Resolving The Unresolvable: How Can Blue Bloods Address The Lingering Grief Over Joe Reagan’s Death As The Series Wraps Up?

There’s one Blue Bloods story that can never be resolved.

Joe Reagan’s death has cast a shadow over the Reagan family for as long as we’ve known them, and with good reason.

Frank’s beloved son was murdered by one of his fellow cops. There’s no way to really get over that, yet Blue Bloods must find some sort of resolution to the family’s grief as the series ends.

How Joe Reagan’s Death Occurred on Blue Bloods

Joe’s death occurred shortly before the events of Blue Bloods Season 1, and the family spent much of the first season trying to find out the details of how he died, only to discover that knowing the facts didn’t make them feel any better.

After a season-long investigation, things came to a head when the same group that killed Joe threatened Jamie. The truth came out when Frank confronted the evil Sonny Malevsky, the corrupt cop who had ordered the hit on Joe.

(Ironically, Malevsky was played by Michael T. Weiss, best known as the first actor to play ultimate good guy Mike Horton on Days of Our Lives.)

By the end of the finale, Malevsky was dead at his own hand, and the family knew the truth: Joe had been killed because he was about to expose a group of corrupt cops called The Blue Templar, and they wanted to shut him up.

Knowing that didn’t change the fact that he was dead. Malevsky’s suicide was cold comfort.

The Reagans ended the first season by paying their respects at Joe’s grave, fully aware they would never be able to completely heal from the senseless loss of his life. So how can the series wrap up this storyline now?

It’s All About Closure For The Reagan Family Now

Learning the truth about Joe Reagan’s death was a type of closure, but the family needs something more than that.

That’s all that Blue Bloods can offer now. Death is permanent, and Joe’s isn’t the only one that has broken people’s hearts.

Linda passed away between Blue Bloods Season 7 and Blue Bloods Season 8, leaving another unfillable hole in Danny’s heart.

Additionally, Blue Bloods had to write in the death of Frank’s longtime friend, Lenny Ross, after Treat Williams died in 2023.

Blue Blood Season 14 Episode 3 was dedicated to Williams’ memory and featured Frank toasting Lenny’s memory at the Reagan family dinner.

These losses hurt, but none cast the shadow that Joe Reagan’s death did. Every member of the Reagan family is motivated by their grief, pain, and guilt, so they NEED closure before the series finale.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 11 points toward the beginning of the final resolution of this tragic storyline.

The episode focuses on Jamie’s grief when someone steals the classic car he drives, which originally was Joe’s.

For Jamie, losing the car is like losing Joe all over again.

It’s the car he learned to drive in and had his first kiss in.

It’s also where he and his brother had many important conversations about life, including about whether Jamie should become a lawyer to please the family or follow in Frank and Danny’s footsteps and become a cop.

But despite how closely the car was associated with Joe, Jamie had to learn to let it go.

The thieves might not be caught before they could sell the car for parts, so Jamie had to accept that it might be gone forever, just like his brother.

Jamie’s solution to this problem was to give the car to Joe Hill when it was finally recovered.

This sequence was the beginning of the end of dealing with Joe Reagan’s death, providing strong hints as to how the series can give the family closure in the series finale.

Joe Hill Is The Key To The Reagans Finding The Closure They Seek

Joe Reagan’s death came into sharper focus again when the Reagans learned about his son, Joe Hill, at the end of Blue Bloods Season 10.

Joe Hill never knew his father, and the Reagans never knew he existed. His mother wanted it that way and saw no reason to undo her decision after Joe Reagan’s death.

This has led to awkwardness and hurt feelings on both sides as the family tried to acclimate to having a new member.

It’s hard for the Reagans because Joe Hill is a constant reminder that his father is dead, yet he also is a part of him that lives on in the world.

In past seasons, Joe Hill’s stories have focused on his conflicted feelings about being related to the Reagans and their difficulty accepting him into the fold.

That’s why Joe Hill is the key to gaining closure.

His existence speaks to the tragedy of his father’s untimely death, which was compounded by Paula Hill’s decision to keep it secret that his father was Joe Reagan.

The Reagans can’t make up for lost time any more than they can undo Joe Reagan’s death, but by finally bonding fully with Joe, they can make the best of the situation.

Joe has been around a lot more and has come to several Reagan family dinners, which is a step in the right direction.

Jamie giving him that car is also a strong, positive move. It acknowledges that Joe Hill is his father’s son and deserves to inherit his things. It’s especially important coming from Jamie, who has been the Reagan who had the hardest time accepting Joe.

Nothing Will Bring Joe Reagan Back, But The Reagans Can Shift From Grief To Memorializing

The Reagans made another important stride toward resolving their feelings about Joe Reagan’s death on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 14.

This episode dealt with Grace Edwards not wanting to give Danny an award, but the important thing was that Joe had been slated to get the award right before his death.

This episode spoke to how just about anything can trigger grief.

Henry insisted the award was cursed because of Joe’s death, and Frank admitted that he hoped Danny getting it would make up for not being able to attend the ceremony for Joe.

But it also showed the way forward.

By the end of the episode, Danny had decided to turn down the award because it was supposed to be Joe’s.

The family met in a restaurant that Joe had loved, one they hadn’t been back to since his death, and toasted to his memory.

That was a beautiful example of the shift they need to make.

They need to stop avoiding things that remind them of Joe and celebrate his life.

I’ve long dreamed that the Blue Bloods series finale would end with a toast to the Reagan family, but that toast should also include one to Joe Reagan so that the Reagans can complete their shift from grief to acceptance and remembrance.

Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.

Do you think there’s a way to resolve the family’s feelings about Joe Reagan’s death? Should this be part of the finale?

Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Blue Bloods’ final few episodes air on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and on Paramount+ on Saturdays. The series finale will air on December 13, 2024.