Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 was an intense episode that somehow felt like every other story in this beautiful series.

If it had to end, this was how to do it, and the final scene came close to my dream ending. But it also made the point that there COULD have been many more stories to tell if only CBS had found a way to keep it on the air.

Losing Badillo Was Expected, Yet Sad

Rumors swirled for months about Badillo’s death in Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18, and by last week, it was clear it had to be Badillo.

No one else made any sense once the photos of the funeral sequence were released. All the Reagans were in attendance and so was Mayor Chase.

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If we had to lose someone, I’d rather it be a secondary character like Badillo. It would have been a horrible ending if any of the Reagans had died or been severely injured.

This story also gave Eddie one last chance to shine. She was fierce both in trying to save Badillo and her reaction after learning he was gone.

Eddie: Can you do something for me?

Danny: Anything.

Eddie: Then you don’t baby me and you don’t sideline me and you don’t tell me it’s too hard or that it’s too personal and you let me help.

Danny: Why would I baby one of the toughest cops I’ve ever known?

The opening scene started like any other episode, but as soon as Eddie and Badillo got that call, my heart jumped into my throat, and I KNEW, without a shadow of a doubt, that Badillo’s fate was sealed.

That almost made these scenes worse because I was waiting for the exact moment of his death, and when Eddie called for him, and he didn’t answer, it broke my heart even more than if it had been a surprise.

Despite The Danger, The Reagans Were Mostly Unafraid On Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18

Erin was afraid she would lose another brother, and Frank mentioned Joe’s death, but for the most part, it was business as usual for the Reagans.

I wasn’t sure whether to admire their bravery or whether it cheapened the threat to all cops that Danny, Jamie, and Joe didn’t seem to have much concern about their own safety, even after visiting Eddie in the hospital.

In some ways, though, it added to the suspense of this final hour.

Although I knew it wasn’t going to end with a terrible tragedy for the Reagans, I kept expecting someone to come around a corner with a gun, especially when Jamie and Joe were walking out to their cars after interrogating Emilio’s girlfriend.

I didn’t like how Emilio looked at Frank as he was being led away near the end of the episode.

That was one of the things that made this feel more like a season finale than a series finale. That scene seemed like a set-up for a future episode that will never come.

Frank’s Confrontation Of An Elderly Gangster Was The Most Chilling Part Of The Hour

After Mayor Chase gave Frank the keys to the city, Frank used his newfound power to try to convince a lifer to give up the location of his son, who was the gangster guilty of shooting the mayor, leading to some scenes that made a shiver go up my spine.

These scenes included just Frank and the prisoner (special guest Edward James Olmo) in a room. They were reminiscent of Frank’s confrontation with Sonny Malevsky after learning he was responsible for Joe Reagan’s death on Blue Bloods Season 1 Episode 22.

This confrontation was quieter but no less intense.

At first, it seemed like a waste of Frank’s time. The prisoner wasn’t going to budge and was convinced that he was the true hero, protecting his son from the evil cops who wanted him to ruin the relationship by ratting him out.

But boy, did Frank have an ace up his sleeve. The way he used his feelings about his own son’s death to get Lorenzo to budge was nothing short of masterful.

Frank: I had a son who was killed, by the police actually. And if before it happened, someone said to me, here’s your choice: we kill him now or he spends the rest of his life in prison. You know what? I wouldn’t blink. I would be at that prison every chance I got with hamburgers for us and a deck of cards so we could spend some time together. And I’d be thrilled to be there. Cause I know the cold dark of the other choice. I live with it every single day.

What a beautiful tribute to the 14 years of missing Joe that we’ve all lived through with Frank and the rest of the Reagan family.

That was the perfect way to wrap up that tragic storyline.

Throughout the entire series, the family has never lost their sense of grief that Joe cannot join them at any more Reagan family dinners, and meeting Joe Hill made it worse in some ways.

They will never fully recover from that death. As Frank’s beautiful speech on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 points out, he will always miss his son.

But Joe would probably be proud that in some way, he helped save the city from the gang’s violent rampage.

That doesn’t make it any better that he’s gone, but Frank certainly honored his memory during this story.

The Amelia Story Was The Weakest Part Of Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18

I’m loathe to criticize any part of the finale. I’m so grateful we had this final episode and that CBS gave Blue Bloods this final half-season to wrap things up that I don’t want to admit it was less than perfect.

However, the Amelia story confused me.

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Amelia was terrified when she called Eddie, but by the time Danny finally tracked her down, she didn’t seem scared of anybody but the cops.

I guess she could have had a bit of Stockholm Syndrome, but it came off as weird.

This was a kid who was so traumatized after witnessing her father kill her mother that she didn’t speak for three days, and this was the second time her dad had attempted to kidnap her.

Yet after that initial phone call, she took it all in stride.

Additionally, it felt like Carlos Ramirez gave up too quickly.

A few words from Danny about how fathers should lead by example did it. Ramirez sent Amelia upstairs with Baez, made a half-hearted attempt at suicide, and then surrendered peacefully.

Considering he blamed Danny for his not being in Amelia’s life and had kidnapped her while his gang was shooting public servants all over the city, that solution seemed all too easy.

This is why Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 should have been two hours.

There was too much to fit into the final hour, so this story was shortchanged so that they could get to the final wrap-up.

Blue Bloods’ Happy Ending Was Perfect, Yet It Didn’t Feel Different Than Any Other Episode

After all the cases were resolved, Badillo’s funeral and the final family dinner were the only remaining events.

These scenes could just as easily have been part of a season finale as a series finale.

I’m thrilled that Eddie and Jamie are having a baby, but I wish we could have the chance to get to know them. And I LOVE the tacit acknowledgment that Joe Hill is a full-fledged family member now.

But if Blue Bloods were returning, Season 15 could begin after Eddie’s baby was born so that she has to adjust to a new partner and to being a mother who is working as a cop, and nothing else would fundamentally change.

The final family dinner wasn’t much different from any other family dinner, either. Danny is always in a hurry to get to the food while everyone catches up with each other and expresses gratitude for the time they spend together.

Although that doesn’t sound exciting or final, the family all together — including a returning Jack Reagan and Nicky — was the absolute perfect way to end this series.

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The family dinners were the heart of this series, so a huge one was the right note to end on.

I had hoped the final lines would be a toast to the entire Reagan family, and while that didn’t happen, Frank’s expression of gratitude and pride in his family came pretty damn close.

After the credits rolled, I didn’t cry because of the episode’s events (even though Badillo’s death was sad). I cried because that was the last family dinner I’d get to share with the Reagans, not counting reruns streaming on Paramount+.

And now, I turn it over to you so that I can hear your thoughts on a new episode of Blue Bloods for the very last time, fellow Blue Bloods fanatics.

I’d love your takes on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18, especially your thoughts on how the series wrapped up (or didn’t).

Maybe someday we will all get to discuss a reunion movie or spinoff, but for now, vote in our poll to rate the episode and then post your thoughts in the comments.

Every episode of Blue Bloods is currently available to stream on Paramount+

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The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 Wrapped Up A 14-Year Run With A Reminder Of Everything That Makes This Cancelation Hurt appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It’s been easy to pretend that this isn’t the final season since nothing fundamentally changed throughout the final episodes — they were the same solid stories as always, even if the Reagans were making some changes in their personal lives that were quickly mentioned and then forgotten about.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 spoilers suggest that it will be an intense final hour as the Reagans band together to try to stop the chaos caused by angry gang members who want their associates out of jail.

Yes, Someone Dies… But Not A Reagan

For months, there have been rumors swirling around that a Reagan would die during the series finale.

That would be a terrible ending, leaving the audience even more heartbroken than they are about this wonderful show ending.

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Thankfully, Blue Bloods Season 15 Episode 18 spoilers prove that that’s not the case. There are several photos of a funeral, but all the Reagans are in attendance.

