Season 13 of “Blue Bloods” ended with a sense of warmth and reunification that exemplifies the drama’s core values.
Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito) returns to the team in the finale to assist her old partner Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and his current partner Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) in tracking down a possible copycat serial k1ller.
The murd3rer is inspired by the actions of Dr. Leonard Walker (Mather Zickel), a serial k1ller who Baez and Reagan pursued in Episode 13 of this season, “Past History.”
Jackie is now the chief of police, and the threesome clash as they work together to get the job done. The rest of the Reagans are also dealing with career issues.
Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) and Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) are investigating a cr1minal with ties to Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan), while Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) clashes with Mayor Chase (Dylan Walsh) and Archbishop Kearns (Stacy Keach) over a new edict regarding the city’s homeless population.
With Season 13 officially completed, fans of the show can look forward to Season 14 – because, following contract negotiations that resulted in the cast taking a 25% pay cut, it’s definitely happening, though many fans believe it will be the show’s swan song.
Here are seven things the show should do during its potentially final season to keep fans happy… or at least satisfied.
1 – Pull the pin on Danny and Baez right now!
Okay, we’re nearing the end of the 14th season of “Blue Bloods,” and it should be obvious at this point – this show should bite the bullet and get Danny Reagan and Maria Baez together already. Fans have long debated whether having these two get romantic would ruin or improve the show, but at this point, producers are delusory if they don’t believe the audience wants to see Danny happy after years of misery after being widowed when Linda (Amy Carlson) d1ed.
At this point, it would be preferable to see him with a woman who likes him rather than watching him flounder through a series of unsatisfying dates.
On the other hand, it’s not that Baez isn’t interesting as a single mother – she is! – but that a romance would help her story arc while also demonstrating that she can be a mom, a cop, and a fun person all at the same time. This is a show that excels at balancing sad and happy moments, and a relationship between these two friends could only add a little more joy to an otherwise bleak setting.
Aside from that? If the show does end with Season 14, there’s no need to worry about a definitive conclusion to the “will they, won’t they?” dynamic spoiling things, so now is the time to finally seal the deal.
2 – Please include Eddie and Jamie in the same Blue Bloods scenes.
Fans have been voicing their dissatisfaction with Eddie Janko and Jamie Reagan’s lack of screen time together in recent seasons for months. Season 13 has improved this slightly, finally putting them together for a case in “Forgive our Trespasses.”But it’s the first time they’ve spent the entire day together in a long time. Jamie spent much of Season 13 embroiled in a feud with his brother, Danny, while Eddie remains on the beat.
There have been brief narrative hints that the show may give the twosome a child to deal with, but their personal drama occupies little of their onscreen time. Often, the only time they’re both in front of the camera at the same time is during those iconic Reagan family dinner scenes.
Season 14 should definitely buck this trend and have them spend more time together off the clock. A romantic date every now and then, a few scenes set in their apartment; all of these things would help, but the show has been so focused on keeping them in the field that it has neglected the couple’s love story. It’s not even necessary for the couple to have a child. Even putting aside showrunner Kevin Wade’s expressed concern that it would bind Eddie to a desk for six months of story, a new baby could take things in a new direction.
3 – Nicky should return to Blue Bloods more frequently.
“Forgive our Trespasses” marks Nicky Boyle-Regan’s first appearance in nearly two seasons, with her previous appearance being in Season 11’s “Atonement.” With the character finally back on the show’s canvas, the possibilities seem limitless. While this appears to be a one-time appearance during a family dinner scene, producers have stated that they wanted to bring her back sooner. It’s possible that her presence at the table will become more common in Season 14. And that should definitely happen.
Nicky is an important character in the show’s fourth generation, serving as a link between her parents’ lives and Danny’s younger children. She doesn’t have to appear in every episode, but it would be nice to see her more than just once. Of course, Sami Gayle has been busy with other projects, such as college and playing a wicked stepsister in the Broadway production of “Bad Cinderella,” but with the musical wrapping on June 4, it’s very likely Gale will be free by the time the WGA Strike ends. In short, if she has time for drama, it would be great to see her appear more frequently.
4 – Please, a Regan grandchild interested in something other than a legal career.
Speaking of the Reagans’ fourth generation, it would be great to see someone’s — anyone’s — children rebel. That is, someone needs to work in an industry that has nothing to do with being a politician or a police officer.
A Reagan in the construction industry? Great. Or as a firefighter, or even in a day-to-day job in the service industry? Any of these options would add something new to the show’s plots and give the show’s storytelling more depth. The show has previously hinted strongly at this, with Jack Reagan (Tony Terraciano) considering a career path and realizing he only wanted to join the Marines because Danny had served. He and his younger brother, Sean (Andrew Terraciano), who mentions wanting to be a fireman in one episode, are just beginning to deal with college, which allows them to take a different path.This is an excellent time for the show to take this narrative turn.
It’s not as if one of these characters pursuing a career outside of the typical cop-politician circuit would detract from the central message of “Blue Bloods.” Arguably, introducing a new profession into the mix could even help feed stories into the show’s main body. Who says a body can’t be discovered in a dumpster or a wheelbarrow of cement one day? You get the picture.
5 – A large umbrella case involving the entire Blue Bloods family would be fantastic.
What about a season-long umbrella story in which all of the Reagans work together to bring down a single cr1minal? It would be a fitting conclusion, especially if Season 14 is the final one.
They haven’t gotten to do this in a long time. Rather than working together, each member of the family is usually separated and doing their own thing in a different part of New York. Eddie is frequently alone. You have Baez and Danny working on other cases. Erin is frequently prosecuting a case or navigating a political minefield. Frank deals with city hall red tape while navigating political minefields. These individual branches occasionally connect, and each Reagan frequently approaches their family dinner table with a problem they can’t solve on their own.
Why not try to tell us a story in which every member of the family contributes something to the collective pot of skills and cooks up a solution to a huge problem? A hostage crisis, a dangerous situation, something completely unexpected — it would be great to see them team up to tackle something incredible together.
6 – Tell us more about the supporting characters in Blue Bloods.
“Blue Bloods” is a drama that occasionally becomes too Reagan-centric. With that in mind, why not devote Season 14 to some unsung “Blue Bloods” supporting cast members?
What do we know for sure about Abigail Baker (Abigail Hawk), a constant presence in Frank’s life? Despite having anchored a few episodes herself, she hasn’t done much. Outside of work, who exactly is she? What does she and her family do when she isn’t in Frank’s office attempting to make things right for him?
These are important questions that should not go unanswered, and 14 seasons in, we should definitely know more about what’s going on in her daily life. We know a little more about Garrett Moore (Gregory Jbara) and Sid Gormley (Robert Clohessy), but not much. As “Blue Bloods” enters Season 14, they all deserve a little more attention.
7 – Above all, the Reagan family’s close relationship should remain a focal point.
The show’s emphasis on family is one of the things that really sets “Blue Bloods” apart from its TV peers.That should absolutely be prioritized as the series nears its conclusion. Disputes and fights, such as the one between Danny and Jamie, are entirely natural and necessary. But, above all, Season 14 needs to maintain the family’s closeness in order to succeed in the eyes of viewers. Flinching away from this would be fatal. But, to be honest, given how good “Blue Bloods” has been about this throughout its run, there’s probably no need to be concerned.
What would this drama be like if there were no family dinners? Who are these people if they aren’t looking out for one another? The most important aspect of “Blue Bloods” is that it is always aware that its family is the most important and central aspect of its story. As long as it maintains that grip, its audience will continue to return for more, regardless of what Season 14 has in store.
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to BLUE BLOODS.