A popular Blue Bloods theory explains that Linda (Amy Carlson) was murdered. Linda was one of Blue Bloods’ best characters despite Carlson not being made a series regular until the second season. She helped promote the family values the procedural was known for by going the extra mile to make members of the Reagan family feel special. Additionally, she often butted heads with Danny over how to raise their two sons.
Unfortunately, Carlson decided not to renew her contract ahead of Blue Bloods season 8. As a result, the writers had to find a way to write Linda out quickly. Linda’s death in Blue Bloods thus occurred off-screen between seasons, and the series picked up with Danny’s attempts to move forward with his life despite his grief. Danny accepted the explanation for Linda’s death, but later episodes suggested a different, darker reason.
How Linda Died In Blue Bloods
Linda’s death in Blue Bloods occurred off-screen between seasons, which meant that the specifics were left to the audience’s imagination. Although Blue Bloods season 8 ended with someone firebombing Danny and Linda’s home, she didn’t perish in the blaze. Instead, she got out safely along with everyone else, only for Blue Bloods season 8, episode 1 to reveal that she was no longer alive. Supposedly, Linda had died in a helicopter crash while transporting a patient. This explanation for Linda’s death fit her character, as she was as dedicated to her nursing career as Danny was to police work.
Linda’s death is one of the few big missteps that Blue Bloods took during its 14-year run. The writers could have prepared for it with the firebombing, but instead, they ignored Carlson’s impending exit until the last minute and gave Linda an off-screen death instead of showing it at the end of the season. Thus, Linda’s death was a shock to the audience as well as to Blue Bloods’ Reagan family. This way of handling Carlson’s exit was disappointing, considering the program’s commitment to family values.
Linda Was Supposedly Murdered In Blue Bloods Based On A Dark Clue
Blue Bloods Season 9 Suggested That Danny’s Arch-Enemy Killed Her
Although Blue Bloods season 8 suggests that Linda died in the course of her ER nurse duties, the season 9 opener offers a different, darker interpretation of events. This episode features Danny questioning Mexican cartel leader Louis Delgado (Lou Diamond Phillips), who implies that Linda’s death was a cartel hit, presumably to retaliate for her husband’s investigating the cartel’s activities or putting some members in jail for drug smuggling and similar crimes. Delgado was a semi-recurring villain at this point, so it was believable that he would have had Linda killed to get revenge on Danny.
Since Delgado had already been established to be the person who had firebombed Danny’s house, the most logical interpretation of his comment is that he also arranged for Linda’s helicopter to crash.
During interrogation about a new murder, Delgado says, “First your house burns up and then a chopper goes down — that’s some pretty bad mojo you carry around.” Since Delgado had already been established to be the person who had firebombed Danny’s house, the most logical interpretation of his comment is that he also arranged for Linda’s helicopter to crash. However, showrunner Kevin Wade was ambiguous about whether Delgado was admitting to the crime or baiting Danny (via TVLine). Delgado appeared to have killed himself at the end of the episode, temporarily halting any potential investigation into his claim.
What Are The Chances That Linda Was Actually Murdered
Blue Bloods Seemed To Confirm This Later In Season 9
Although Delgado could have been implying he had Linda killed in order to play psychological mind games, it’s more likely that he did have Linda murdered. Delgado was not the kind of man who made such statements lightly, so it’s logical to assume he had some knowledge of Linda’s death that he hadn’t shared previously. Furthermore, ordering a hit on Linda is well within his character. Delgado was a ruthless character who did not hesitate to kill those who got in his way, and killing Linda would have been more painful for Danny than attacking the detective directly.
This storyline strongly implies that Delgado was telling the truth about Linda’s death and ends the rivalry between Danny and Delgado by having them bond over losing their wives to cartel violence.
Blue Bloods seems to confirm this theory later in season 9 when Delgado is revealed to be alive and cartel boss Jose Rojas (Danny Trejo) takes out a hit on his wife. Delgado tells Danny that they now “have a common enemy” since Rojas killed both of their wives and teams up with Danny to find Rojas so that they can avenge both unnecessary deaths together. This storyline strongly implies that Delgado was telling the truth about Linda’s death and ends the rivalry between Danny and Delgado by having them bond over losing their wives to cartel violence.