I’m glad not to have to use the rant I had ready if they killed off one of our beloved Reagan family members.

It makes more sense for the Reagans to mourn the loss of someone else than for the series to end with a dying Reagan. Sure, that would have bookended things somewhat since the series began soon after Joe Reagan’s death, but that would have just made people mad.

Now, the Reagans can rethink their life choices because of what happens and make some changes that make this episode truly the end of the series.

The violence in the city will hit just close enough to home to spur the Reagans into action and maybe later to rethink things.

Gang violence will land Eddie and Mayor Chase in the hospital. New rumors suggest that Eddie’s partner, Luis Badillo, will be the one who doesn’t make it, which makes sense considering Eddie’s injuries.

That trauma will have a significant effect on Jamie and Eddie.

I doubt the series will end with anyone quitting police work — that would contradict what Blue Bloods has always stood for — but it will give Eddie and Jamie a meaty final storyline that could spur them to make changes.

Eddie mentioned earlier in the season that she’d love to move to the suburbs, and she and Jamie had discussed family planning during Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 11, so their perfect ending could involve taking some time off to make that move and focus on starting their family.

Eddie might also have some survivor’s guilt now that she lives and Badillo doesn’t, but that isn’t something that can be tackled in one episode so that probably won’t be a big part of the story.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 spoilers don’t confirm that Badillo dies, but it’s likely, considering he’s not in any of the photos of the funeral scenes.

If he does die, that could also lead to Jamie and Eddie taking over caring for Kyle, the son of Badillo’s previous partner, who also died on the job.

This would be an especially satisfying ending if Eddie’s injuries mean she can’t bear children, as she and Jamie should be able to have the family they dreamed of, even if it’s not exactly how they planned it.

Will Frank’s Final Mission Bring Him Closer To Retirement?

Tom Selleck has said that Frank does not retire at the end of the series, which is weird considering how perfect an ending it would be for his character and the show.

However, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 spoilers say Frank will go on a “final mission” to catch the people who attempted to assassinate Mayor Chase, and that could get him thinking about planning for the future.

Frank may not retire now, but it will be satisfying if he’s thinking about how and when to close out his career.

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In any case, this final mission serves as a nice bookend to the Blue Bloods Season 1 finale, in which the family worked together to catch Sonny Malevsky and the rest of the corrupt cops who had permanently silenced Joe.

Now, as then, Frank will step out of his administrative role and act as a cop, this time to catch the would-be assassins.

This will be interesting. Not only has Frank been working a desk job for years, but will have to put aside his personal issues with the mayor to ensure justice is done.

Frank will do it, of course. He has stood for integrity and justice all these years and isn’t about to stop now.

However, this incident could finally reduce the animosity between the two men.

Chase always takes it personally when Frank won’t support policy initiatives he disagrees with and has been more openly antagonistic to Frank than most other mayors, often making empty threats to fire Frank despite knowing that would be political suicide.

Maybe once Frank puts his all into catching the people responsible for putting Chase in the hospital, he’ll realize that Frank is on his side when it counts, and the series will end with Frank and Chase having a more amicable relationship.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 Spoilers Promise That The Final Episode Will Be An Ensemble Story

The finale will probably most resemble the Season 1 finale, with everyone working to help restore order to the city and catch the people responsible for disrupting it.

I’m especially curious about how this will affect Danny. He’s seemed burned out throughout the second half of Blue Bloods Season 14 — one of the only suggestions that the series is ending that we’ve had.

Half the fanbase will revolt if the story doesn’t end with Danny and Baez together romantically, while the other half will if it does, putting the writers in a tough spot.

It’s likely that after the stress of this case, Danny will reevaluate some things in his life, especially since Sean is now graduating and probably moving away (once he figures out what he wants to do with his life).

While Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 spoilers make no promises one way or the other about that, a clip on the retrospective special showed Danny responding to Henry’s advice not to bring the job home with him, “I don’t have anybody not to bring the job home to.”

Thus, Danny will probably admit that it’s time to get serious about dating again, and the series could end with him and Baez exploring their feelings for each other.

That would make more sense than a firm commitment, especially considering that Jack and Erin seem to have gotten back together.

Blue Bloods doesn’t need to end with everyone partnered up and living happily ever after. That’s not true to life, and some things will likely be left open in case there’s ever a reunion movie or a spinoff series.

The only thing that is guaranteed is that there will be a final family dinner, that Jack Reagan and Nicky will be back for it, and that the finale will leave us all in tears. Everything else is up in the air.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

What do you expect and hope happens during the Blue Bloods series finale? And what are your favorite of these Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 spoilers?

Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Blue Bloods’ series finale will air on CBS on December 13, 2024 at 10/9c and on Paramount+ on December 14.

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The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 18 Spoilers: Will Everything Change As The Reagans Take On Their Last Case? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It was hard to focus, knowing that at this time next week, I will be trying to see through my tears well enough to put my thoughts together about the series finale.

But Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 17 didn’t give off a single sign that it was the penultimate episode. It just delivered the strong stories and family moments that make this show so special.

Danny Got Teased At Sunday Dinner While Dealing With A Heartbreaking Case The Rest Of The Week

Danny and Baez had to do one of the most difficult things cops ever have to do: comfort a woman who lost a child to suicide.

Gabi’s mother desperately wanted to believe that one of the girls who bullied her daughter also ended her life, and Danny wanted almost as badly to give that to her.

It got me when he promised the woman that they would find Gabi’s killer.

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They say never to make promises you’re not sure you can keep, and ultimately, what Danny uncovered was proof that Gabi did take her own life.

At that moment, that woman needed to hear that he would fight for the truth about her daughter. Sadly, that truth was not what she wanted it to be.

It was heartbreaking all around, and that made me love the family dinner scene even more than usual.

During the Reagan family dinner, everyone teased Danny while Sean tried to share the good news that he had enough credits to graduate from NYU a year early.

Their good-natured teasing gave Danny — and the audience — a break from this intensely sad case, and we all needed that more than ever.

Sean’s news could have made Danny think about the case since the girl killed herself in a dorm room. She lived at a high school, not a college, but it would have been easy to draw a parallel.

Instead, Danny got to celebrate his son’s achievement, joke about how much NYU cost, and take some good-natured teasing in stride.

I agree with Danny that a year abroad probably wouldn’t cost more than NYU. Manhattan is expensive in general and a well-known university in the city is probably doubly so.

By the way, as a trans person, I feel obligated to say I was not offended by Henry joking that if Sean changed his pronouns, Henry was out.

Some people could have taken the joke as being anti-trans, but it wasn’t about that at all. Everyone was teasing Sean about what his news could be, and Henry knew Sean wasn’t going to make that kind of announcement.

I also believe that if Sean, or anybody in the family, came out as transgender or anything else, they’d be loved just as much, even if their family members didn’t fully understand, because that’s how the Reagans roll.

I thought it was strange that Sean had no idea what was coming next. He had to have majored in something, and most colleges offer guidance on figuring out your first job or your career path.

When new graduates get great jobs, it looks good for the school, so they’re usually eager to help.

Still, it was sweet that Sean wanted his family’s advice about figuring out his future. I wonder if this will play into the finale at all or if his early graduation is how his character’s story wraps up.

Eddie and Jamie’s Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 17 Story Was Strange

I wish Eddie and Jamie had been able to collaborate on the squatter story instead of being at odds.

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They don’t get enough screen time, and with so little left to the series, I hated the idea of wasting precious minutes on Jamie wanting Eddie to back off his CI and Badillo throwing a fit about it.

I got why Badillo was annoyed, but his accosting Jamie wasn’t helping anything. It was a lucky break that the CI got attacked before Badillo said or did something he couldn’t take back.

The whole story was strange.

By law, if someone has lived somewhere for a certain amount of time, they’re considered a tenant, and Vince didn’t have the money for an eviction suit (though he was able to travel extensively for business.)

