Why the premiere of Chicago PD Season 12 did this to Upton’s replacement

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Chicago PD season 12 premiere.

by Hailey Upton Chicago PD Season 12’s replacement suffers a devastating fate in the premiere. Just a year after the disappointing exit of Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead, Hank Voight’s Intelligence has again to satisfy an important character goodbye. Heartbroken, and burned by what was happening in both her professional and personal life, Tracy Spiridakos’ Upton sought to have a fresh start prompting her to leave Chicago. After receiving the blessing she wanted from Voight, she moved from the Windy City for a new adventure. This left the intelligence community, however, further undermanned and in desperate need of a new detective.

Chicago PDLike the rest of the whole One Chicago franchise, is not new to throw changes. Over the years, Voight’s intelligence team has seen its fair share of character departures — some even worse than what happened to Upton. That said, her exit was particularly difficult because of how it impacted the team and its leaders. Without her, not only has Voight lost a detective on an already thin team, but he’s also lost his deputy and close confidant. So Chicago PD Season 12 needed to introduce her replacement, and it did but with a big twist.

Brains replaces Hailey Upton with Emily Martel

Chicago PD Season 12 starts with Martel already part of intelligence

in the Chicago PD Season 12 premiere, “Ninety-Nine,” Intelligence is back in business working to solve as many cases as possible. Although the team has always committed to making sure that they help serve justice as efficiently as possible, the influx of work in the 21st district is motivated by Voight trying to keep himself as busy as possible. Because of this, the rest of the team has no choice but to follow his lead.

This is where Upton’s replacement – Emily Martel is introduced. Not much is known about the character played by Victoria Cartagena, considering that the focus of the episode is on Voight working himself to the ground. That being said, when the premiere begins, it has been a month since she joined. Martel appears to have had a previous connection with veteran Intelligence member Adam Ruzek when they were still at the Academy.

Chicago Fire season 13 kills Emily Martel in the premiere

Martel dies in the line of duty

Despite being new, Martel is clearly capable of her job. She also has a great rapport with people who have been in intelligence for a while, such as Kevin Atwater and Dante Torres. Because Kim Burgess was absent during the Chicago PD season 12 premiere, however, it’s uncertain what their dynamic is. Unfortunately, before the one Chicago police procedural can even create the character and gauge whether she deserves to be Upton’s replacement, Martel is killed. Her death happens at the end of the Chicago PD Season 12 premiere, as she and Ruzek respond to an incident.

The outing ends on a cliffhanger, which means the aftermath of the incident will be addressed in episode 2. Similar to how Jules’ death impacted the team in Chicago PD Season 1, expect a bigger fall here. But, apart from what is ahead for intelligence with regard to work, Martel’s death also means that Voight will have to choose someone new to fill the spot vacated by Upton. It seems like another challenge for the show, but the progress of the story is by design, considering one Chicago’s true plan to replace Spiridakos character.

Martell’s death paves the way for Upton’s actual replacement in Intelligence

After months of speculation, showrunner Gwen Sigan has confirmed that Intelligence will promote one of its officers to be the next detective. This means that the Upton’s replacement pool now has only Ruzek, Burgess and Atwater. Somehow, that makes sense, considering how Voight’s team operates. Although it has welcomed outsiders in the past, the latest being Torres, there is usually an intricate storyline that leads them to eventually join Intelligence. The news of promotion is great because it has been years since any of the existing squad members moved on in their professional careers.

Ultimately, this is a much better way. Besides being the most senior member, Upton is also Voight’s deputy, and that’s not an easy task. It was vital that she was able to call out her superior at times when he was on the cusp of operating beyond legal lines in Chicago PD. Considering White’s behavior, he would not listen to a new member just because they have a higher rank than his trusted officers. In the end, he still wanted to believe in Ruzek, Burgs and Atwater.