Blue Bloods, the story of an Irish Catholic family all working in law enforcement in New York City, is one of the most popular police procedurals currently on television. Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the patriarch of the family, and every member of the family represents a different aspect of the law enforcement process, with Erin (Bridget Moynahan) as a prosecutor, Jamie (Will Estes) as a beat cop, and Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) as a detective.
The cast of recurring characters doesn’t end with the Reagan family. Detective Abigail Baker (Abigail Hawk) has appeared since the first season. Her character is in charge of Frank’s schedule, and she functions as the last barrier between her boss and anyone who wants to talk with him. As such, many of her scenes take place inside Frank’s office.
Now, one eagle-eyed viewer, Redditor u/SnakeandNape5000, pointed out a particular trait Abigail exhibits in a lot of the scenes she has in Frank’s office. Once you read about it, you won’t be able to avoid seeing it.
Abigail Bakers closes the door slowly and looks at the camera
As the Redditor notes, Abigal has a habit of slowly closing the door behind her and looking right at the camera. It’s an action that happens every so often, and as viewers in the Reddit thread mention, it’s a bit odd. If you understand the relationship between Frank and Abigail, however, it makes a little more sense. In context, it even comes across as a little bit of an inside joke between the two characters.
Redditor u/nasanhak points out that Abigail does this whenever Frank has a difficult decision to make, or whenever Abigail doesn’t necessarily agree with something Frank is about to do. While it may look like Abigail is staring directly at the camera, she’s actually looking at Frank. It’s almost her way of silently telling Frank, “You’d better behave.”
When you’re close with a spouse, family member, or friend, you may develop your own secret language, exchanging glances and knowing precisely what the other person is trying to tell you. That’s exactly what’s going on with Frank and Abigail. Her slow way of closing the door and giving Frank a look is supposed to express how close they are to one another. Frank takes Abigail’s opinions seriously, and he knows what she wants to say without her needing to even open her mouth.
Of course, this is all just a theory. Blue Bloods gets snubbed at the Emmys, but it still has a loyal fanbase who love analyzing various aspects of the show. As it’s been renewed for an 11th season, fans will have plenty more opportunities to analyze the nuances of Abigail.