Halstead is one of my favorite characters so seeing him suffer on Chicago PD Season 5 Episode 7 was upsetting.

I often wonder how the members of Intelligence do what they do on a regular basis and then go home to sleep peacefully through the night.

The simple answer is they don't. These officers have seen and been through way too much in both their professional and personal lives to be able to just tap out. Being a cop -- especially a good one -- isn't a 9 to 5; they aren't as lucky as we are to just stop thinking about work when they leave for the day.

It seems the only person who is picking up on Halstead's unhinged mental state is Upton, which is surprising because out of all of them, she knows him the least. Sure, Ruzek witnessed Halstead having night terrors, but he didn't say a word when Halstead volunteered to take down an ex-military child kidnapping ring.

Part of Halstead's oncoming breakdown has to do with Lindsey leaving without even saying goodbye. He can put on a brave face but inside, he's a mess. He tries to take his mind off of it by catching his next thrill, his next adventure.

Is that rational? Probably not. If I were Voight, I'd have given him some time off to recoup and clear his mind.

Instead, Halstead is jumping into the ring of fire and while he's good at going undercover, it quickly becomes personal for him; he connects with Luis on that army vet level and with Claudia on a companion level. Not to mention he's super persuasive with those hard-to-resist dimples and baby blues.

The problem is that he doesn't realize he's personally invested, and he's willing to do anything to get the job done. And sometimes when you play with fire you get burned which is what happened.

Sure, they saved the kid, which was their mission all along, but Luis didn't make it out alive, and that's something Halstead didn't expect.

What's worse is that Halstead, who went by Ryan when he was undercover, chose not to tell Claudia the truth about his identity. She would have been angry to know he was a cop who risked her brother's life but don't you think she deserves to know?

I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of her, and she'll probably be someone who helps mend Halstead's broken heart, but it will be based on a lie. It'll only make it harder in the long run when she eventually finds out the truth and resents him for it.

Claudia might not even be the worst of Halstead's problems if Ruzek actually went through with handing over the video to Denny Woods of Halstead punching a civilian.

Ruzek's alliances are a bit hazy right now; he's clearly having a moral dilemma because he wants to save his sister, but he also doesn't want to throw his friends and co-workers under the bus. I don't know what Denny wanted him to plant on Voight's computer but was hurting Halstead really his only option?

He should know that there's always another way, especially when you work with someone as connected and crafty as Voight. He would have had it handled without any "misconduct" investigation into Halstead.

Young people like you hang around Hank Voight long enough you start thinking he's real police. Old-timer, tough, invincible. Rubs off on you a bit, huh? Who in the hell do you think it is taught him to be that way? You don't talk to me like that ever. And you and me are not good until I say we are.
Denny Woods

Permalink: Young people like you hang around Hank Voight long enough you start thinking he's real...

We know Denny is ruthless but the nerve to actually attempt to frame Voight using one of his own men is another level of 'asshole.'

Voight has proven time and time again, including during this episode, that his heart is in the right place. He'll do anything to save innocent lives just like he did everything to bring the kid home unharmed.

Seeing him watch the parents reunite with their son in the hospital was beyond touching. He may not have been able to save his own son Justin, but he will save others. And that's noble! Even if he had to deal Luis some illegal drugs to make the whole deal happen.

I guess that's the problem Denny has with how Voight tackles his cases.

Can you imagine how scared that little boy must have felt as bullets flew by him left and right, and he was just a sitting duck? It's scenes like those that make you realize how grateful we should be for police who put everything on the line and purposefully put themselves in questionable situations to save us.

We're gearing up for a Ruzek centric episode and possibly a Ruzek vs. Halstead showdown, and I couldn't be more excited. However, this is another time when we barely see Olinsky. What gives?

This season, he's gotten maybe 20-minutes of screen time if not less and most of it is just filler as he assists Voight in making the right call. We want more, or we want his absence to be addressed!

Remember, you can watch Chicago PD online, and be sure to share your thoughts with me in the comments below!