Did Chicago P.D.'s Goodbye To Jesse Lee Soffer Make Sense For Jay Halstead? Let's Break It Down

Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for Episode 3 of Chicago P.D. Season 10, called “A Good Man.”

Chicago P.D. Jesse Lee Soffer, Detective Jay Halstead, has been officially said farewell to Chicago P.D. Fans were left wondering how the actor would leave Season 10 after the news broke. Is he going to be killed? He could be promoted to work off-screen in another part of the Windy City. Or would he be sent to prison for pleading guilty to a crime. Well, “A Good Man” revealed his fate, so let’s break down how much sense it made (or didn't make) for his character. 

The good news is that Chicago P.D. didn’t do the unthinkable and kill off Halstead, so on that cheery note, let’s start with what happened!

How “A Good Man” Set Up Halstead’s Departure

Halstead was already in a bad emotional place to start out the episode due to his part in Voight’s mess this season, and Upton was concerned. He wasn’t coming home, communicating, or even acting like the man she knew. The situation got more complicated when Halstead was involved in the case. He can sometimes have a blind spot regarding veterans. 

He pulled some very Voight-esque moves throughout the investigation, and Upton was extremely reluctant to give him much leeway to try save the vet’s reputation even after it became clear that he was involved in a robbery/homicide. Halstead pulled a knife on his attacker and stabbed him in the stomach after going rogue. (He was stabbed many times.

Upton and Voight found Halstead covered in blood. They even started to fabricate their stories to cover up the truth. Halstead was unable to bear the weight of the realization that they were repeating the same mistakes.

Halstead seemed ready to confess to Chief O’Neal but was ultimately satisfied enough by the story that Voight spun to keep the vet’s name clean. Still, he couldn’t just shake it off this time and decided to resign, without telling Upton beforehand. 

He did ultimately tell her that he was rejoining the army to run a unit doing drug interdiction… in Bolivia for at least eight months, and he was leaving that very day. After a goodbye to Voight that involved admitting that he can’t be him even if he wants to, Halstead walked into the airport and out of Chicago P.D. as a series regular. 

Did Halstead’s Handling Of The Case Make Sense?

To look at whether Jesse Lee Soffer’s final episode tracked with how Jay Halstead had developed over ten seasons, I find it easiest to split it into two parts: 1) what happened in the case and 2) how Halstead left Chicago. The outcome of the case depends on how convincing you were by the transformation Halstead made to look like Voight in the two-week period between Season 9 and Season 10. 

This Halstead was not the man who punched Voight in his face almost exactly a year ago for his behavior towards Upton and covering up the murder. Halstead crossing as many lines as he did in “A Good Man” might have felt more natural if there had been more build to the goodbye. He is often more loose-leaf when it comes to cases involving veterans. But it was a huge leap to go from Season 9 Halstead, who wanted to temper Voight's worst impulses, to Season 10 Halstead, who was repeatedly stabbing another man to death in a drug warehouse. 

So for me, the case didn’t actually make the most sense for his character because there wasn’t enough of a build in Season 10 to Halstead actually making the kinds of decisions that he made. The episode told us why, but the series didn’t really show us why, so “A Good Man” isn’t going down as my favorite Chicago P.D. case. 

Did Halstead’s Decision To Leave Make Sense?

While “A Good Man” isn’t going to be a Chicago P.D. favorite and I wish that the episode had spent more time on the goodbyes and less time on the case, there are three reasons why I think that Halstead deciding to quit CPD and rejoin the army was the best possible explanation for Jesse Lee Soffer’s departure. ( Not just because I called it.

First, Halstead had to be said goodbye. Chicago P.D. Chicago P.D. could have transferred him to another unit or tried to sell him that he was too busy to drop by Intelligence. But Jay Halstead is too big a character to be just around and not on the screen. The actor was leaving, but the people Halstead loved were staying, so heartbreak was inevitable even in the best case scenario. 

Second, Chicago P.D. Second, Chicago P.D. Honestly, I hope there’s a larger narrative purpose, because she deserves some screentime to be upset about that. It wasn't 100% Jay Halstead's story and I didn't love it for Jay Halstead, but P.D. He was gone, so we had to plan for the future.

And third, Halstead didn’t die. My worst-case scenario was always Halstead being killed off, so I’m just relieved that he's still alive. His army past meant that there was a foundation there as a place where he’d go to try and get his head on straight while also still fighting the good fight. 

The Verdict

The end of the episode was not going to be happy because Halstead would be gone regardless. He still plans to return home. He didn’t die, he didn’t go to prison, and he reaffirmed to Upton that she’s the love of his life. There were worse things that could have happened, but he left with a sense if hope.

What’s up with Upstead in the future is uncertain, but they clearly still love each other and did not consider their parting to be a breakup. While I firmly believed that Casey and Brett were doomed on Chicago Fire as soon as he left Chicago, I don’t see that as the case for Upton and Halstead with P.D. as far more of a procedural show that doesn’t put as much emphasis on relationships.

You can find out what the future looks like for Chicago P.D. without Jay Halstead by watching new episodes Wednesdays at 10:10 p.m. ET after Chicago Fire (which just brought a terrible tragedy) @ 9 p.m., and Chicago Med (which has one thing will never happen for Will Halstead), on NBC or streaming on Thursdays via a Peacock subscription . If you’re still sad about losing Halstead, check out my picks for some of Chicago P.D.’s best Upstead moments!