The one good serial rapist, pedophile, and trafficker is a lifeless one.
A minimum of, that is what Hailey Upton would argue. On the one hand, she managed to nab Sean and produce him down on Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 9, however on the opposite, she did not get what she desired, and the person was nonetheless respiration.
As for Hailey, she’s circled again to her Darkish Hailey Period. And he or she and Voight could also be of their Daddy/Daughter Period once more, too.
Sean has been an issue for many of the first half of the season. The group has been devoted to taking him down, despite the fact that they needed to deal with the Chief.
The group succeeded in doing that by the tip of the hour, spearheaded by Hailey, who has thrown her whole being into this case as a result of it distracted her from every little thing she does not wish to unpack in her private life.
It is normal for the job and a selected subset of individuals working it. We have watched Hailey battle with self-care since Halstead left, burying herself into work to her detriment.
The Sean case consumed her greater than anything. She left a chunk of herself in that one, and never solely did the case get into her head, however Sean managed to do it too.
Voight: Paddy, your son led us to this. Shawn is concerned on this. You possibly can’t shield him. You possibly can’t save him from this. Assist me usher in Sean now.
Chief O’Neal: He is my son you are not bringing him in.
We have heard about their connection, and I’ve watched intently. Whereas I can course of what they could have been angling for with Hailey and Sean mirroring one another as damaged individuals, or one thing to that diploma, I nonetheless cannot say I’ve seen it.
Possibly they have not finished the most effective job promoting it, despite the fact that Spirandakos and White have an attention-grabbing chemistry that works properly sufficient.
When Hailey spoke to Isla about Sean stepping into her head and making her imagine him or having a pull on her regardless of her being a cop, it was exhausting to react to that. Regardless of the time we have spent with Hailey and with Hailey and Sean, it appears like she’s additionally been inaccessible to the viewers.
One cannot unpack what it means for her that it was simpler to let Sean, a suspect revealed to be a monster, into her head simpler than any of the individuals round her who care about her.
Hailey’s dogged pursuit of him led to her willingness to do something to get him and deep emotional responses to the case.
She was in tears speaking to Isla, attempting to get her to open up and reply to Isla’s horrific expertise with Sean, which prompted her to go on the run for six months. One of many standout moments of that scene was Isla checking Hailey on needling her for data to save lots of different ladies.
It is too typically a tactic that regulation enforcement makes use of when urgent a sufferer; understandably, they wish to make their case and take a nasty particular person off the streets.
However it was nice how Isla identified how damaging that’s on the sufferer by placing the onus on this traumatized survivor to push previous what they’re battling to help regulation enforcement and future victims.
It solely additional invalidates an individual once we’re asking them, particularly ladies, to put aside their trauma and emotions for the second to consider and prioritize another person’s well-being.
A few of this carried over when the ASA was able to throw every little thing out as a result of Isla was a “Unhealthy Sufferer.” When speaking about these survivors and their conditions, the language will get your hackles up.
Isla pushed previous her discomfort, acquired hauled in when she did not need it, and nonetheless gave up data to assist when she did not wish to for the sake of different individuals, and the implication is that she was ineffective if she would not get on the stand and in addition she was a nasty sufferer.
It is such reductive of the hell she went by way of and completely captured why survivors do not feel just like the system helps them or imagine it is exploitative in an entire completely different method.
Darkish instances like this all the time have refined methods of addressing these minor points, and I admire that.
The unit acquired stonewalled at each flip of their try to seize Sean. There was clearly extra hesitation due to his connection to the Chief.
For the lifetime of me, I did not perceive why Voight introduced the Chief to the crime scene the place they discovered that outdated physique to show that Sean was responsible.
Voight, a person who bent and broke legal guidelines to guard his personal son, is aware of what it is wish to go to nice lengths to guard a baby; the job be damned.
All it did was give the Chief a head’s up on shield Sean, and it felt ridiculously contrived to maintain Sean one step forward, destroying proof and so forth.
And not using a dumb transfer like that, strictly conjured up for battle and drama, there would not be a lot of an episode.
Voight and Hailey paralleled one another, every of them going to their respective O’Neal to speak to them.
Voight did his finest to get by way of to the Chief, who was in denial about his son and what a monster he was and did not wish to face the reality. He left him with that file of all of the terrible issues Sean did and the case they constructed in opposition to him — the ladies and ladies he harm.
Voight: So that you wish to do this now, make instances any method you may. He is in your head.
Hailey: I do know.
Voight: So let’s return to work. Me, you and the group. That is how we’ll get them. That is how we’ll save them.
