two of them were among the best, namely how they ambushed the first house they thought Ruthie was in and then the second location where they eventually found her.
He also was fearless in rolling with Hailey, veering from the books with Sonia and how she opted to get her to speak.
It served as a nice parallel to her own relationship with Voight. Only this time, we saw her as the leader and Torres as her mentee, molded by her and how she operates.
We also got a great deal of Trudy, which is always a godsend. Platt taking such an active role in an investigation is always a real treat, and we've been long overdue for something like that.
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No, it wasn't nearly enough, but anytime we get to spend more than a minute or a single scene with Amy Morton as Trudy Platt, it's worth cherishing for all that it's worth.
But overall, Hailey did an incredible job of bringing compassion and objectivity to this investigation. The wrong feelings didn't get the better of her, and she felt refreshingly clear-headed the whole way through.
Her personal life, feelings, or emotions didn't bleed into the case either, meaning she was 100% on for every second she spent in the field.
She was so compassionate and gentle with Hope. It was great to see how she managed the young girl, and it felt so natural how good she was at approaching her and getting valuable intel.
It doesn't take a profiler to know that you're a goddamned mess!
Jo [to Hailey]
Hailey's instincts were sound the whole way through without feeling forced. Fortunately, it led to the best ending possible, in which Ruthie and Hope were reunited.
It was so upsetting to learn that Sonia sold her own child to a sex trafficker. And it was as if she thought that she'd get to start over once she got Hope.
It was so vile that she deserved the book thrown at her as well as to be tossed underneath the prison for all that harm she caused those girls.
Petrovic is a helpful person. She cared about that case and was happy to see the final result.
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But she's such a hot mess. That could be why Hailey connects with her as much as she does, because she's one, too.
Petrovic serves as a great mirror to Hailey, a character with no real attachment, telling Hailey about herself and prompting her to do something, make the moves, work on herself, seek help, or do whatever else she needs to be better.
Petrovic sees Hailey, likely because she relates to her so much, and for whatever reason, Hailey responds to her better than anyone else.
Their dynamic has been fascinating as a result, although, in some ways, Petrovic has worn out her welcome too. It's not that she's not an intriguing character in her own right or doesn't have interesting ways of contributing.
You're good at this job, and you clearly care. Is it worth losing all of that?
Hailey
It's tough to spend so much time on a character we don't know well when we're on this revolving focus path with the characters we know and love.
Petrovic has taken up a great deal of narrative space in such a short period. And we managed to keep abreast of her more consistently than the actual members of the team.
We can see a side of Hailey we haven't experienced through Petrovic. It's as if they wanted to pursue what they couldn't pull off with Hailey and Sean during Chicago PD Season 10.
Hailey understood Petrovic so well because of her background of dealing with an alcoholic father, enabling him, covering for him, and trying to help him whenever she could.
It explains a lot about Hailey. I would love to say that it gives a great deal of insight into her relationship with Jay, but the truth is, the things that slowly spilled out of her during the hour were more a reflection of her dynamic with Voight.
If she always had to cover for her father or enabled and indulged him in her long path toward coexisting with him, her relationship with Voight makes sense.
And Voight is more attentive and gives her some of the attention she didn't have with her father.
Petrovic: My first memory is of my mom trying to drown me in the bath tub. I thought this job would help me figure out why.
Hailey: I think I just wanted to be better than my dad. You were right. It always goes back to that.
However, one thing that did stand out and served as a reflection of her relationship with Halstead was the rehab owner reminding her that she is worth the effort and that when people don't give her that, it's not a reflection on her, but rather them.
It's little bits like that where it feels like she's on a path toward actual healing rather than coasting by, and they give us those inklings without having to bombard us with a steady stream of her journey.
Hailey knew precisely how to handle Petrovic and did it with a practiced ease, like muscle memory kicking in from all the years she may have needed to do similar things.
She barely batted an eye at Petrovic's accident, and while it was frustrating that she debated what to do and seemingly resorted to covering for her, that's muscle memory, too.
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As a child of a parent like that, dependent on this person to care for the family, it's deeply ingrained to cover for one's parent out of love, loyalty, fear, and other emotions.
She's so accustomed to that, which speaks to her relationships with most men over the years. We saw how she took similar approaches with Adam Ruzek and Halstead almost as much as she's consistently done with Voight.
It also may put into perspective her conflicting approach to how she responds to certain things. Hailey wants to be more firm in her stance of not yielding to any of that, but it's an inherent learned behavior to do what she spent years doing for her father.
She's at constant war with herself regarding what she wants to do and her attempts at practicing a learned behavior versus what she's accustomed to doing.
Rehab Manager: How's your dad
Hailey: I don't know, I haven' spoken to him in over a decade.
Rehab Manager: Your brothers doing okay?
Hailey: I guess so. They left Chicago as soon as they could.
Rehab Manager: Good for them. You know, Hailey, when people stop trying, it's not about you. It doesn't mean you're not worth trying for.
Petrovic was a lot. I wanted to call foul on her suddenly being the person who would put herself and everyone at risk by driving intoxicated when she actively avoided doing dangerous things when she was drunk.
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Her getting behind the wheel felt contrived, given what we knew of her as a functioning alcoholic with such a sensible approach. But in this case, it was essential to the plot and served the installment and Hailey well.
It's a relief that Petrovic is finally willing to seek help and face the consequences of her alcohol abuse and the effects it'll have on her career.
And when she shared her reasoning for pursuing the job, it put some things into perspective about what we also know of her.
Hailey: She'll protect you.
Petrovic: Why would she do that?
Hailey: Because she knows me. My dad tried to get sober here six times.
The final scene was a great moment. Hailey has found a "person," which is significant for a woman who often keeps people at arm's length.
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And she doesn't feel wholly judged because Petrovic is also incredibly flawed. But now, as she looks to the skies, it feels like Hailey may be turning a leaf and finding inner peace.
Additional Notes:
- The blurry filter they used to depict how Petrovic saw the paper was perfect.
- Hailey last spoke to her father a decade ago and isn't close to her brothers either. It was fascinating bits of information to have, and it sucks that we got stuff like this so late into the game.
- I loved this episode's color filtering, blocking, and shots. -- Atwater carrying Hope away from the room as Uptorres took down her grandmother got me right in the feels.
- It really feels like they're setting Petrovic up to have a more prominent role or presence, and while I find the character and her profiling interesting, I don't know how to feel about that.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. What did you think of this Hailey-centric?
Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC. You can stream the following day on Peacock.