Still, there are tenant rights associations who offer pro bono help for situations like this.

Vince: How is it you’re arresting ME?

Eddie: Let’s see, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief…

Vince: I was hitting the windows.

Badillo: You could have killed someone with your crappy aim.

Throwing rocks at windows accomplished nothing except getting Vince in trouble.

Strangely, he disappeared after he asked the cops to help him until he got his apartment back in the last scene.

I’d think a guy like Vince would be at the precinct every damn day, bugging them about when they’re going to do something about his issue.

Erin Was Smiling, But Did Something Happen Off-Screen That Should Have Been On-Screen?

Erin and Jack appear to be back together unless I’m misreading the body language.

They were walking arm in arm with huge smiles and Erin said she wanted to set Anthony up with that Deanna person because she wanted to spread the wealth now that things were going so well for her and Jack.

I suppose she could have meant in their friendship, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Erin and Jack being back together is big news, so why did it happen off-screen?

Based on what Bridget Moynahan has said in interviews, I was expecting them to become official during the finale, so it was shocking that it seemed to happen when no one was looking.

That’s also not cool.

Little to no hints have been dropped about how Blue Bloods will wrap up, and if Jack and Erin are endgame, we should have had more than one family dinner on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 11 and one happy walk in the park.

This should have been an actual story, one we could debate and take sides on all season long.

Erin’s matchmaking story was cute, but I wondered why she had nothing better to do.

I wasn’t that interested in whether she succeeded in pushing Anthony and this woman together.

I agreed with Anthony that dating someone who was a witness until a few minutes ago was a bad idea, and I would have rather Erin had one more case to deal with before the finale.

Frank Tried To Help The Governor, But Did He See It?

I’ve never been a fan of the governor. His personality seems to be somewhere between shady and weird.

If he had been willing to co-sponsor legislation that Frank wanted passed regarding bail reform (or, more aptly, bail un-reform since Frank wants the looser bail regulations reversed again), Frank should have taken the opportunity to get his priorities in front of the legislature.

Frank is the opposite of political, but I wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve by complaining about the governor’s wife’s bad behavior on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 17 instead of accepting the help.

Still, that wife was a problem, getting drunk in public and embarrassing her husband. She deserved to be arrested, and it should be a wake-up call for her, but will it be?

Frank warned the governor that this was the last favor he was doing for him related to this.

If only there was another season, the governor would probably pop up again, trying to undo that.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

How did you feel about Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 17? Would you have felt differently if we were headed toward the end of the season instead of the end of the series?

Vote in our poll to rank the episode, then head to the comments to share your thoughts.

Blue Bloods’ series finale will air on CBS on December 13, 2024 at 10/9c.

Watch Blue Bloods Online

The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 17 Stood Out Because Of The Thing We’ll Miss Most appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 did the impossible: It explored contentious, potentially divisive issues and explored them in a way that takes a stand without feeling heavy-handed.

As always, these issues were viewed through the lenses of people who love each other and want to do the right thing. The characters had their opinions, but the audience was free to form their own.

Frank Needed To Stand Up To The Mayor AGAIN But Had To Find A Different Approach

On the surface, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 presented a story that has been part of this police procedural many times before.

Frank always butts heads with mayors who don’t respect the NYPD or consider its needs when setting their policies.

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This time felt different, and not only because Blue Bloods is almost over.

The Mayor’s proposed policy had far-reaching consequences beyond how it would affect the morale at the police department.

Asking the governor to send in the National Guard means the mayor is declaring a state of emergency, and I’m not sure how that would affect other freedoms in New York City.

Additionally, National Guard officers could overreach in ways that Frank has no authority over, which doesn’t seem like a great idea. And what happens if National Guard and NYPD officers clash on how to handle a situation?

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 didn’t delve too deeply into these other concerns, other than Frank calling the proposal “the mayor’s security state.”

However, these concerns seemed to be part of his calculations about this idea, while the rest of his Dream Team was more concerned with whether using the National Guard would be effective.

Despite Frank’s political disagreements with both his team and the mayor, the story wasn’t really about that.

It was, as always, about Frank doing what he thought was right no matter what anyone else thought, including the mayor.

However, this time, he realized that his usual methods were contributing to an endless cycle of the news breathlessly covering arguments, leading to more division in the city.

Frank was listening to the mayor’s accusations when the mayor refused to admit that doing an end run around the NYPD commissioner before instituting a new anti-crime policy was wrong.

Frank: We could have worked together on a solution.

Chase: You don’t work with anybody. You back them into a corner and call it collaboration when they do what you want.

I dislike Mayor Chase because he’s egotistical enough to put his hurt feelings above considering whether Frank has a point.

He takes it personally that Frank won’t be his yes-man and is frustrated that Frank’s popularity — which comes from his integrity — makes it impossible to fire him and replace him with someone who will carry out the mayor’s agenda instead of the NYPD’s.

I thought that the mayor was talking about himself when he said that Frank forces people to agree with him instead of collaborating in good faith, but Frank seemed to have taken it to heart.

His new plan mostly made sense. He brought a written proposal to the mayor that would allow the NYPD to improve its ability to patrol subways and other dangerous areas so that there was no need to call in the National Guard.

It’s interesting that this is the second time someone has recently accused Frank of blackmailing them when he’s the least likely person to do any such thing.

That says a lot about how other people conduct their business. Sheesh!

Jamie And Eddie Dealt With A Ridiculous Rule On Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16

It’s taken far too long for Jamie and Eddie to work together during this final season, so I’ll take whatever I can get for their storylines.

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Badillo was stupid to smoke weed right outside a police charity event, but hiding in rehab isn’t the right thing to do.

There were no signs he had an addiction issue, and it would have taken space away from someone who needed it if Badillo had gone.

Captain MacNichols is usually Ms. By-The-Book, so what was she doing suggesting Badillo hide from the consequences of breaking department policy by going to rehab unnecessarily?

Regardless, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 did a great job of building up suspense around Badillo.

His disappearance, his mother’s fears, and the trek through the Boy Scout campgrounds in Staten Island all pointed to a horrible fate, at least for those of us who watch too much Law & Order.

Fortunately, it was all a red herring, and Badillo was secretly taking his late partner’s kid fishing.

I agreed with him that there was no need to cut his trip short because the higher-ups wanted him to do a drug test over a few joints of weed.

Badillo used poor judgment when he smoked that weed in front of the police charity, where any cop who felt a certain way about it or about him could see, but he had his priorities straight afterward.

The kid came first, period.

Erin Again Handled A Potentially Sensitive Issue Properly

I appreciated the Chris storyline on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 because it showed how complex issues like racial bias can be.

Both sides could potentially have been acting out of bias.

Chris: You know how this goes. Once you’re in the system, the system follows you. And you paint all people like me with the same brush.

Chris assumed the prosecutors thought he was a criminal because he was a Black kid who grew up around gangs while it was equally possible that the prosecutors did have some unconscious bias.

A lot of shows get the bias on the part of law enforcement piece but never touch the idea that the expectation of bias is not always accurate either.

That said, I wasn’t sure what was so hard to understand about Chris’ claim that, as a teenager, he worked as a lookout for the gang so they’d leave his family alone.

Haven’t Erin and Anthony worked on organized crime cases before? Have they never heard of gangs demanding something in exchange for protection?

As soon as Chris was arrested, I figured the woman who came in second set him up so that he wouldn’t win the mock trial competition or be in line for a job at the prosecutor’s office, and that turned out to be exactly what happened.

It shouoldn’t have taken much effort to figure out that was a possible line of inquiry instead of focusing on what Chris was supposedly not telling them.

Danny’s Case Was The Least Interesting on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16

The murder of this fighter over his refusal to throw the fight wasn’t terribly compelling, but the case almost didn’t matter.

Danny and Baez spent quality time together, and I found myself laughing aloud at a lot of their lines, especially when Baez had no clue about fighting and found the whole thing strange.

