Upton hasn’t been herself since she was forced to kill Roy in the Season 8 finale of Chicago P.D. Despite Voight’s advice to the Intelligence officer to learn how to deal with her guilt, having to lie to everyone — including her fiancé — has been wearing on her, and Halstead has begun to notice. This week’s episode, “In the Dark,” finally revealed that painful secret as the team took on a disturbing case that pushed Upton to her emotional breaking point.
It’s always refreshing to see Chicago P.D. mix up the pairings, and Wednesday’s episode featured an Upton and Ruzek pairing. However, the unusual pairing occurred under horrific circumstances: the shocking discovery that a child had been tortured and abused while being held captive in a basement. It was unclear whether he had escaped or been killed, so Intelligence went to work immediately to figure out what had happened. When the team eventually found the boy, they discovered more disturbing information: he was one of eight boys who had been abducted; the other seven had been murdered.
In addition, another boy was still alive and in need of assistance. The case required Upton to work through the night, and the strain on her conscience was beginning to show. Her eyes were gaunt, she had trouble remembering things, and she appeared self-conscious. She confronted the real estate agent in charge of the house and explained why they needed his assistance.
She returned to find that said agent had attempted suicide after stepping away to wash her face and hopefully pull herself together. The gruesome scene was the final straw for Upton, who sobbed and blamed herself for not thoroughly searching him for weapons. Halstead comforted her during her panic attack, assuring her that she had done nothing wrong. (Platt confirmed they searched the man, but Upton’s memory was hazy.)The real estate agent’s brother was eventually identified as the team’s main suspect.
They discovered the boy alive and unharmed, and Upton was forced to kill the perpetrator during a brief scuffle. THE FOLLOW-UP | Halstead had his suspicions about what really happened with Roy, and Voight’s concerned expression during Upton’s panic attack only seemed to confirm his suspicions. Following up on his request for GPS coordinates, he discovered that they had been sent via “police mail,” but he had never received them. He followed the coordinates to the field where Voight had buried Roy’s body, half knowing that the investigation would likely alert his Intelligence boss.
It was finally time to get to the truth when Voight arrived in his truck. Halstead reminded Voight that he and Atwater had apprehended Burgess without crossing any lines — it was simply good police work. Meanwhile, Voight took a different path and failed. Halstead stormed away, leaving Voight alone in the field to ponder that thought. The episode concluded with Upton waking up in bed to find Halstead staring back at her through the door. She is aware that he is aware, and there is now a major discussion to be had. It’s on its way down.
______
Chicago P.D. | Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @njtimesofficial. To get the latest updates
