Blue Bloods Finale Secretly Resolves Joe Hill’s Main Story After 4 Years

Blue Bloods season 14, episode 18, “End of Tour,” quietly resolved Joe Hill’s (Will Hochman) main storyline four years after introducing the character. Joe is one of Blue Bloods’ best characters despite only joining the police and family drama at the end of season 10. He is the son of the late Joe Reagan but did not grow up with the family because his mother kept his connection to them to herself until he first became curious about his father as an adult.

The death of Blue Bloods’ Joe Reagan has always cast a shadow over the family, and his son’s introduction initially made things worse. Joe Hill is a constant reminder that his father is gone; additionally, he is headstrong and impulsive on the job, which sometimes causes trouble for Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Jamie (Will Estes). However, things begin to improve after Frank (Tom Selleck) makes Joe and Jamie ride together as punishment for getting into a fistfight at a local bar, suggesting that Joe’s final story might involve him fully accepting the Reagan family and vice versa.

Why Joe Hill Struggled With Accepting His Reagan Heritage

Joe Had Mixed Feelings About Being Related to New York’s Most Famous Cop Family

Although Frank attempts to live according to strong values such as family, honesty, and fairness, he is not universally popular among the rank-and-file cops, and many of them see the Reagan family as a dynasty that has all the advantages in life and gets all the plum positions within the NYPD. Thus, Joe had mixed feelings about being related to them. He harbored some negative emotions due to their legendary status in the NYPD and did want, to an extent, to get to know his father’s family.

In addition to his reservations about the Reagans’ reputation, Joe felt awkward because he never knew his father. His mother had kept this part of his identity secret, and by the time Joe learned the truth, his father was long dead. It is understandable that he has always felt like he missed something the other Reagans had because they grew up with his father, while Joe only knows him by name and photographs and never met the man.

Joe’s Support of Jamie Hints At His New Attitude

Joe Comes To The Hospital Unprompted When Eddie Is Shot

When Eddie is shot, Joe is right by Jamie’s side at the hospital. He asks how Eddie is doing and then encourages Jamie to help him find Badillo’s killer. Jamie is not interested at first, as he feels his place is with Eddie, but, surprisingly, Joe is the one who convinces him to come on the mission, saying, “You are her doctor… or are you the cop who collars one of these guys?”

The fact that Joe is able to talk to Jamie this way and be taken seriously shows how their relationship has evolved since Blue Bloods season 14, episode 9, when they got into a fistfight because Joe didn’t want to be mistaken for a Reagan. Their relationship is solidified when Joe counters Jamie’s insistence on doing the investigation by the book by pointing out that they have not been following protocol so far and need to do what it takes to collar Badillo’s killer. Jamie does not insist further, showing that he and Joe can now work as a team.

How Joe Is Slowly Accepted In Blue Bloods Season 14, Part 2

During Several Previous Episodes, The Series Hinted That Things Had Changed

Jamie and Joe’s fight during Blue Bloods season 14, episode 9 catalyzed change. He worked on cases with both Jamie and Danny during the second part of Blue Bloods season 14, demonstrating that he was slowly becoming integrated into the family. One pivotal moment occurred during Blue Bloods season 14, episode 12, when Jamie’s car, which had originally belonged to Joe Reagan, was stolen. This episode of Blue Bloods set up Joe’s ending nicely when Jamie gave him the car because it belonged to Joe’s father.

Later in the season, Joe worked with Danny on a homicide that was related to a narcotics case that the younger Raegan was investigating. Danny was initially frustrated with Joe but begrudgingly admitted that he wasn’t as annoying as he was in the past. Danny and Joe’s transformation was completed during a pivotal moment at the end of the episode when Joe not only saved Danny’s life but lost his bust because of it. He told Danny that the bigger picture was more important, proving he had been listening to his uncle’s advice during the case after all

With Danny realizing that his nephew was mellowing down on him and the rest of the clan, setting up Joe’s Blue Bloods finale wasn’t as difficult. If anything, it was almost expected, considering that the show was all about the Raegan family, particularly, their relationship with each other as they serve the city of New York. The latter part of that was already a given, considering Joe’s job, but it was also important that he fully accepted his lineage.

Joe Hill’s Comment During The Blue Bloods’ Final Reagan Family Dinner Shows How He’s Accepted His Lineage

One Line Resolved Joe Hill’s Story Beautifully

Arguably, Joe is still a character whose Blue Bloods story is resolved throughout the final season. He and Jamie begin to make peace in Blue Bloods season 14, episode 9, after riding together, and Danny begrudgingly admits that Joe isn’t so bad when working on a joint case with him during episode 14.

Furthermore, during the Blue Bloods finale, Joe comes to the hospital after Eddie (Vanessa Ray) is shot and offers Jamie support before encouraging him to help him find Eddie’s partner’s killer. He didn’t have to do that, since she survived and had all the support he needed, considering their family. Still, Joe’s visit demonstrated that he had learned to care for his father’s family, despite previously refusing to acknowledge that he is a Raegan.

Although not done so dramatically, Joe’s story is wrapped up beautifully by the time Blue Bloods draws to a close. At the final Reagan family dinner in Blue Bloods, after learning that Eddie is pregnant, Joe remarks: “Well, whether it’s a he or a she, if I may, they will be really lucky to be a part of this family.” This comment demonstrates that Joe has completely changed his opinion of the Reagans and is now proud to be one of them, earning him an affectionate pat on the back from Frank shortly before the final credits roll.

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