Editor's Note: It has been nearly a year since the producers of Blue Bloods, CBS's Friday night hit show, decided to kill Linda Reagan in a helicopter accident off-screen. The series centers on the Reagan family, who live on Staten Island, say grace before meals, and manage to be attractive and socially up to speed while observing traditional family values. Three of the gents work for the New York Police Department (son Jamie is a beat cop, son Danny's a detective, and papa Frank is the department's commissioner); daughter Erin, played by Bridget Moynahan, is an assistant DA, so the whole Law and Order chain of command is included, and at the dinner table we also find Frank's dad, who was commissioner in his time, and his three great grand--kids, two boys and a girl who goes to Columbia.
Linda Reagan's departure did not go unnoticed and was hotly debated, as our intrepid reporter, Walter Carey, observed here in his must-read column of October 13, 2017, "The Real Reason Linda (Amy Carlson) Left Blue Bloods After 7 Seasons." We have asked Walter for periodic updates and in January he filed "Linda Reagan Update: Did She Jump or Was She Pushed?"). In March, Walter brief us on the behind-the-scenes chatter on the program and in the CBS executive washroom, and we reprint his findings here augmented by neew insights contributed by veteran TV exec Max Shumacher. -- DL
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Now that Jamie has decided to make it official with his beat partner Eddie, a nickname that is supposed to be an improvement on Edie as a diminutive for unfashionable Edith, and the nuptials will bring a new blonde female Reagan to the table, one who is short enough to make Jamie look like Alan Ladd on a soapbx, the two questions on everyone's mind are: "Will Erin Date Again?" and "What do you make of the fact that of the remaining adults at the table the three men are widowers and the woman is divorced, which brings up another question: how can Erin be both divorced and a good Catholic, which she is (she wanted Nikki to go to Villanova, remember?"
Given the enmity between the Reagan clan and Jack Boyle, Erin's ex, a tall, smug, good-looking criminal defense attorney, it's hard to imagine that they'll bring him back. Erin's dating life has been spotty. There was the gallery dealer who turned out to be an art thief. There was the boss she kissed and regretted it for ethical reasons. There was also the time she nearly got raped. My sources tell me that she may be ready to date again if only because enough time has passed and the producers are desperate to get the Linda Reagan story behind them.
The problem: as long as she remains single, Erin is an exemplary role model for single mothers and professional women. On top of everything else, she owns a gun and, in Frank's opinion, is a better shot than either of her brothers, which is amazing because Jamie never misses.To add romance to her life would risk weakening the single mom angle. On the other hand, the female demographic has expressed itself on a two-to-one basis favoring a dating relationship, even if it does not have a happy outcome.
The wild card is Erin's daughter, now a Columbia junior, "As long as Nikki Reagan remains an undergraduate, our hands are tied," shrugged Max Shumache. The irony is not lost on the actress who plays Nikki. Should she hook up with a guy while her mother remains celibate? There is a possibility that the cardinal and the police commissioner will discuss the hypothesis the next time they play chess. Nikki does not smoke pot even though the other girls in the dormitory do but the temptation to sin is great. She is now twenty-two years old and one of the best college debaters in the nation. Erin is proud of her and their amiable relationship is unique in the annals of mother-daughter relationships (see Mildred Pierce, preferably the Joan Crawford version.
For our Israeli readers, consider this insight into Erin Reagan's mind:
משנת 2010 מככבת בסדרת הטלוויזיה "שוטרים בדם" המשודרת ברשת CBS. בסדרה היא מגלמת את דמותה של התובעת ארין, בת למשפחת שוטרים אירית-אמריקאית
http://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/2018/01/linda-reagan-update-did-she-jump-or-was-she-pushed-by-walter-carey.html
http://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/2017/10/the-real-reason-linda-amy-carlson-left-blue-bloods-after-7-seasons-by-walter-carey.html
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