Linda’s (Amy Carlson) death in Blue Bloods was necessary when Carlson decided not to renew her contract, but it damaged the popular cop and family drama in several important respects. Blue Bloods’ enduring popularity can be attributed to its focus on family values. Rather than focusing solely on the case of the week, the series revolved around the support and love that Blue Bloods’ Reagan family displayed while dealing with tough issues related to law enforcement.
During its first seven seasons, Linda was a central character in Blue Bloods. As Danny’s (Donnie Wahlberg) wife, she was the only one who could talk him out of impulsive and ill-thought-out behavior. Additionally, she was an important person at Blue Bloods’ Reagan family dinner table, as she often showed support for all members of the family she had married into. However, Amy Carlson exited Blue Bloods at the end of season 7, leaving an empty seat behind that was difficult to fill.
Blue Bloods Didn’t Give Linda A Satisfying Death
Season 8 Picked Up Months After She Died
Carlson did not renew her contract after Blue Bloods season 7, so the writers had to eliminate Linda from the cast without featuring her on-screen. Understandably, Linda was killed — there was no other realistic way to explain her absence. Thus, Blue Bloods season 8, episode 1 featured a time jump of six months and opened with Danny talking through his continued grief over her death. This scene offered an explanation for Linda’s death: she had been killed in a helicopter crash. However, it fell flat because her death had occurred entirely off-screen.
That said, Blue Bloods squandered the perfect opportunity at the end of season 7 to give Linda a better exit. During the capper, Danny’s house is firebombed. The entire family escapes with their lives, though they no longer have a place to live. Thus, Blue Bloods could have had Linda die in the fire, which would have given her the on-screen death she deserved. Had Blue Bloods gone this route, it could have had the same opening scenes in its season 8 premiere, as Danny’s grief would still take center stage.
Blue Bloods Missed Linda & Danny’s Relationship
Although Danny Never Remarried, The Series Quickly Moved On
Blue Bloods’ Danny and Linda were the central couple in the first half of the series. Although Linda was not a series regular until season 2, it was clear that she was important from the pilot. Several of Blue Bloods’ best episodes revolved around Linda being in danger or around her and Danny’s family life. One memorable episode even had Linda and Danny’s romantic weekend getaway ruined because he was called in on a case.
While Danny didn’t remarry or consider dating until the final season, his grief was not nearly as central as Linda had been when she was alive.
It was jarring for Linda’s disappearance to be handled as quickly as it was. Her off-screen death was disrespectful to the character. Similarly, while Danny didn’t remarry or consider dating until the final season, his grief was not nearly as central as Linda had been when she was alive. For example, there were little to no stories about Danny’s struggle to raise their sons on his own. Additionally, after he got a new house at the end of the season 8 premiere, Linda’s absence was not consistently mentioned.
The tension in Linda’s marriage with Danny added extra drama and spoke to the downside of his dedication to the job. He often worked long hours for low pay, which sparked Linda’s resentment from time to time. That conflict died with her, cutting off an important and interesting Blue Bloods subplot without any resolution.
Blue Bloods Never Really Replaced Linda
Jamie and Eddie Didn’t Have The Same Dynamic
After Linda’s death, Blue Bloods’ Jamie and Eddie took over the role as the series’ central couple, getting engaged at the end of season 8 and married in the season 9 finale. While this pair was a fan favorite, Jamie and Eddie’s romance didn’t work as a replacement for Blue Bloods’ Danny and Linda. Jamie and Eddie were both cops, and their stories before and after their wedding revolved around disagreements about how to do the job rather than conflicts over different career and family needs.
Danny didn’t get either the grief or the moving on story the character deserved, and these missed opportunities weakened the second half of the iconic series.
Blue Bloods also didn’t allow Danny to consider dating until near the Blue Bloods finale. This was the right decision, especially during season 8. It would have been even more disrespectful to Linda’s memory if Danny had moved on with someone else right away. However, he also didn’t get a full story related to starting a new romance. Instead, he only got a hint that he might get together with Baez during the series finale.