In a few months, “Blue Bloods” will enter the history books, its long reign near the top of the heap of CBS’ food chain finally wrapping up after 14 seasons. Even though a “Blue Bloods” spin-off series has been confirmed, there’s no word on who will appear in it and when it will start airing. Ergo, it’s time to start dreaming up some happily ever afters for the Reagan clan. But there are some members of the family who probably won’t — or shouldn’t get — to have happy endings. And there are definitely characters who ought to ride off into the sunset and a good, joyful eternity.
No matter what sort of future the show hands out to its main participants — whether it involves a bullet in the line of duty and a state funeral or children, happy marriages, and longtime enemies put away forever — those endings are sure to be compelling. But here are three characters who deserve to end the show happily — and two who aren’t likely to have a happy ending, even though we might hope they get the glory they deserve.
Maria Baez
Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) has crawled toward happiness throughout her time on “Blue Bloods.” Her heartbreaking relationship with her drug-addicted brother, Javier (Kirk Acevedo), her parents’ divorce, and the fact that she’s been repeatedly stalked by the criminals she’s put behind bars all make her a woman worthy of a long trip to Hawaii or a win in the New York lottery.
And no, a happy ending for her doesn’t necessarily mean she needs to get together with Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg). For her, good news might entail a career advancement, or moving to the suburbs with her adopted daughter, Elena. It might be as simple as just getting away from the city and getting a fresh start. That, incidentally, is why she’s a wonderful candidate to lead a “Blue Bloods” spin-off — but until then, Baez is our top pick for someone who deserves a little happiness when the series closes.
Henry Reagan
Henry Reagan (Len Cariou) is the family’s patriarch and he’s been heading up the family’s ubiquitous dinners for ages now. He’s both a driving force for his son, Frank (Tom Selleck), and a true-blue cop who knows how to smooth out all of those rough edges in the family’s policing. Sometimes, unfinished business from his own long career resurfaces and provides the plot of the week, complicating things for one and all. With the Reagan family’s adventures at an end, and at his age, no one else on the show deserves a more peaceful, tranquil retirement than Henry does.
Maybe he’ll take up fishing; maybe he’ll find the right place to relax and let the kids do as they want. There’s no other possible fitting ending for Henry, and thus he ought to have a happy ending. Plus, let’s face it — giving Henry a sad send-off or just plain killing him off would be like slapping a puppy. It would be cruel and unnecessary and worse yet, a predictable thing. Sure, it would signal a changing of the guard, but it’d be better to leave him alive and happy and one of the family.
Erin Reagan
Of all of Frank’s immediate family, no one’s had a harder time trying to get herself settled than the rebellious Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) has. Her marriage to Jack (Peter Hermann) gave her Nicky (Sami Gayle), and a whole lot of grief. She’s suffered from a whole lot of aborted romances, from her family-dividing romance with Robert McCoy (Holt McCallany) to her brief flirtation with Charles Rosselini (Bobby Cannavale). And career-wise, while she’s managed to climb her way up the ladder at the District Attorney’s office, she’s been stuck as an assistant district attorney forever. It would be lovely to see her
Give the poor girl a happy romance already! It would be nice to see her political ambitions work out — proving that her choice to eschew police work for a civic life was a good one, but even a simple romantic happy ending would be nice to see. Heck, just give her a scene or two with Nicky at the end of the line and audiences will likely be thrilled.
Frank Reagan
Frank Reagan lives to serve — and to be honest, he’s pretty satisfied with the life he has. It’s already been revealed that he won’t retire at the end of “Blue Bloods,” so unless he gets moved up the political ladder, it’s likely he won’t see any change on the job front. That means his love life — after lying dormant for decades in respect to his late wife — won’t be resurrected either. It’s likely the conclusion of Frank’s story won’t be pure misery, but it probably won’t be the rapturous happy ending that his children and grandchildren are likely to enjoy.
The best ending that Frank can expect is that his life will continue without much stress, with his kids and grandkids around him and his father always there to give advice. That would be a nice ending, a sweet ending, even — but not a personally enriching one nor an exciting one that would give him the kind of happiness he deserves.
Danny Reagan
Don’t get this entry wrong. It’s not that Danny Reagan hasn’t earned a happy ending — we just think that “Blue Bloods” won’t give it to him. Most of that’s due to his own stubborn behavior. Still mourning the death of his wife, Linda (Amy Carlson), Danny’s just starting to get back into the dating pool. Both of his sons are in college and developing lives of their own. He’s decades off from assuming Frank or even Henry’s role at the head of the family table. He’s stuck in stasis, and unless the show does something dramatic either with his career or his love life, there’s bound to be no gold at the end of his rainbow.
The sad truth of the matter is that someone needs to be out there on the streets, caring for others while Danny tries to cope with his loneliness. In a strange way, Danny Reagan’s singularity — and indeed, his personal dissatisfaction, which adds to his love of justice. Hopefully there’s something better for him out there, but for now, it looks like he’s going to leave prime time with a life that’s not as rich as the one he had when the show began. What a pity.