How Will ‘Blue Bloods’ End for Each Character? Our Theories

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The Blue Bloods series finale airs tonight (December 13) and will reveal how 14 seasons of stories will come to an end. Ahead of the finale, the stars of the CBS procedural pitched alternate endings for their characters that reveal what won’t happen in the last episode. Here, we theorize what will based on these answers.

Here’s the description for the Blue Bloods series finale, titled “End of Tour”: “It’s all hands on deck for the Reagan family, as they race to stop deadly mayhem in the city when the gangs of New York unite together to demand amnesty for the release of their imprisoned members and those awaiting trial.” Showrunner Kevin Wade told TV Insider that they wanted all of the Reagans and their allies working on the same case for the final episode to create as “propulsive” a plot as possible. He elaborated on what to expect.

“In the first act, we see violent crimes and attempted murders, which don’t seem at all connected until Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan [Bridget Moynahan] and [her investigator] Anthony [Steve Schirripa] are played a recording that will make clear that the crimes are an orchestrated effort to create chaos in New York City. Then it becomes the Reagans’ job — police commissioner Frank [Tom Selleck], detective Danny [Donnie Wahlberg], sergeant Jamie [Will Estes], and patrol Eddie [Vanessa Ray] — along with Erin and Anthony, to haul in all the nets and find out if they can solve the crimes. Gang leader Carlo Ramirez [Manny Perez], who had to flee the country, is integral to the criminal plot. He has a very identifiable objective of vengeance and comes back to wreak havoc and reclaim his child.”

Wade also revealed that Frank will be given the opportunity to act like a cop again after years away from the action as police commissioner and that while a happy ending is a “subjective” term, he hopes that longtime fans will be satisfied with the conclusion.

Between Wade’s preview and the cast’s alternate endings drummed up for Entertainment Weekly, here’s what we think could happen to each character in the series finale.

Frank Reagan

“I thought about that. I didn’t really have input in where the show was going for a final episode. I think in my alternate ending, the result on the audience would be that Frank Reagan remains a man alone, who never wanted the job he had, that has a hyperactive sense of responsibility, and I think he’d be commissioner till he drops,” Selleck told EW.

That last line makes it sound like Frank may retire as police commissioner. Is Frank receiving the keys to the city a symbolic gesture meant to honor his long years of service? Or perhaps it just means that Frank may begin considering leaving his post and imagining a more relaxing life. One thing’s for sure, Selleck’s comments imply that Frank will be alive at the episode’s end. That was predictable, as killing off the main character in the final episode would be a wild jump. But it’s good to know that Frank seemingly hasn’t “dropped” by this episode’s end.

Michael Parmelee / CBS

Danny Reagan

Wahlberg said, “I would have Danny Reagan walk right into his next chapter of his life, maybe in a different place doing a similar job and perhaps with someone from the current cast. But I want him to not be too far from the family so that he could still see them and spend time with them, but maybe to see what life has in store for him now that his boys have gone off and he’s empty nesting and his wife’s gone.” He teased, “Does that sound like a tease for a spinoff?”

This sounds like Danny is going to end the series in his same position as detective, but perhaps the events of the finale will shake him awake, in a sense, and make him realize that he’s lived alone for too long. He could then imagine how a change of scenery — be it through a new job or a new location — could make some positive changes in his life.

Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes didn’t provide alternate endings, but we think that, like Danny, these two Reagan siblings will be looking towards the future when the show concludes. Erin could reconsider her decision not to run for DA and decide to try after all. And Jamie could be looking to expand his family with Eddie while possibly considering a career change to a less dangerous position, if our below theory about the episode’s funeral is correct.

Henry Reagan

Photos from the series finale show Cariou’s Henry at the funeral with the rest of his family, so we know that the Reagan patriarch won’t pass away in the episode. Cariou implied that Henry will be left with some experiences still left on his bucket list.

“Frank had promised me that I will get to the Vatican and meet the Pope. My ending would be to fulfill that promise,” Cariou said. If Frank does retire, maybe Henry will see this as an opportunity for he and his son to accomplish this travel goal that the series didn’t have the time to show onscreen.

Eddie Janko-Reagan

Ray joked that she wants an easier life for Eddie and Jamie. “Blue Bloods: Boca. Eddie and Jamie have had enough of the NYC winters and scratchy uniforms. So they relocate to Boca Raton, Florida (with the family’s blessing, of course, it’s a three-hour easy flight home!), where Eddie gets promoted to detective and moonlights performing her one-woman show ‘You Have the Tight to Remain Fabulous: A Cop Cabaret,'” Ray told EW.

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If Ray is fantasizing about easier times for her character and Estes’, this has us thinking that Eddie is going to have a rough time in the final episode, further adding to our theory that her partner on the force, Badillo (Ian Quinlan), is whose funeral they’re all attending.

Maria Baez

Ramirez’s alternate ending also fantasizes about easier times for her character and teeing up a potential spinoff. Notably, she also imagines Danny and Baez going on vacation with Jamie and Eddie. A couple’s trip, possibly? Whatever happens, Ramirez is clearly envisioning a future where Danny and Baez are still connected. Could this mean that the fans’ long-held desire to see these two get together may be a possibility in the final episode?