Warning! Spoilers ahead for Chicago PD season 10 episode 3Jesse Lee Soffer stands by Jay Halstead's divisive Chicago PD exit. Just before the One Chicago franchise's police procedural returned for its milestone year, news broke out that Soffer was leaving the series in the middle of season 10. Details about how he would be written out were scant, keeping fans guessing about what the veteran detective's final fate in the show would be.
After building up the mystery surrounding the show's biggest character exit in years, the One Chicago police procedural finally moved forward with Halstead's exit. In Chicago PD season 10 episode 3 titled "A Good Man," the character goes through an identity crisis as he struggles with the person he is becoming while staying as a member of Hank Voight's Intelligence team. In the end, he decided to resign from the police force altogether and return to the military instead. He took on an eight-month mission to Bolivia, forcing him to leave Chicago.
Although Chicago PD found a way to write the character out of the series in the limited time they still had him in season 10, fans have mixed feelings about how it was handled. On the heels of his farewell episode on the police procedural, Soffer defends how Halstead's send-off played out, claiming that despite some of the detective's recent uncharacteristic actions, the show stayed true to the character.
Why Halstead’s Chicago PD Exit Is So Divisive
Soffer leaving the One Chicago franchise was already disappointing, as he is an original cast member. Chicago PD isn't new to losing important players; over the years, Intelligence has lost Erin Lindsay, Al Olinsky, and Jon Seda's Antonio Dawson, but each one of them had solid send-offs. Halstead's exit, on the other hand, felt rushed and unearned. NBC was clearly leaning on his good image by spinning his choice to resign as proof he is willing to do the right thing, regardless of how difficult it is. But the plotline itself was flimsy. It's difficult to believe that after years of being in Intelligence, accidentally killing someone while defending himself would be enough reason for him to leave the police force altogether. The old Halstead would be accountable for his part in what transpired, but he would also make sure to defend himself.
Aside from the way Soffer's final Chicago PD storyline played out, it's also odd that the show is floating the idea that Halstead may still come back. In the episode, he promised Upton he will be back in about eight months, after his army stint. Soffer's departure from the police procedural isn't temporary, however; he is officially out. So, despite how Halstead left things with his wife, there's little-to-no chance they will rekindle their romance in the foreseeable future. Somehow, it's reminiscent of how Chicago Fire handled Brett and Casey's relationship.
Chicago PD season 10 airs every Thursday on NBC.
Source: Jesse Lee Soffer/Twitter