The set up of the fighter’s opponent using himself as bait without confirming to the cops that’s what he was going to do was weird.

You’d think they’d do something more than have Danny and Baez in the audience for this kind of operation!

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

What did you think of Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16? How sad are you that there are only two more episodes left in this beautiful series?

Vote in our poll to rank the episode, and then hit the comments with your thoughts.

Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and on Paramount+ on Saturdays. The series finale airs on December 13, 2024.

Watch Blue Bloods Online

The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 16 Was Exactly The Show A Divided Country Needs appeared first on TV Fanatic.

We’re more than halfway through the final batch of episodes now.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 had everything that made me fall in love with this show and then some. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my Friday nights after December 13.

Joe Just Had To Be Joe On Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15

I’m still hoping that Joe Hill will end the series by becoming a fully accepted member of the Reagan family.

To me, closure about his father’s death means the entire family embraces Joe and vice versa.

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I’m not sure that will happen now, though.

Danny saying Joe was a great detective was a step in the right direction, but Joe did the same annoying thing he always does that makes his uncles dislike working with him, and that often carries over into their personal relationship.

Joe’s stubborn streak is far more annoying on him than it is on Frank or Erin. He always feels a need to work the case his way, even though his way is going to get someone killed.

He was disobeying Danny’s orders while Danny was in the room. Sheesh.

It’s taken me a long time to warm up to Joe because of that.

Maybe if he’d been part of Blue Bloods from the beginning, I would shrug it off as Joe being Joe, but as is, he comes across as disrespectful, hotheaded, and annoying.

He was less so than usual this time, though, so maybe there’s hope for him yet, especially since Danny seems to have gained respect for Joe.

Erin: Want to lend a hand?

Danny: I will. Right after a drink.

Henry: You still worked up about working with Joe?

Danny: I’m not worked up. He’s a great detective, smart kid. It’s just he seems more into making the collar and not so much into the people involved.

Additionally, Joe did save Danny’s life during the climactic scene. I will never understand why the ten million police procedurals on TV insist on having cops go into situations without proper backup, but Joe’s shooting the bad guy who was trying to kill Danny has to count for something!

I wonder why Joe wasn’t at the Reagan family dinner, though. He’s appeared at the last few, but his absence this time allowed Danny and Erin to talk about Danny working with him.

Although Joe’s working with Danny was important, I’d have loved for Baez to have been involved in this storyline on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15.

I always want more Baez on general principles, but in this case, her inclusion would have made sense.

She might have been able to help with anyone who only spoke Spanish and possibly give some insight into the culture among the compañeros, which could have made it easier to solve this case.

Erin’s Case Demonstrated Why She Should Have Run For DA After All

Crawford was beyond annoying.

I understand that she has cases to close and is the boss. I also understand that she resents Erin’s relationship with the Reagans.

Additionally, her snide remarks pointed to one thing: she’s focused only on raw numbers and doesn’t get why anyone would bother to care about the human beings involved in the cases they close.

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Erin is an ADA because she wants to get justice for victims, not merely so she can brag about how many cases she’s closed.

Crawford’s opinion that Erin shouldn’t care about Del because she’s not a social worker aggravated me.

It added insult to injury that she visited him in the hospital after he risked his life and acted like she thought he was a hero all along. GO AWAY.

New York City needs more people like Erin and less like Crawford.

I REALLY hope this is her last appearance. With only three episodes left, I’m not in the mood to waste any more airtime on her.

A New Recruit Was Fired For Saving a Life On Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15

Even Crawford didn’t make me as angry as the way new recruit Jaylen was treated.

He charged at a robber who was holding a woman hostage, saving her life as well as Eddie and Badillo’s lives, only to be kicked out of the academy because non-graduates aren’t supposed to get involved in life-threatening situations.

In what world does that make sense?

I understand that recruits should not enter dangerous situations because they are not yet equipped to handle them.

However, in this case, the guy saved someone’s life and the situation likely would have ended badly if he had not.

Jamie was willing to send Eddie to the hospital so they both could think about how to handle the report (though he ended up submitting it early). Why not say in the report that Jaylen was acting as a bystander, not in any professional capacity?

Problem solved. As Eddie pointed out, if Jaylen were a private citizen, he’d be hailed as a hero.

Jaylen’s termination was probably more because the idiot husband sued than anything else.

That’s doubly unfair because Jamie uncovered evidence that the entire lawsuit was fraudulent and the woman Jaylen saved had torn her ACL months ago.

It’s great that he can still work in Nassau — I guess that doesn’t count as being out of residency — but the thanks he got for saving a life should not have been a frivolous lawsuit and the loss of his position in the academy.

I hated that Jamie and Eddie got into a fight over it, but Eddie was right. Jamie should not have filed that report without talking to her.

Sometimes Jamie is too much of a straight arrow for his own good. He takes after Frank that way.

No, Sid Isn’t Leaving, But Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Made It Seem Like He Was

Frank struggled with what to do when he learned Sid was living 80 miles away when cops were supposed to live in New York City. When he confronted Sid about it, Sid admitted he was ready to retire.

That seemed like an answer to what will happen to one of the characters when we get to the finale in a few weeks, but then Frank decided to unofficially allow cops to live where they wanted.

While the residency debate was interesting, I was irritated by the Sid situation.

It could have been solved easily if Sid had spoken to Frank about what was going on in the first place.

Frank tries to do what’s right and sometimes can adhere too rigidly to the rules.

However, does ANYONE think that if Sid had come to him and told him that his mother was dying and he needed to be upstate with her, Frank would have responded by firing him for not staying in the city?

Of course not. It would have ended the same way it did, with Frank agreeing to look the other way on this, only without the extra drama that took up a third of Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15.

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It’s not surprising that Frank would make an exception without admitting that’s what he was doing.

People often mistake Frank living by his own moral code for being so rigidly rule-bound that empathy and humanity go out the window.

But that’s a misunderstanding.

Frank lives by HIS values, and most of the time, those values include following the rules. Sometimes, though, his value system requires him to put a bigger cause ahead of the letter of the law, and that’s what happened here.

As for the residency requirement itself, I agree with Frank and Jamie that cops ought to live in the neighborhoods they patrol.

I think that at least some of the tension between police and citizens comes from cops who live elsewhere and whose only interactions with citizens are when they are pulling them over or arresting them.

When cops live in the community, they become neighbors as well as police officers, and when they and the residents of a neighborhood get to know each other, both sides see each other’s humanity.

Additionally, Eddie’s comments about living paycheck to paycheck and Garrett’s complaint about the optics of Frank living in a big house while the rank-and-file struggle to pay rent aren’t indicative of a problem with NYPD policy.

It’s a problem with the high cost of living in New York City, and someone needs to talk to Mayor Chase about focusing on doing something about that instead of wasting time with policies that don’t do anything for anyone.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics. What did you think of Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15?

Vote in our poll to rank the episode then hit the comments with your thoughts.

Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and on Paramount+ on Saturdays.

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The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Review: Ridiculous Rules, Jamie and Eddie On Opposite Sides, And Other Things That Make The Cancellation Heartbreaking appeared first on TV Fanatic.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the show is going out in style with one of its strongest seasons to date. And now, we have new information about how it will all come to an end.

CBS announced today that the show’s final episode will air on Friday, December 13.

Ahead of that sad date, the network will air an hourlong retrospective special titled Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy, on Friday, November 29.

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“This one-hour ET news special, celebrating 293 episodes of BLUE BLOODS, includes new exclusive interviews with the stars and recurring guest stars who share favorite memories and behind-the-scenes moments from the past 14 years,” reads a press release issued today.

“Hosted by ET’s Nischelle Turner and featuring archival interviews from the ET vault, the special serves as a love letter to the loyal fans who had dinner with the Reagan family every Friday night and upheld BLUE BLOODS as one of the top series on television.”

