Warning: BIG SPOILERS AHEAD for Episode 12 of Chicago Police Season 10, titled “Can I Let You Go”.
In the last episode, Chicago Police Upton revealed he put Sean O’Neal behind bars That wasn’t the end of their twisted dynamic . He volunteered to become her informant on the other prisoners in custody… as long as she continued to visit him weekly. It was the last thing she needed from her, especially after her husband’s failed attempts to contact her. “I Can Let You Go” provided a long-awaited update for Upstead, but not the one she was hoping for. Director Gia-Rayne Harris spoke to Gossipify about what happened and Tracy Spiridakos’ performance.
Gia-Rayne Harris came Chicago Police as part of NBCUniversal’s Female Forward program, which offers female directors the opportunity to follow and then direct a scripted television show during the same season. Experienced in several short films, Harris directed one of the tenth season’s emotional episodes in which Upton was faced with a painful new reality. on her separation from Halstead . After failing to communicate with him, she finally called the eldest, who could give her an idea if she was okay and when she would be home.
While she’d heard Halstead was fine, she’d also learned that he’d chosen to extend his time on duty… without even telling him, let alone asking. She had to hold back the tears as she tried to sound normal on the phone. When I spoke to the director of the episode, she mentioned Tracy Spiridakos acting out the phone call scene with no scene partner acting out the dialogue. Harris said:
I can’t say more positive things about Tracy and her character and only her as an actress. The only thing you really need to do with her is give her some space. The only thing you have to do is make sure you have the goal clear and give yourself space to get there. She was just below the surface all day. Actually, it was my first day of shooting that we shot this. Talk about coming hot! But it just delivered everywhere, and I was crying behind the monitor.
Gia-Rayne Harris also revealed it watched all episodes of Chicago Police which was at his disposal before performing “I can let you go”, so he had seen what Spiridakos was capable of in the emotional scenes. It was a great scene to shoot on day one, and I think it’s fair to say there are fans who can relate to the director crying over Upton’s performance, thus blatantly missing Halstead and getting bad news. He continued:
I didn’t want to do it again. I didn’t want to go in and ask him to repeat it because it was great. But we were able to do it multiple times and get different levels. Knocked him out every time because the emotions are real. I’m sure he misses his real life friend.
Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer have shared a lot of screen time since they got together PS as a series regular in season 5 and departing at the start of season 10, with their characters together for years before turning romantic. His absence caused a major shift in the Upton-centric episodes. When asked if the other half of the phone conversation was written for Spiridakos to react, Gia-Rayne Harris revealed:
These were just guidelines. C’est la chose la plus folle, et je n’y ai pas vraiment pensé jusqu’à la post-production parce que tout d’un coup j’ai pensé, ‘Ce serait bien d’avoir une voix là-bas pour answer ?’ But there was something about silence on the phone that was so effective, and you just have to be in their experience. You cannot get ahead of yourself or decide what you think. You have to see how it hits it, and I think it was much more effective.
Just hearing half of Upton’s conversation shifted the focus entirely to her, meaning Tracy Spiridakos gave a crucial performance without a stage partner. When I remarked that she was the type of actress whose emotions can move viewers, the director replied:
I shiver thinking about it. it absolutely is [true], because she is very empathetic herself and is one of the most open people I’ve worked with. I really don’t understand how you chose this particular career. Obviously, because he’s awesome, but he has a big heart. I just hope she stays protected, both on and off the show, because that’s something special.
Upton’s empathy was on full display in the first half of the season when she doing everything possible to get justice for the victims of Sean O’Neal , even if that meant staying up all night and letting him get too close to comfort. Of course, her immersion in her work began in large part because coming home to an empty apartment was difficult for her after Halstead left.
Halstead’s departure meant the absence of what was arguably the show’s central romantic relationship. When it came time for Gia-Rayne Harris to prep her episode to deliver the biggest update on what’s been happening with Upstead since season 10 began, the director shared that she was “monitoring fan accounts” and ” watched every TikTok from every Upstead Union, explaining:
I wanted to see what fans thought of this couple and how I could honor that. Also, I felt sorry for this couple. I absolutely fell in love with them and fell for their special love. Even the simple scene of her drinking wine alone in the kitchen recalled episodes in which they were together, a kind of reportage. So when she spoke to her, she would say, “Think about those times you had her across the counter. Now it’s gone. It’s just this simple understanding of this void now, I think has been helpful. I am grateful that I was able to dig in and fall in love with them and also that I am heartbroken for her. I was reading the script and I was like, ‘Oh come on man!’ She knew it would come because she had read the pattern, but she secretly wanted it back.
Chicago Police She doesn’t always have time to show the Intelligence Unit cops at home, even in character-driven episodes, so seeing Upton’s quiet moments alone in her apartment stands apart from the norm. Gia-Rayne Harris went on to explain that showing all the personal touches of the apartment when Halstead was away was meant to set the tone for the episode:
We all know what it’s like to go through a breakup or lose someone we love, and I think suddenly that space that you shared, it’s like their ghost is there. I wanted to make sure that the empty space was something that was rendered repeatedly, and it’s like we can’t escape that either. Because she goes out into the world. She kicks ass. She takes names. But she comes home and there is only her. She’s great, but she suffers.
Though Upton and Halstead are still married and haven’t broken up, she’s definitely lost him as a constant companion by her side right now. Whether Sean O’Neal’s latest taunt in “I Can Let You Go” about Upton giving her speech to the wrong person affects her turn remains to be seen; on the bright side for Upton, this episode seems to have at least convinced her that she is deal with sean really. On the Upstead front, there are no signs of Jesse Lee Soffer returning Chicago Police in front of the camera though will return as director later in the season.
As for “I Can Let You Go,” you’ll be able to stream the Gia-Rayne Harris episode again with a Peacock Premium Membership . The director has several short films on the festival circuit, including oh forgive me, MoundYup Before you, the latter of which is based on and inspired by her mother’s experience as a rookie black policewoman in southern Mississippi and will be made into a feature film. She has also been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her short film pens and pencilswhich will premiere on HBO.
You can also find new episodes of Chicago Police Wednesdays at 10pm ET on NBC, after chicago fire at 21:00 and Chicago Mediterranean at 20:00 in TV show 2023 .
Source: Cinemablend
