Season 14 of Blue Bloods is currently exploring the dynamic of Joe Hill (Will Hochman) within the prestigious Reagan family as the long-lost son of the slain family member, Joseph Reagan. The Season 14 episode “Life Sentence” explores Joe Hill and Jamie Reagan’s (Will Estes) relationship, and the recent episode “No Good Deed” examines the dynamic between Joe and Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) as they work on a case investigating the murder of a bike delivery rider. This ultimately culminates in one of the season’s best episodes, where Danny and Joe get on the same page and become a formidable team. Joe also learns an important lesson about valuing the lives of witnesses and those who jeopardize their safety by voluntarily offering information to the New York Police Department. It’s time to showcase how this episode possibly sets up the fate of Joe Hill with Blue Bloods as the long-running hit series nears its emotional series finale!
Danny Reagan Serves as a Good Teacher to Joe Hill
Joe and Danny are unwittingly paired up in “No Good Deed” when a bike courier, Miguel Diaz, is murdered. His murder is likely connected to a drug cartel, Federación, which uses delivery bike riders, aka compañeros, to move fentanyl across the city. Initially, when asking Miguel’s fellow compañeros for information, it’s Danny who takes a softer approach with the group, saying they will take any information offered, “no questions asked.” It’s a stark contrast to Danny’s harder-nosed approach in earlier seasons. It would not be surprising if Danny sees something of himself in his nephew, but years of experience as a homicide detective have taught Danny a few things about how to deal with potential witnesses and informants. However, Joe takes a visibly more aggressive attitude in questioning the other delivery riders. At first, Joe and Danny butt heads over their methods. Joe explains he’s been doing the job “long enough to know when pressure’s warranted,” but Danny points out Joe hasn’t been a cop “long enough to realize none of those guys were going to in front of his friends.” It’s Danny who gets the first breakthrough in the case, as one of the other compañeros texts Danny with information regarding Miguel’s killer.
Pilar (Erica Matos) comes forward with information regarding Miguel’s killers. Much to Danny’s chagrin, Joe convinces Pilar to help assist with the investigation to uncover the identities of Miguel’s killers. The conflict arises because Danny wants information to bring Miguel’s killers to justice, but Joe wants to target the bigger fish in the Federación Cartel. Danny takes a protective approach to Pilar as a witness, recognizing her fear of not wanting to get involved with the cartel business, while Joe asserts more pressure in persuading Pilar to assist with the investigation. Danny explains to Joe that despite Pilar’s willingness to help, her life is not worth any less than the potential victims of the Federación cartel. Danny’s advice finally gets through to Joe, but when Danny goes to Pilar’s apartment to check on her, she has already been kidnapped by the cartel.
Joe and Danny’s Investigation Strengthens Their Familial Bond in ‘Blue Bloods’
Ultimately, Joe and Danny track down Pilar, who is taken prisoner at a Federación cartel hideout. Joe lets the drug dealer with the fentanyl escape to save Danny and Pilar, shooting one of the assailants. Danny repays the favor by gunning down another assailant who is about to take out Joe. Although Joe loses his collar, he is relieved that Pilar is safe, pointing out to Danny, “That’s what really matters.” Their interaction in this scene is profound because Danny and Joe experienced a breakthrough in their relationship, and they are finally acting like a nephew and uncle rather than colleagues. Danny’s methods rubbed off on Joe, who finally understands the value of an informant’s life. Joe and Danny’s moment also represents another important step forward in Joe Hill earning his stripes, not only as a good NYPD narcotics officer but as a valued member of the Reagan family.
Joe partnering up with Danny in “No Good Deed” parallels more recent explorations of where Joe Hill fits within the Reagan family dynamic. Joe has struggled with his identity throughout his tenure on Blue Bloods. He yearns to be closer to the dead father he never knew and experiences difficulty living up to the name of the prestigious Reagan family, many of whom have prominent careers and positions in law enforcement. Although Joe is accepted as part of the family, he remains distant from many of the Reagans. The tension between Joe and Jamie Reagan exploded earlier in the Season 14 episode “Two of a Kind” before they mended fences. This later led to Jamie donating his prized 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, a car that once belonged to Joe’s father, to his nephew later in the episode, “Life Sentence.” Interestingly, Joe is not a regular attendee of the Reagans’ Sunday dinners. Now that Joe has strengthened his bonds with Jamie and now Danny in “No Good Deed,” that hopefully signifies a change in Joe’s attendance at Sunday dinner. All the buildup for Joe in Season 14 looks to be building to a satisfying payoff.
Joe Hill Should Join the Reagans for Sunday Dinner in the Series Finale
Season 14 highlights how Joe forges stronger relationships with the Reagan family, specifically Danny, Frank (Tom Selleck), and Jamie. The recent developments with Danny and Jamie hint that Joe is finally earning his seat at the Reagan family table, which would signify Joe’s increasing closeness to the rest of the family. This means Joe should have a seat at the Reagan Sunday dinner that appears in the series finale. The ending would be prudent to hint that Joe will join the family for more Sunday dinners regularly in the future.
We’ve already suggested a potential Blue Bloods spin-off that could revolve around Joe Hill and Jamie Reagan leading their own division. A spin-off revolving around Joe Hill could also work because it would maintain the Reagan family connection. CBS plans to continue the Blue Bloods saga with a new franchise extension on Paramount+. However, it’s unknown if the series will receive a new spin-off series, prequel, or continuation on the streamer. The moments depicting Joe establishing a stronger relationship with his relatives suggest his struggle to find his place within the Reagan family unit is nearly over.
The Blue Bloods series finale, “End of Tour,” debuts on Friday, December 13 on CBS.
