Jamie is often considered to be the character most like Frank because he is deeply committed to doing the right thing regardless of the consequences. However, he almost didn’t become a cop — he changed careers because he wanted to help get justice after Blue Bloods‘ Joe Reagan died. For the first eight seasons, Jamie is a patrol officer who doesn’t have much interest in moving further up the career ladder. This puts him in direct conflict with Frank during Blue Bloods season 8, as Frank wants him to become a sergeant.
Being A Sergeant Messed Up Jamie’s Arc In Blue Bloods Explained
Jamie Was Perfectly Suited To The Patrol Officer Role, But Frank Didn’t Like It
During the first eight seasons of Blue Bloods, Jamie demonstrates unusual empathy alongside a love of police traditions and respect for the rules. These characteristics make him uniquely suited to be a patrol officer; unfortunately, they also bring him into conflict with others, including his bosses as well as his father. A big part of Jamie’s arc involves being able to de-escalate situations involving suspects with mental health conditions — for example, he gets into trouble for contradicting his sergeant when he interferes with the premature drawing of weapons so that he can talk a suspect down.
The ever-popular procedural Blue Bloods has come to an end, but the franchise will continue in a brand-new spinoff entitled Boston Blue.
This arc made Jamie an interesting character who helped fulfill Blue Bloods‘ mission of showing police officers in a positive and realistic light. It also created a natural conflict for Frank, who saw patrol work as only the first step toward Jamie reaching his potential as a police officer. Sadly, when Jamie becomes a sergeant in Blue Bloods season 9, this entire arc disappears. Jamie moves into more of a supervisory role, and the aspects of his personality involving strict adherence to rules are emphasized over his empathy for the people he serves and his strong desire to help them.
Jamie Only Became A Sergeant Because Frank Demanded It (But It Fizzled Out)
Frank’s Desire For Jamie To Take The Exam Causes a Rift, But It Doesn’t Last
During Blue Bloods season 8, Frank becomes convinced that Jamie is wasting his potential by not taking the sergeant’s exam. He thus pressures Jamie to do so, which only triggers resentment. The conflict becomes so intense that Jamie is reluctant to come to the Reagan family dinners in Blue Bloods. Had this conflict continued in this vein, it would have undermined the family values at the core of Blue Bloods. However, the resolution is disappointing, as Jamie ultimately agrees to sit for the exam and then becomes a sergeant, suggesting Frank was right all along.
This arc was undoubtedly influenced by Blue Bloods’ Jamie and Eddie getting together romantically. Although Jamie claims there is no official law on the books stopping romantic partners from working together, it doesn’t seem realistic for them to continue working patrol together. Thus, it’s understandable that Jamie is promoted. However, that resolution contradicts his established character while suggesting that Frank’s intense pressure was appropriate. It’s unfortunate that Blue Bloods couldn’t find a way to resolve this story problem that didn’t involve changing Jamie’s character for the worse.
How Blue Bloods Should Have Handled Jamie’s Arc Differently
At The Very Least, There Should Have Been Longer-Term Consequences For Frank’s Pressure
It would have made more sense for Eddie to be the one to become a sergeant while Jamie remained a patrol officer. Jamie loved being on patrol and was uniquely suited for it, so if somebody needed to be promoted because of their relationship, Eddie was more logical. Eddie secretly took the exam at one point, though the story was dropped — Blue Bloods should have followed through on this instead of making Jamie a sergeant.
It always seemed strange to me that Jamie and Frank’s rift was repaired so quickly. While family values are central to Blue Bloods, the fact remains that Frank alienated Jamie by demanding he follow a career path he wasn’t interested in, yet the conflict was quickly forgotten. Regardless of whether Blue Bloods chose to keep Jamie on patrol or promote him to sergeant, there should have been more fallout from the way Frank handled the situation. If the conflict had been written more carefully, Jamie’s forgiveness would have felt more earned and would have more strongly reinforced the family theme.