In a segment that’s sure to delight fans, the special will delve into the stories behind the Reagans’ famous family meals.

“Included in the show is a rare look inside the famous family dinner scene, where viewers learn family dinner secrets straight from the Reagans’ table.

“The special reveals new details about the first time the cast had family dinner during the pilot when they were strangers, and how that transformed the series into the global phenomenon it is today.

“Also, fans hear first-hand from the cast about what it is like filming on the streets of New York City and get a sneak peek at the emotional finale prior to the series send-off.”

Obviously, fans would prefer a surprise announcement that CBS has decided to renew the show.

But since that’s probably not happening, a send-off special will have to suffice.

Hey, at least we have a possible Blue Bloods spinoff to look forward to!

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Over to you, TV fanatics! Are you looking forward to one last family dinner with the Reagans, or are you too salty to enjoy that particular meal?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.

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The post Blue Bloods Announces Finale Date, Retrospective Special appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Through characters and stories we love, we can help heal the divide and show people that we are all human and all want similar things.

That may seem like small comfort at a time when racism, homo/transphobia, sexism, and anti-Semitism are at an all-time high. Even so, let’s celebrate characters changing the narrative and helping make a better, less prejudiced world.

FBI’s Omar Adom “O.A.” Zidan Is The First Egyptian-Born Lead Character on A Police Procedural

When I think about characters changing the narrative, O.A. is always the first one that comes to mind.

Unfortunately, many peace-loving Muslims get blamed for terrorist activity related to conflict in the Middle East, and that’s been reflected in our television shows for a very long time.

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Before O.A. was introduced on FBI Season 1 Episode 1. there were few Muslim characters on TV who were not either guilty of terrorism or being accused of it based on credible evidence.

Sure, Law & Order: SVU had a couple of episodes about Muslim women who were raped and killed because they didn’t subscribe to radical Islam, but guess who was always the culprit? Their Muslim fathers or brothers.

That changed seven seasons ago when O.A. was introduced. He is the first and so far only Middle Eastern-born Muslim character to be a leading man in any show, and he’s also an FBI agent.

His loyalty to the United States is never in doubt. Before becoming a field agent in an office that specializes in counter-terrorism, he served in the Army and did two tours in Iraq that left him with PTSD.

Like so many of our veterans, he has PTSD because of his experiences, though he has kept it under control enough to become one of the best, most trusted agents in the New York Field Office.

We won’t talk about his relationship with Clay on FBI Season 7, which is leading him in the wrong direction because it’s beside the point.

OA is one of the strongest characters who changes the narrative of the division and hatred that encompass the United States and the world.

It’s sad that even within the confines of the fictional FBI on TV, OA sometimes has to prove that he’s equally loyal to his country or equally capable of being objective when the targets of investigations are Muslim extremists.

Still, he defies stereotypes simply by continuing to exist and offers some much-needed representation.

Watch FBI Online

Heartstopper’s Elle Argent Is One Of The Characters Changing The Narrative About Transgender Women Of Color

LGBTQ+ representation on TV is in decline precisely when we need it not to be, and that’s doubly true for the transgender community.

It’s especially important to showcase Black transgender women and other transgender women of color who experience the intersections of transphobia, racism, and misogyny.

I’d like there to be more American transgender people of all races and gender identities on TV, but in the meantime, the UK series Heartstopper‘s Elle is my favorite example of how transgender characters are changing the narrative about who they are.

Elle is a transgender teenager who is mostly accepted as the woman she is.

Throughout Heartstopper’s three seasons, she has grown from a shy loner who was afraid cis girls in her new school wouldn’t accept her to an out and proud transgender artist who has friends both in and outside of the transgender community.

Sometimes, Heartstopper gets criticized for showing LGBTQ+ kids being happy and mostly free of hate-fueled drama, but we need stories like these.

We need characters like Elle who are supported by their parents and friends and who want to be seen as more than a statistic or a label.

Elle sends the message that you CAN be happy if you’re transgender despite all the hate in the world.

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Transgender kids have an unacceptably high suicide rate. They NEED hope. Elle gives it.

Yes, she was upset during Heartstopper Season 3 when a podcast host asked her for an interview about her art and then bombarded her with questions about whether trans girls should be allowed to use the women’s restroom and other transphobic nonsense.

She struggled with that a bit and needed her friends’ help to overcome the depression and keep moving on. But even that was a positive message, showing that in reality, it doesn’t HAVE to be over because of setbacks like this.

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Good Trouble’s Davia Moss Explored How Fatphobia Affects Plus-Sized People (And Formerly Plus-Sized People)

Good Trouble is no longer on, but it deserves an honorable mention anyway.

This show did so much good in terms of characters changing the narrative around all sorts of identities. I could fill this list with almost everybody on it.

I chose Davia because there is not enough discussion of plus-sized women and the prejudices they face on TV.

The body-size movement began when Camryn Manheim first came onto the scene as a proudly plus-sized actress who did not intend to lose weight to get roles, but Davia is the most modern example I can think of.

Davia experienced body shaming both as a plus-size person and later when she lost weight.

When formerly plus-sized people become not-so-plus-sized, they experience a different flavor of prejudice, with people constantly telling them how good they look and commenting on their weight loss without knowing the details.

It’s annoying and, in some cases, upsetting if the person loses weight because they have a serious illness that they don’t want to broadcast to the world.

People should not be commenting on others’ body size, period, especially strangers, and Davia demonstrated why that is hurtful whether or not you’re a plus-sized person.

Additionally, she demonstrated that there is a lot more to a person than how big they are or aren’t. She was one of the most well-rounded characters on Good Trouble, with a lot of flaws but a big heart and the intention to help others.

Watch Good Trouble Online

The Irrational’s Alec Mercer Is A Black Role Model And Trauma Survivor

The Irrational is busy offering characters changing the narrative all over the place. It was a hard choice between Alec and his sister, Kylie, who is a strong representative of Black queerness.

Alec is one of my favorite characters in television history for many reasons. I find his commitment to rationality over emotion inspiring and his determination to live his life to the fullest despite the trauma he’s suffered even more so.

I’m also stoked about Alec because he is a Black college professor and consultant to the FBI.

The consultant part has been done before, but we all know that Black men are underrepresented in teaching across the board, on TV, and in reality.

Alec is a successful Black man who teaches and inspires others.

His college classroom is always full, and he uses interesting and creative experiments to make points about neuroscience, which isn’t always the easiest topic to understand.

Alec is also a trauma survivor and is changing the narrative on that, too.

Like many survivors, he is very strong in some areas of his life and not very functional in others.

It’s doubly powerful to have him as a representative of trauma survivorship because he knows the human brain inside and out and understands the ways that he sometimes fails him, yet he is powerless to do anything about it when flashbacks or other aspects of trauma hit him.

Watch The Irrational Online

Found’s Bella Dismantles Stereotypes Around Nonverbal People

Trauma can cause people to become selectively mute. That means that they are unable to speak in some or all situations.

That’s not usually what trauma looks like on TV, but Found is different.

This season contains flashbacks of Bella (who chose the name Lacey as an adult) struggling as a seven-year-old child who had recently escaped Sir’s clutches.

Among other things, Bella does not speak.

I love this story because I am passionate about confronting and eliminating the ableist belief that verbal ability has ANYTHING to do with intelligence or competence.

Bella communicates non-verbally very well.

Her facial expressions and other body language are so perfect that an autistic person like me, who struggles with interpreting body language, knows exactly what she is feeling at any given moment.

She can still read, write, draw, and think. She simply cannot speak.

Bella grows up to be a woman who has reclaimed her voice and refused to lose it again, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is one of a very small number of characters changing the narrative around nonverbal children, if not the only one.

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Brilliant Minds’ Oliver Wolf Is The Best Of Several Characters Changing The Narrative Around Neurodivergence

There are many more autistic and other neurodivergent characters in TV Land than there used to be, but that doesn’t mean there’s a hell of a lot of accurate representation.

