The Blue Bloods series finale airs December 13 and fans should definitely be bracing for a death in the final episode. Find out who dies on Blue Bloods Season 14.
Who Dies in the Blue Bloods Series Finale?
With Blue Bloods ending after 14 seasons, fans are hoping for a happy ending. There’s confirmation there will be sadness in the mix as the series concludes, however.
Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 18 (“End of Tour”), has a lot in store for fans. “The Reagan family races to stop deadly mayhem in the city when the gangs of New York unite to demand amnesty for the release of their imprisoned members and those awaiting trial,” the episode summary notes.
The “deadly mayhem” indicates that we’ll see a character die by the end — and it looks like fans have figured out who it is.
In one photo CBS released from the episode, the Reagan family attend a cop’s funeral. Henry, Frank, Danny, Jamie and Erin are at the sad gathering, as well as Jamie’s wife, Eddie (Vanessa Ray), and Danny’s partner, Detective Baez, so it’s safe to assume they make it all make it to the end of the finale alive. Eddie’s partner, Luis Badillo (Ian Quinlan), is noticeably absent from the photo, so if there’s anyone who could be on the chopping block, it’s him.
On November 27, the Blue Bloods Instagram account featured a video of a family dinner. The caption noted, “There’s nothing quite like a Reagan family dinner 🥹.” One eagle-eyed fan took the opportunity to share a very probable theory that Badillo dies on the show, based on the series finale photos. “Ok so you released a picture of the funeral that’s going to take place during the season finale coming up,” they wrote. “To the left of Frank Reagan in the front row of the funeral it clearly shows Nancy Ticotin (Badillos Mother) (Janko’s partner). I’m assuming it’s safe to say that Luis Badillo is the one who dies.”
Nancy Ticotin, who has been in two episodes as Adriana Badillo, is also indeed seen sitting to the left at the funeral, so it’s fair to say she also makes it to the end of Blue Bloods alive.
In a November interview with TV Insider, Ray shared that she shares a significant scene with Quinlan. “She’s got a really good one with Badillo. That’s I think probably top five favorite scenes I’ve ever shot with him just getting to work with Ian on a scene,” she explained. “It was cool to shoot it because think we had to shoot it about four different ways to figure out what was going to make it in the edit. So that was really fun. And then it’s a lot of family. It’s a lot of being with the family. Yeah, I would say look out for the scenes with Badillo.”
In a December interview with TV Insider, Blue Bloods showrunner Kevin Wade, who co-wrote the series finale, shared some of what fans can expect. “[Co-writer] Siobhan Byrne O’Connor and I decided early that the finale that would work best for our wonderful large cast were stories where all of them are in pursuit of [the same] syndicate,” he explained. “So while each main character would have a separate alley to walk down, they were working toward finding the same criminal. That makes for the most propulsive way we can tell all four stories at once. And of course, the family dinner scene took a lot of attention just in terms of who would be there and why and would anything be promised or resolved.”
The Sunday family dinner is going to be a bit bigger than usual, with Wade teasing, “There are a few black sheep [at the table], including one who’s been with us on and off for many years. I have to be vague here. There are blood relatives who we haven’t seen much of in a while who are present.” They literally had to make a bigger table for the scene. “The art department had to actually go into the wood shop and make an extra leaf!” Wade noted.
When asked about the funeral, Wade explained a bit about the scene. “One of the guiding principles of the show’s storytelling over most of its life — and as we went on, it sharpened — is that every victory has to come with a loss. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “The stories that were most moving we found were where, yes, the Reagans individually or collectively had a victory, but it came at a cost.”
Wade wouldn’t confirm if the show has a perfect “happy” ending, but said, “I think there’s a satisfying ending for all the Reagans. It’s a family individually and collectively who deal with loss and loneliness and good versus bad. You know, the sun doesn’t come out and all the stuff that they deal with goes away, that would not be true to 14 years of storytelling. But our hope is that it satisfying for the audience.”
