Halstead's exit contradicts his entire Chicago PD arc

NBC found a way to write off Jesse Lee Soffer from One Chicago, but the reason for Jay Halstead's exit contradicted his entire Chicago PD arc.

Warning! SPOILERS for season 10 of Chicago PD!

^ The reason for Jay Halstead's exit contradicts his entire Chicago PD arc, however dramatic it was. The professional group known as the ethics center of the intelligence community looks up to Halsted at crossroads, especially when Hank Voight is about to cross a line. So it's no surprise that the show capitalized on Voight's moral ambiguity to write Jesse Lee Soffer. After a string of law-breaking incidents, Halstead rejoined the military in search of his principled self. As emotional as his farewell episode was, his reasons for leaving betrayed his entire story with the Chicago Police Department.

Details of Soffer's surprise decision to leave the Chicago Police Department are scant, and no official reason was given even after he left. The Chicago Police Department is no stranger to departing actors, but Halstead is a fan-favorite character and Voight plans to have Halstead take over the intelligence division. Sadly, that's no longer possible with the cast no longer appearing on the show.

Despite his image as the good boy of the intelligence services, Halsted is actually not as moral as he initially appears. Looking back at his entire PD arc in Chicago, there are a few examples where he Willingness to cross the line in the name of justice. He has no problem hunting down the pedophile who hurt his ex-girlfriend's brother or the criminal who burned down a building and killed his father. These moments prove that Halsted was never opposed to breaking the law, if for the right reasons. So it doesn't make sense for him to suddenly struggle with how intelligence works in Chicago PD season 10.

Halstead Never Opposed To Breaking The Law On Chicago PD

NBC can still use this reasoning to explain Halstead's exit. However, season 10 of the Chicago Police Department needs more time to promote the idea that Halsted is having trouble with his intelligence work. Police procedures could have dealt with a series of cases involving him engaging in unethical activities that pushed him to his limits and tested his boundaries. Even his last mission, the catalyst for his sudden resignation, wasn't a good enough reason for his decision to abandon his life and abandon his wife for self-reflection.

For years as the intelligence community's moral compass, the Chicago Police Department routinely pitted Halstead against Voight. He's not afraid to speak out or question the integrity of his bosses. This confidence puts a strain on their relationship. It wasn't until the Chicago Police Department season 9 finale that Voight finally got his peers on board, relying on him to solve a personal crisis. Yet Halsted's strong sense of justice, especially when it comes to personal matters, makes him more Voight than he might have imagined, though less jaded. If he stays, that makes him the perfect next intelligence leader.

Halstead Is More Like Chicago PD's Voight Than You Think

Season 10 of the Chicago Police Department airs Wednesdays on NBC.

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