Brilliant Minds‘ Oliver Wolf is the best neurodivergent representative. He is a doctor who is respected by some and seen as a nuisance by others.

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He has face blindness, which is a neurodivergent condition in which a person cannot recognize people by looking at their faces.

This is far different from the usual neurodivergent character. There is a lot more to neurodivergence than autism and ADHD, not that those conditions are generally portrayed properly, either.

Wolf’s neurodivergent traits are carefully interwoven with his past trauma and his fear of intimacy because of that trauma.

That’s also an important distinction because far too many shows are interested in the question of “Will this person succeed even though they are neurodivergent?” rather than showing the character as being more than a diagnosis.

Wolf does double-duty representation-wise because he is also gay.

Neither of these identities is centered to the degree that we lose sight of him as a unique, fascinating individual who has compensated for his difficulties as best as he can to create enormous professional success.

I also appreciate how his sexual orientation and neurodivergence likely contributed to his trauma.

No one could predict his dad’s mental illness and subsequent death, but Wolf would have experienced some trauma even if those things hadn’t happened because of who he is and how he sees the world.

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Blue Bloods’ Jamie Reagan Demonstrates That Men Can Be Empathetic and Sensitive

At first glance, it might seem strange to choose a Blue Bloods character as an example of changing the narrative.

Blue Bloods skews more conservative on the political spectrum than most shows, so an argument can be made that it changes the narrative around conservatives all being evil and selfish, which is also important in these divided times.

Jamie has always been my favorite, with Henry as a close second. He not only went into police work for the right reasons but is especially good at building rapport with witnesses and suspects.

In the early seasons, Jamie demonstrated more than once that he had a gift for helping talk down people who were having a mental health crisis.

One moment that sticks in my mind is when an autistic man began causing trouble at a store, throwing things around and generally being belligerent, and Jamie was able to peacefully subdue him by using his understanding of the man’s thought processes.

This was a man with limited verbal skills who respected Jamie and wanted to be like him, so Jamie got him to put his hands behind his head by modeling it, and the man cooperated.

He was arrested without the use of force, which would not have happened had Jamie not been there.

Jamie uses this type of sensitivity and empathy on the job all the time, though, in later seasons, he is in a higher position and doesn’t work with the public as much.

His empathy changes the narrative about what it means to be masculine and demonstrates that cops don’t HAVE to be modern-day cowboys.

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Law & Order: Organized Crime’s Jet Slootmaekers Shoots Down Stereotypes About Female Coders

Jet has been my favorite on Law & Order: Organized Crime since it began.

Jet is a computer expert, but she is far from a nerd.

She’s smart, sardonic, and seemingly fearless. She’s a cop and a computer expert, and she knows how to use a gun better than almost anybody.

In short, Jet would fit in on any modern Western… except she also knows computers.

Jet’s one weakness, if you can call it that, is that she struggles in relationships.

That’s understandable. Women who are as bright and assertive as her often have a hard time finding love, and in her case, she’s too afraid of commitment for it to work.

That’s worse in the later seasons because Jet falls hard for two men who die. That’ll screw anyone up.

Still, few female characters change the narrative of what women in traditionally masculine careers are like as much as Jet does.

Watch Law & Order: Organized Crime Online

Homicide: Life On The Street’s Tim Bayliss Is Still One of The Best Representatives of Bisexual Men 30 Years Later

Look, this might be an old show, but Homicide: Life on The Street is on Peacock, so you can still watch it.

It also has the first bisexual male character on TV. Starting with Homicide: Life On The Street Season 6, Bayliss explored his sexuality after realizing he was attracted to a male suspect.

Bayliss tried dating both men and women, struggled with the question of whether he was straight or gay, and ultimately concluded he was neither.

That was radical then and equally radical today when we still have people insisting that bi characters are really in-the-closet gay characters.

Homicide’s final season wasn’t worth watching in most respects, but Bayliss’s determination to be openly bisexual, even though the police department thought that was “unprofessional,” made up for a lot of other non-interesting stories.

Watch Homicide: Life On The Street Online

Chicago Med’s Hannah Asher Changes The Narrative On Drug Addiction

Drug addiction stories are a dime a dozen on TV.

Far too often, though, it’s treated in a stereotypical manner. Whether someone is addicted to alcohol or hard drugs, the most popular storyline for them is the relapse story, followed by the overzealous AA meeting attendee story.

Addiction is a far more complicated issue than that, but you wouldn’t know it from most TV shows.

Chicago Med‘s Hannah Asher is different.

Hannah recently went through something that could have easily triggered a relapse.

She lost a patient soon after the baby was delivered and blamed herself. Guilt, shame, and pain are powerful emotions that often drive people back toward addictive behavior.

Add in the fact that Hannah’s relationship with her new boyfriend was falling apart, and there was a chance she could lose her job because Lenox thought that it was unnecessary to employ a full-time OBGYN, and you have a recipe for spiraling out of control.

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However, Hannah didn’t relapse. There aren’t any better examples of characters changing the narrative around addiction than that!

Hannah’s addiction is part of who she is but doesn’t define her, and unlike most of the people with addiction issues on TV, she is self-aware enough to realize when she’s at risk and take action to protect herself.

That makes her a role model and dismantles the stereotype that relapses “just happen” and nobody can do anything to prevent them.

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Georgie And Mandy’s First Marriage’s Georgie Cooper Dismantles Stereotypes About Country Boys In An Interesting Way

Throughout Young Sheldon, Georgie was depicted as the “stupid” (or at least ignorant) brother.

However, there is a lot more to Georgie than that, and now that he’s gotten his own show (Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage), it’s easier to see.

Georgie was never book-smart. School wasn’t his thing.

But he has a head for business and is gifted mechanically, skills that were never emphasized when he was growing up in the shadow of his younger brother.

We need characters to change the narrative of what intelligence is.

There are many kids who fall through the cracks because they would shine in trade schools or in the arts but are not academically minded.

This doesn’t mean that people don’t need to learn the basics, but not everyone needs advanced degrees, and that should be okay.

As a bonus, Georgie’s intelligence in areas other than academics also dismantles the idea that Southerners, particularly Southern men, are all idiots, which can only be a good thing in this overly divided country.

Watch Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage Online

Over to you, TV fanatics!

Who are some of your favorite characters who are changing the narrative about various groups of people?

Hit the comments with your thoughts!

The post How TV Is Breaking Stereotypes: 11 Characters Changing the Narrative appeared first on TV Fanatic.

We’re halfway through the final batch of Blue Bloods episodes, which means soon there will be a hole in all of our lives where the Reagan family belongs.

The good news is that Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 spoilers sound like one of the best episodes yet, so that’s something.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Spoilers Promise Joe Hill And Danny Will Work Together Again

Joe was conspicuously absent from Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14, especially when the family met at a restaurant to honor his late father.

But he’s back now! Squee!

I was never a big fan of Joe before, but that was mostly because he popped up twice a season to interfere with someone’s case and huff and puff about how he’s not really a Reagan.

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Blue Bloods is going all out this final season to make Joe more of a regular character. If the series had gotten the Season 15 it deserved, he would have been equal to the other Reagans. I’m sure of it.

Giving him more screen time and better stories than getting into fistfights with Jamie (yes, I hated that plot on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 9!) has made him a more likable character that the audience can look forward to.

This time around, Joe and Danny will work together to solve a delivery driver’s homicide.

According to Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 spoilers, the driver may have been connected to a narcotics ring, which is the likely notice for his murder.

(Cue my wish for an impossible crossover with Law & Order: Organized Crime in 3… 2… 1…)

I’m curious as to how Danny and Joe will get along this time.

Danny is not easy to work with. He’s always suspicious of partners who aren’t his usual sidekick, and that’s doubly true for family.

