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NBC’s One Chicago shows already had their fall midseason finales, and Chicago P.D. Season 10 Episode 9 shocked viewers. Hailey Upton finally got evidence of Sean O’Neal’s human trafficking schemes, and she nearly let him die in a shocking turn of events. Fans hoping for lighthearted content moving forward should be happy to know that the showrunner teased that season 10 won’t be “all dark.”

[Spoiler alert: Chicago P.D. Season 10 Episode 9 spoilers ahead.]

Sean O'Neal and Hailey Upton in 'Chicago P.D.' Season 10
Jefferson White as Sean O’Neal and Tracy Spiridakos as Hailey Upton | Lori Allen/NBC

The ‘Chicago P.D.’ Season 10 midseason finale featured a tragic, unexpected death

Chicago P.D. Season 10 Episode 9 finally gave Hailey Upton what she wanted — irrefutable evidence that Sean O’Neal was involved in human trafficking. During the midseason finale, the Intelligence Unit rescued a van full of missing girls. Upton spent a lot of time with O’Neal hoping to find the evidence she needed to put him away for good — and she finally got it.

That wasn’t all, though. Sean O’Neal got into a scuffle with his father, Chief O’Neal, who hoped to protect his son. Chief O’Neal was found dead, and his son barely clung to life. Upton seemed ready to watch Sean O’Neal die after gathering evidence of his crimes, but Hank Voight saved him.

Showrunner Gwen Sigan told TVLine that Voight saved the chief’s son to protect Upton. “For Voight, it was knowing that she couldn’t live with that,” Sigan said. “That might be a momentary decision and an instinctual decision, but [she] wakes up in the morning and she’s going to regret that and she’s not going to be able to stomach it. We’ve seen that before.”

The showrunner teased that the season won’t be ‘all dark’

Sam Carver speaking to a city employee in 'Chicago Fire' Season 11 Episode 9
Jake Lockett as Sam Carver | Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC

The Chicago P.D. Season 10 midseason finale showed the darkness that follows Hailey Upton, especially with Jay Halstead gone. “Her husband’s gone, her partner’s gone. She’s living in the house they shared together,” Gwen Sigan told TVLine She can’t get a hold of him. She doesn’t know when he’s coming back,” she adds. “There are all of these things that she has to deal with now, and there’s nothing to distract her from it.”

With that said, there might be some lightness coming in future episodes. “The season is not going to be all dark,” Sigan told Deadline. “The theme we’re going for this year is savior and we’re looking at this question: Can the broken be saved? So we will see some saving happening this season as well.”

With this in mind, who will save who? It looks like Hank Voight is already trying to save Upton from falling further. And Adam Ruzek might help save Kim Burgess as Burgess struggles with past traumas.

“He’s like her partner in life, and when you get out of some of that trauma, it’s about forming new attachments again,” Sigan told TVLine. “So, we’ll get to see that she can have some more strength in those relationships and clarity and how much they’ve been there for her.”

When does ‘Chicago P.D.’ Season 10 return?

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The Chicago P.D. Season 10 midseason finale aired on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. When does the season return?

Fans can expect new episodes of Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. Chicago P.D. Season 10 Episode 10 airs on Jan. 4, and fans can also look forward to the episode that Jay Halstead actor Jesse Lee Soffer is directing, which is episode 16.

Chicago P.D. Season 10 airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

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