And Hailey made one final try to speak to Sean, and she or he succeeded. I do not know what she supposed to do with the knowledge he gave her or what the purpose was past no matter pull she needed to him and this want to know the reality to save lots of the women.
However in their very own bubble, Sean had a slightly chilling monologue concerning the complexities of him being a monster. He acknowledged that he was irrevocably damaged and drawn to different damaged issues.
And there was some complexity to him as a result of he did assist many of the SafeSpace youngsters and did some good. When he was good, he was actually good.
However when he was unhealthy, he was a real monster.
He expressed that he tried every little thing to assist himself, turned to medicine to battle his urges and ideas, did each sort of remedy, tried a number of religions, and spoke to his father about issues.
However as soon as he realized his father would not course of what he was saying and see him for what he was, he knew it was a misplaced trigger. I ponder if he spoke to therapists the best way he claimed why they would not have reported him or one thing.
He arrange some twisted guidelines for selecting which ladies to rape, abuse, visitors, and kill. He created his personal convoluted code of conduct and carried on with it.
He was sensible sufficient to cowl his tracks and had a father who would do the identical. However the spell was damaged when Hailey’s cellphone went off, and no matter his claims have been about attempting to be a greater particular person in his method shattered when he did not inform her the place the women have been.
Sean: Are you aware what number of packages I’ve finished?
Hailey; Twenty-two.
Sean: Joined six religions too, did you discover that out?
Hailey: No. Sean: Six. I learn all these books. Did each form of remedy. Poisoned myself. Talked to my dad, as soon as. Don’t fret, he did not perceive what I used to be attempting to inform him. His mind would not let him. He cherished me an excessive amount of. However I did attempt. I did not wish to be like this.
Happily, Hailey and Voight have been capable of finding them in a nerve-wracking few scenes that had you fearful somebody would soar out of the shadows and assault them, particularly when the radios weren’t working.
Anytime Hailey or Kim wanders off by themselves, there is a concern of assaults, kidnappings, or no matter else.
Discovering the truck with the women in it was lastly sufficient to get Sean, however by then, it was too late.
The Chief opting to place his personal son down like a canine felt downright biblical. He cherished his son an excessive amount of however did not need him to trigger any extra hurt or go away, so he shot and hoped to kill him.
Then he killed himself, probably as a result of he may dwell with what he did, who he raised, and what he enabled.
However the Chief is lifeless, and Sean is alive. After all, evil by no means dies simply.
And this introduced us again to Hailey circling round to her Darkish Hailey Period once more. One factor that continues to be constant is how inconsistently this single character is written to the purpose that I am unsure which model of Hailey is meant to be the proper one anymore.
There she was, encouraging Voight to let Sean die, refusing to assist save him till the very finish, as Voight, of all individuals, proceeded to do his job by the books.
The fixed position reversal between these two may give an individual whiplash. However this model of Hailey was a far cry from the girl who drove herself to a psychological breakdown after a technically good shoot and shoddy coverup with Roy.
However it’s just like the Hailey who orchestrated a person’s demise with a smile. Is it that sleep deprivation brings out one other aspect to her?
She wasn’t too happy that Sean survived that ordeal, and whereas this portion of the investigation is probably going over, one thing tells me the mark Sean left will not be gone anytime quickly.
The hour wrapped up the Sean arc and investigation. However total, it did not really feel like a midseason finale in any method. And whereas it was closely case-centered, the remainder of the group disappeared, which is rarely enjoyable.
The urges, they do not go away, as a result of they cannot. See, unhealthy issues do occur, Hailey. Unhealthy issues occur however you may management how they occur. You possibly can management who they occur to, that’s what I realized. you may sacrifice those who’re already damaged to save lots of the remainder.
Sean
Hailey and Voight are again to this complicated dynamic sans Halstead, the place he is taken her below his wing a bit extra, feels paternal, and could also be attempting to save lots of her soul once more.
And Hailey stays this difficult character with males taking part in such a relentless, consuming a part of her life on a regular basis. Halstead remains to be in her head and coronary heart, Sean acquired in her head and was who she was drawn to whereas alienating herself from everybody else, and Voight is a touchstone for her now.
She’ll probably nonetheless spend a lot of her time linked to him.
It was a slightly boring hour, and there wasn’t something notably gripping about it to depart you with bated breath till the sequence returns.
It is a good factor we’ll wish to come again regardless.
Over to you, Chicago PD Fanatics. What did you consider this midseason finale? What do you make of Hailey’s conduct? Hold forth beneath.
You possibly can watch Chicago PD on-line right here through TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior employees author for TV Fanatic. Comply with her on Twitter.