He and Joe have never seen eye-to-eye when working cases in the past, either. The only partner Danny has resented more is Anthony, who gives back as good as he gets.

Danny working with Joe also means that Baez will be sidelined again, which sucks. If there’s one thing I wanted more of in these final episodes that I haven’t gotten, it’s Baez.

Still, if this story gives Danny and Joe’s relationship a chance to heal, I’m all for it. It seems like the final season has a subtext running through it of healing.

Joe Reagan’s death has cast a shadow over the Reagan family forever. That’s not something that can ever fully change.

Joe R. is dead, and nothing will bring him back. One of the reasons Joe H.’s existence is so difficult for the Reagan side of the family is that he’s a constant reminder of what they’ve lost.

Thus, if in these final episodes, Joe heals his relationships with Danny and Jamie and everyone loses some of the awkwardness, the series can wrap up with everyone coming to terms with the fact that Joe’s son is a part of him that they have been blessed with.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Spoilers Suggest Jamie And Eddie Are Working Together

Jamie and Eddie are fan favorites, but they rarely work together anymore.

For most of the final season, one of them has a big case while the other comes to the Reagan family dinner.

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Not this time, if spoiler photos are to be believed.

The logline doesn’t mention Jamie, saying only that Eddie is “determined to save the job of a probationary officer who may be fired for responding to a crime.”

However, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 spoilers include several photos of Jamie and Eddie looking at a file folder together while walking down a city street.

If the issue is a cop in their precinct almost getting fired for “stepping outside his lane” by actually doing his job, then Jamie is the best one to help intervene.

I hope the two of them put McNichols in her place for once and all.

That woman constantly opposes what Eddie wants to do, only to have to walk it back when it’s proven that Eddie was right and she was wrong.

With only a few episodes left, can we put an end to that pattern, please?

Her self-righteous smirk has had enough screen time and needs to go.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Spoilers Promise More Political Drama For Frank and Erin

Erin’s case sounds more interesting than Frank’s, which is about Sid not fulfilling NYPD residency requirements.

This is an important issue that East New York also tried to address during its sole season on CBS.

When cops don’t live in the neighborhoods they patrol, it can create a disconnect with the community.

Community members may see them as outsiders, leading to increased tensions, especially if there are any tragic losses of life.

However, as far as Frank is concerned, this is a standard story where he’ll want to stand on principle, Sid will argue that the rule is archaic, and Garrett will worry about optics.

I’m not sure how this will turn out, but it’s unlikely that Sid will leave the series at this late date, so I’m sure Frank and his Dream Team will find a solution.

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Meanwhile, Erin has to contend with the new crime committed by someone who was supposedly a reformed criminal.

I enjoy these types of storylines. I’m less conservative than the Reagans when it comes to criminal justice reform, but sending violent people back to the streets isn’t the answer either.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

What do you think of these Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 spoilers?

Hit the comments with your thoughts.

The final few episodes of Blue Bloods air on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and Paramount+ on Saturdays.

Watch Blue Bloods Online

The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 15 Spoilers Promise That One Of The Best Episodes Has Been Saved For Last appeared first on TV Fanatic.

It felt revolutionary — no waiting, no commercials (for the most part), just pure, uninterrupted entertainment.

But fast forward to today, and that once-exciting binge culture is starting to wear thin.

These days, a streaming marathon doesn’t feel quite as satisfying; instead, it leaves many of us feeling drained, detached, and oddly empty.

Welcome to the digital binge hangover.

The High of Binge-Watching — And Why It Fizzles So Quickly

Binge-watching used to be thrilling.

Back in the day, watching an entire season of Orange is the New Black or Stranger Things felt like striking gold.

You’d lose yourself for hours, maybe even an entire weekend, living and breathing that show.

But here’s the catch: once the last episode ended, that initial thrill faded fast, leaving us scrambling for the next series to binge.

We went from savoring each episode like a fine wine to chugging content like cheap beer.

Sure, watching an entire season in one sitting offers instant gratification, but it also pulls us away from what made TV such a powerful medium in the first place: a slow-burn investment in characters and storylines that unfold over time.

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It’s that anticipation between episodes that adds to the magic, giving us time to let scenes sink in, speculate about what’s next, and actually look forward to the next installment.

With binge culture, once it’s over, it’s over — you’re on to the next show with no time to connect or reflect.

Shows with just six or ten episodes a season, like Slow Horses (one of my current favorites), are exciting but fleeting.

Following a typical novel structure, each season is paced for a quick punch, not a deep dive.

These shows can be thrilling as hell, but they’re missing that depth of character development you get from long-running series.

There’s no space to get attached (even though you sometimes do, you’re left wanting more).

And there is no room for the kind of slow-burn arcs that make characters like Gibbs from NCIS or Olivia Benson from Law & Order: SVU so memorable.

You’re in, you’re out, and the connection doesn’t have time to form.

Take a show like The Blacklist.

With hundreds of episodes, fans can binge it on streaming, but they also had the option of following it week by week as it aired, theorizing, savoring, and letting the story breathe.

Fans could talk for days (and still do) about Elizabeth Keen, Tom’s untimely departure (yes, I’m still bitter!), or revel in one of Red’s countless stories.

Watching something like Supernatural, ER, or 7th Heaven over the years made us feel connected to those characters, watching them evolve and grow season after season.

A weekly release schedule created a ritual — a slow investment that allowed us to really connect with the characters and become attached.

Now, we’re at a point where “one-and-done” shows rule the platform. They hook you in quickly but let go just as fast, offering no lasting impact.

It’s like the TV equivalent of fast food: satisfying in the moment, but you’re hungry again an hour later.

The Binge Burnout Effect

Streaming platforms constantly release new content, and the sheer volume has us jumping from one series to the next without a break.

Instead of excitement, it’s starting to feel like a never-ending marathon, with the pressure to “keep up” and stay relevant.

It’s exhausting to the point of burnout.

We’re so busy finishing the next show that we’re not really absorbing or enjoying anything — just ticking boxes to say we’ve “seen it all.”

Dropping an entire season at once used to feel like a gift, but now it’s like an obligation.

And when everything’s dropped at once, the hype is intense but short-lived.

Remember when Squid Game took over the world? Everyone watched it within days, talked about it for a week, and then…crickets.

The buzz fizzled as quickly as it began because, in binge culture, there’s no time to let a show breathe, grow, or become a part of the larger cultural conversation.

Once you’ve seen it, you’re on to the next thing, and that’s it. Weekly releases, on the other hand, give a series room to grow.

Shows like Yellowjackets or The Last of Us became cultural touchpoints because each episode got its own moment to shine.

A weekly release keeps viewers invested over time, adding that layer of anticipation that builds long-term fan engagement.

Think about the shows we come back to over and over again — shows like Friends, The Office, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sopranos, or The X-Files.

These series are rewatchable because they have layers, depth, and episodes that stand on their own.

They’re easy to rewatch because they never feel rushed. We spent time with these characters, saw them change over the years, and they became familiar.

With binge-only shows, rewatching doesn’t have the same impact because the connection was never as strong to begin with. We flew through the content once, and we’re done.

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And rewatching isn’t just about entertainment; it’s about nostalgia and comfort.

Shows with hundreds of episodes or decades of history, like NCIS, Law & Order, or Blue Bloods, give us an anchor in the streaming storm.

They’re like old friends we can revisit, unlike the one-night-stand feel of binge-only shows.

Is Binge Culture Here to Stay?

Streaming companies know that the instant gratification of binge-watching keeps us subscribed and clicking “Next Episode.”

But some platforms are already experimenting with a shift back to weekly releases, realizing that slow-burn anticipation can build a more lasting impact.

Shows like Only Murders in the Building and Silo benefit from this model, where fans gather online (like at TV Fanatic), discuss theories, and bond over the weekly anticipation.

Binge culture isn’t going away completely — it’s too ingrained at this point.

