I became a big fan of Blue Bloods after my wife became a regular viewer and told me how much she liked it. I'm not usually one to get hooked on television shows but this one is a rare exception. It's fast, suspenseful and very well acted. TV viewers know the legendary Irish American Catholic family is becoming a thing of the past. The Reagan family is certainly Catholic and the real deal for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. What stands out with them, however, is how they act as a family; they stick together through thick and thin, air their differences, share their convictions and have honest arguments. They have a fine tuned sense of what is right and wrong because they learned it home at the dinner table, where grace before meals is a regular practice. Another trademark of this family is how they embrace newcomers to the family. When it is found out that Joe had a son they didn't know about, they welcomed him into the family. When Jamie fell in love with his female partner, who came from a very different family, they made her welcome to the point where Frank walked her down the aisle.
If Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, is the patriarch, then his father Henry (Len Cariou) is the figurehead who quietly follows the conversation and often has the last word with a short summing up. Henry is a former police commissioner of New York City. Frank is the current commissioner who is fiercely loyal to his family but well aware of a possible conflict of interest. The grandfather and his son have both lost their wives. As Henry points out they have suffered too many losses, having also lost a beloved son/grandson Joe and daughter-in-law Linda. Despite their setbacks the family stays strong and they bring a strong element of integrity into their working lives. Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective and Jamie (Will Estes) works the beat as the street cop with a Harvard law degree. Daughter Erin (Bridget Moynihan) is a prosecuting attorney who often takes Danny to task for using methods that make her job of getting convictions harder. Frank, as police commissioner, has an inner circle that operates much like his family. They argue strongly and are forced to deal with more than one side of every issue. Some of these are complicated by moral, legal and political questions. He likes to get feedback, which he does get. It is honest and sometimes at odds with his own feelings. These conflicts are debated and Frank has the final word, which he stands by. In a time of moral uncertainty, it is good to see how honest differences are played out and acted upon.
If Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, is the patriarch, then his father Henry (Len Cariou) is the figurehead who quietly follows the conversation and often has the last word with a short summing up. Henry is a former police commissioner of New York City. Frank is the current commissioner who is fiercely loyal to his family but well aware of a possible conflict of interest. The grandfather and his son have both lost their wives. As Henry points out they have suffered too many losses, having also lost a beloved son/grandson Joe and daughter-in-law Linda. Despite their setbacks the family stays strong and they bring a strong element of integrity into their working lives. Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective and Jamie (Will Estes) works the beat as the street cop with a Harvard law degree. Daughter Erin (Bridget Moynihan) is a prosecuting attorney who often takes Danny to task for using methods that make her job of getting convictions harder. Frank, as police commissioner, has an inner circle that operates much like his family. They argue strongly and are forced to deal with more than one side of every issue. Some of these are complicated by moral, legal and political questions. He likes to get feedback, which he does get. It is honest and sometimes at odds with his own feelings. These conflicts are debated and Frank has the final word, which he stands by. In a time of moral uncertainty, it is good to see how honest differences are played out and acted upon.