Halstead’s Chicago P.D. Season 14 Easter Egg Is A Reminder Of Intelligence’s Golden Years

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Nov 8, 2026, 12:00 PM EST Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: This article contains spoilers for Chicago P.D. season 14, episode 5, "Dark Imaginings."Chicago P.D. season 14 is quickly moving past the loss of LaRoyce Hawkins' Kevin Atwater, and the focus shifted to another longtime member of the Intelligence Unit in episode 5. Over the course of a case that nearly ended in a deadly disaster for the cop, "Dark Imaginings" included what seemed to be an Easter egg nod to none other than Jesse Lee Soffer's Jay Halstead. In Chicago P.D. season 14, episode 5, the stress began for Marina Squerciati's Burgess before she even caught the case of the week. Struggling to settle into her new home with Ruzek and their daughter, she volunteered for a risky undercover mission. Constantly at risk of being made as a CPD detective rather than the money-hungry opportunist she was pretending to be, Burgess let some elements of her real life bleed through into playing "Kenzie." While there was no sign that Jay Halstead would turn up out of nowhere to save his fellow former officer as he did for Upton in One Chicago's 2026 crossover event, Burgess' old coworker seemed to be on her mind. What seemed like a nod to Halstead was easy to miss amid all the twists and turns of "Dark Imaginings" in NBC's 2026 fall schedule. Burgess' Secret Halstead Tribute In Chicago PD Season 14 Explained Lori Allen/NBC Burgess was sitting in her undercover apartment when she got a surprise visit from Munson, the criminal running the meth ring she was trying to bust. Munson seemed suspicious of Kenzie, who showed up out of nowhere to hand over the money he lost, and those suspicions only grew when Burgess used her CPD fight skills to take down an opponent in front of Munson's girlfriend. In trying to explain where she got those skills, she told him, "My brother was an Army Ranger." Jay Halstead was, of course, an Army Ranger before returning to Chicago to join the CPD, and he even returned to the Army in Jesse Lee Soffer's controversial exit from Chicago P.D. in season 10. His trauma from what he did with the Army in Afghanistan resurfaced several times throughout his time as a detective in Voight's unit, although his PTSD usually only affected him in Halstead-centric episodes. Still, Burgess knew her longtime brother-in-arms was an Army Ranger, and her decision to improvise that "Kenzie" had a brother with the same rank seemed like a clear nod to Halstead. She avoided any further details about her fake brother when Munson tried to push for more information, although the many fans who vocally hated how Halstead left might have been on board with her describing him as her "dick brother." After all, his redemption in the One Chicago crossover doesn't erase what he did in season 10. Even though Chicago P.D. stopped short of Burgess name-dropping Halstead, it's worth noting that her real life bled through into her undercover life in other ways. She blamed a water leak at her place for why she was distracted, which was true to what she was struggling with in her new home with Ruzek. If she could clearly allude to her real life in that instance, why not apply the same logic to Burgess mentioning an Army Ranger? After Jesse Lee Soffer's behind-the-scenes return in season 14, it's only fitting that he gets a nod. Burgess & Halstead Were Core Members Of Intelligence's Golden Years Image via MovieStillsDB Up until his exit in season 10, Halstead and Burgess were two of just a handful of characters who were part of Chicago P.D. from the very first episode. In fact, aside from a few cast exits and Tracy Spiridakos' Hailey Upton replacing Sophia Bush's Erin Lindsay, P.D. was pretty consistent during its golden years. The show struck the right balance between compelling plots (despite its status as a procedural) and solid chemistry between the actors. Plus, as much as workplace romances are a staple of all three One Chicago shows in Dick Wolf's massive TV universe, Chicago P.D. still held back on cops in Voight's unit hooking up with each other. Just like how Chicago Fire's golden years were arguably lost after the departures of Monica Raymund as Gabby Dawson and Jesse Spencer as Matt Casey, Chicago P.D.'s best years were when the main cast were all firmly established together. Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score. Marina Squerciati as Burgess and Jesse Lee Soffer as Halstead were key to the group's chemistry, and one of the shames of the 2026 crossover event was that they had only a few moments to reconnect. For now, fans can revisit the golden era by streaming early seasons of Chicago P.D. on Peacock, while new episodescontinue to air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Release Date January 8, 2014 Network NBC Showrunner Derek Haas Directors Nick Gomez, Eriq La Salle, Carl Seaton, Fred Berner, Vincent Misiano, Bethany Rooney, Rohn Schmidt, Sanford Bookstaver, John Hyams, Nicole Rubio, Terry Miller, Takashi Doscher, Brenna Malloy, Lisa Robinson, Marc Roskin, Charles S. Carroll, David Rodriguez, Holly Dale, John Polson, Lin Oeding, Mykelti Williamson, Paul McCrane, Alik Sakharov, Charlotte Brändström Writers Craig Gore, Tim Walsh, Timothy J. Sexton, Mike Weiss, Mo Masi, Tiller Russell, Eduardo Javier Canto, Jamie Pachino, Mike Batistick, Cole Maliska, John Dove, Tiffany Bratcher, David Hoselton, Maisha Closson, Kim Rome, Katherine Visconti, Daniel Arkin, Todd Robinson, David Rambo, Denitria Harris-Lawrence, Mick Betancourt, Bryan Gracia Cast Marina Squerciati Kim Burgess A spinoff of Chicago Fire, this police procedural drama follows the detectives and the uniformed patrol officers of the Chicago Police Department as they work to crack cases and put criminals behind bars.