But there’s a growing recognition that maybe we don’t want to watch everything in one sitting, feel that post-binge burnout, and move on to the next big thing right away.

Maybe we miss the days when TV was a slow, consistent journey instead of a sprint.

The streaming binge model was a revelation at first, but it’s taken us from savoring stories to scarfing them down.

We’re left with a cycle of temporary thrills and empty satisfaction, exhausted from trying to keep up.

Shows that should be celebrated (like Slow Horses and Shrinking) and remembered are getting lost in the mix, and we’re burning out faster than we can connect.

So here’s to hoping we can find a balance — a way to binge when we want but also rediscover the slow burn that lets us fall in love with stories, characters, and moments all over again.

Because sometimes, less really is more, and the wait makes it all worth it.

Over to you. Has bingeing burned you out, or are you still hooked? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post The Digital Binge Hangover: Why Streaming Can Leave You Feeling Drained appeared first on TV Fanatic.

These are values Americans are hungry for, and Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14 showcased them particularly well.

Sadly, there are only four episodes left of this wonderful series.

The seemingly blown-out-of-proportion conflict over Danny possibly getting an award showcased everything that made me fall in love with it, making it even more heartbreaking that Blue Bloods is almost over.

Grace Edwards’ Reasons For Not Giving Danny The Award Were Completely Ridiculous

For some reason, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14 brought back Grace Edwards to be the antagonist in the awards story.

This character was only on once before, appearing on Blue Bloods Season 7 Episode 1.

During that long-ago story, she wanted Frank to stop her son from graduating from the Police Academy.

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She felt that negative attitudes toward cops made it too dangerous for her boy to serve as one, but Frank refused to flunk a recruit who had earned his spot just because his mother disapproved of his career choice, and Grace left feeling hurt and angry over it.

Very little of that history came up on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14, which made her an odd choice for the villain of this story.

Grace was now happy that her son was a cop, as he was doing well, but was unhappy about the idea of the Irish Society giving Danny an award, allegedly because he was a “loose cannon.”

I call BS on that.

Danny hasn’t been a loose cannon in YEARS, and Grace seemed like she had an axe to grind.

She said she wasn’t holding a grudge, but she also said Danny was part of the most visible cop family in New York but would be a stain on the Irish Society’s reputation… what?

I couldn’t tell if she was jealous that Reagans get so much respect or more angry that Frank didn’t do her bidding seven years ago, but either way, her decision on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14 made no sense.

Danny has been questioned about his hotheaded ways before, but the worst trouble he got into was retaliation for refusing to stop investigating a case some cops wanted to cover up.

That shows integrity, something which I had this sense Grace didn’t have much of.

I’m not basing that only on her insistence that Danny shouldn’t get the award. Her response to Frank’s pointing out her hypocrisy made it clear she would do underhanded things to get her way.

Frank collected the records of other recipients so that he could confront Grace with the evidence that she was being hypocritical. But she kept insisting he was trying to blackmail her and eventually accused him of threatening to release the records publically to embarrass her if she didn’t do what he wanted.

Anyone who has spent five seconds with Frank Reagan knows how ridiculous that idea is. He is the least likely person to ever do that, and he was shocked by the suggestion on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14.

However, the fact that Grace’s mind went there suggests that she would do that to someone else.

Additionally, she had too much of an ego to consider what Frank was saying.

Instead of accepting that he had proof she was being hypocritical, she continually replied, “Blackmail,” until she couldn’t get away with it anymore. When forced to consider the evidence, she came up with many excuses for why this was “different.”

I think The Irrational‘s Alec Mercer would have a lot to say about the processing errors her brain was making there (known as “mental gymnastics” to us laypeople!).

Danny’s Decision Was More Important Than The Rest Of This Conflict

Meanwhile, on the home front, the Reagans were making a critical error, or at least Henry was: enlisting everyone else to convince Frank to leave the situation alone while leaving Danny out of it.

I understood why no one told Danny.

Frank thought that if Danny had never known about the award, he wouldn’t be upset that it was being rescinded.

That probably would have been fine if Henry hadn’t decided to enlist the entire Reagan family in a campaign to convince Frank to let the cancellation stand because of his superstitious belief that the award caused cops to die.

Everyone keeping this gigantic secret from Danny made for one of the most awkward Reagan family dinners in the series’ history, and when they finally told him, Danny’s anger was completely justified.

Eddie: I don’t understand what just happened.

Danny: I’ll tell you what happened. Apparently I was up for an award that everyone knew about except me, and nobody bothered to tell me about it or see how I felt about it. Instead, you all gossiped about it among yourselves.

Whether Danny wanted the award or not, he was right that Frank and Henry were fighting over who got to decide for him what to do about this situation.

Wanting to spare his feelings was no excuse for treating him like a child who couldn’t handle the truth. No wonder Danny left dinner early!

Of course, the argument wasn’t about the award. It was about Joe, whose death will always loom large over the Reagan family.

The diner scene at the end not only made up for the lackluster family dinner scene but also honored Joe, making it twice as sweet, and Danny got to show his softer, humbler side.

He went into police work for the right reasons; the job is its own award, and he doesn’t want or need anything extra.

The Reagans in general are so refreshing in their commitment to something other than their own egos.

The message that people like that can and should exist is one that this country needs right now, even though it seems like it happens mainly in fiction.

It Was Great To Revisit Witten on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14 But…

I usually enjoy Witten’s appearances, but as a trained social worker, I wasn’t sure what to make of this story.

I appreciated the message that it’s too difficult to get services for people with mental health conditions and that sometimes they don’t get what they need until something dramatic happens.

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I also liked that Eddie made a point of asking about why someone with schizophrenia had become violent, dismantling the stereotype that mental illness causes violence.

Still, I didn’t buy the idea that, as a social worker, Rachel decided the best way to get the city’s attention was to let her client physically attack her.

When I was a social worker, we were trained to find resources that people didn’t know existed and to think creatively to get people help without having to endure a long waiting list.

I was also trained in what to do if a client was in danger of hurting themselves, and putting myself in the line of fire wasn’t it.

Calling the police isn’t always the best option because there’s a vicious cycle caused by cops not having the correct training and people in need of help fearing the cops because of past traumatic experiences due to lack of police training.

That’s why there are mobile crisis units and other volunteer services that social workers can turn to in these situations.

However, in Rachel’s case, she knows two cops who are better at helping in these types of situations than the average cop.

Jamie is particularly good at it, and Eddie is her best friend.

These two could have helped get Jimmy somewhere safe during his mental health crisis so he could get the treatment he needed without the extra drama.

I also had a hard time following how Jimmy ended up dangling his sister from a window, and I didn’t believe he’d suddenly stop because Rachel told him to trust her rather than the voices in his head.

It seemed all too convenient that she was the only one who could reach him, forcing McNichols to admit she was wrong to get her suspended.

I also thought the cops would have been better off setting up mattresses or other types of safety equipment below the building so if Jimmy’s sister did fall, she’d be more frightened than physically harmed.

None of them knew how to talk Jimmy down, so doing something to mitigate the damage from his threat would have made more sense than trying to.

Random Thoughts About Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14

• The award dilemma was so fascinating I barely paid attention to the actual case he and Baez were working. However, I thought the son was going to reveal he was the real killer after his mother was arrested.
• This is the first time I can remember that Erin didn’t have a storyline.
• Danny continues to seem worn down by the trauma he sees on the job. I can’t help wondering if that will figure into his final storyline
• Did anyone NOT know the suspect they were looking for, who supposedly was on a bender somewhere, was going to turn up dead? I guessed it the second they said he was missing.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

What did you think about Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14?

Vote in the poll below to rate the episode, then take to the comments to share your thoughts.

the final few episodes of Blue Bloods air on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and on Paramount+ on Saturdays

Watch Blue Bloods Online

The post Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14 Showcased Every Reason This Show Will Be Sorely Missed appeared first on TV Fanatic.