One of the most heartbreaking things about Blue Bloods ending is that we’ll lose the Reagan family dinners.
By the time the series ends in December, the Reagans will have shared their dinner table with us 293 times. If you only watched one a day, you’d have almost a year’s worth of fictional dinners.
Every one of these scenes is an impactful reminder of how important family is to the Reagans, making it nearly impossible to decide which ones are the best.
The Reagans Remember Joe After Learning Why He Was Killed
After Saying Grace, The Family Visits Joe’s Grave
The first season of Blue Bloods centered around finding answers to why Joe Reagan had been killed. Joe had died before the series’ first episode, and Jamie was determined to honor his brother by getting to the truth.
By the end of the season, they had it, but it didn’t make anyone feel better to know that Joe had been murdered by Sonny Malevsky, who was trying to cover up his own illegal activities and abuse of power.
The dinner scene here provided a few minutes of relief from the tense scenes in which Frank showed a rare angry but utterly relatable side while confronting Malevsky, who then shot himself.
The Reagan siblings bickered over who got to say Grace and expressed their gratitude that they were all alive and together.
This scene was one of the most memorable Reagan family dinners because the family headed to the gravesite afterward and paid their respects to Joe right before the credits rolled.
This particular dinner also ended the season-long arc of the investigation into Joe’s death while showing the family’s continued closeness.
Although the banter at the dinner table is mostly light, Danny empathizes with Jamie being upset about having to shoot a suspect for the first time.
Frank follows up with his hope that neither of them will ever have to fire their weapon again.
This short exchange is also a stark reminder of the danger they all face and how much they lost via Joe’s unnecessary death.
Linda Surprises Henry On The 60th Anniversary Of His Becoming A Cop
A Lighthearted Family Dinner At The End of A Tense Episode
During Blue Bloods Season 3 Episode 5, a seemingly happy occasion took a turn for the worse when a detective who was supposed to receive an award was kidnapped by a drug cartel.
While Frank and Danny were pretending to go along with the hostage-takers’ demands while secretly plotting to get their cop back unharmed, Jamie had to put up with Henry’s backseat driving during a ride-along.
Jamie’s irritation and sense that Henry didn’t approve of how he did his job made the ending that much sweeter. It was also a welcome respite from all the tension that had come before.
The lighthearted family dinner scene also included Sean making the mistake of saying he was going to be a fireman when he grew up.
Blue Bloods subscribes to the tired TV trope that cops and firefighters hate each other, so Sean got off easy with everyone staring at him like he’d grown a second head.
The thing that makes this one of the most memorable Reagan family dinners is Linda’s surprise for Henry.
After dinner, she brings out a cake with candles, and everyone congratulates Henry on reaching this milestone.
This scene not only demonstrates the family’s love and devotion to each other, but also how valuable a member Linda was.
The Reagans lost something special when she died, and we can only hope that we don’t have a disappointing ending where Henry suffers a similar fate.
A Season 4 Episode Includes Everyone Wearing a Dress Uniform To One Of The Reagan Family Dinners
The Reagans demonstrated their respect for the institution of policing during the Season 4 finale.
This episode was heartbreaking for Frank. Being a man of integrity meant that he had to fire someone he had trusted to work alongside him at 1PP for the past four years.
Neither Frank nor the family let this get him down, however.
This episode contains one of the most memorable Reagan family dinners because everyone showed up in dress uniform, demonstrating their respect for Frank and the police.
Linda again provides a light-hearted moment during this family dinner when she insists everyone hold hands for Grace, which no one wants to do, only to make the funniest and shortest Grace in Blue Bloods history.
Linda: Lord, bless these sinners as they eat their dinners.
Nicky: Okay, that is officially the new Grace.
Afterward, the family teases Frank when he asks to practice the speech he is giving to some new recruits at a police academy graduation ceremony, but the dinner scene fades directly into his speech the next day while his family looks on.
Frank’s speech is beautifully juxtaposed with a corrupt cop and corrupt DA facing the consequences of their actions, making the final scenes of the hour even more memorable.
The Family Surprises Danny And Linda At The Hospital
They Had To Miss Family Dinner When Linda Was Shot, So The Reagans Brought It To Them
The one unwritten rule for Frank’s family: you never miss any of the Reagan family dinners unless you are dying.
Danny had an excuse on Blue Bloods Season 5 Episode 22. Linda had been shot, so he was at her bedside at the hospital.
In true Reagan style, Frank and the others made sure Danny wasn’t left out, connecting him and Linda with the rest of the family on speakerphone.
This thoughtful gesture demonstrates why it is a huge mistake to cancel Blue Bloods. It also isn’t the whole story, as the family had a further surprise.
The best part of the Reagan family dinners is the company, but the food is always high quality, and Frank and Henry couldn’t let Danny eat hospital food instead.
They arranged for food to be brought in for him and Linda in their hospital room so that they could enjoy themselves as best as they could.
This memorable Reagan family dinner demonstrates that no one in the family ever suffers alone.
Gestures like these are why so many people are heartbroken that the series is almost over.
The One Time That Erin Brought Her Problems To The Table
The Reagans Usually Put Their Drama Aside, But This Time She Had Enough
Another cardinal rule is that no matter what problems people have with each other or with work, they leave their negativity at the door when they come to family dinner.
There have been a few exceptions, usually involving Erin. She is as stubborn and rigid as Frank, and that sometimes makes her clash with everyone around her.
One of the most memorable Reagan family dinners occurred during Blue Bloods Season 6. During the hour, Erin had been considering applying for a judgeship. However, she felt that the Reagan family name would get in her way.
This dinner starts out the same way as any other Blue Bloods dinner scene, with Jack and Nicky arguing when Jack wants more chicken, and Nicky wants to save some for herself.
However, when Frank asks Erin how her judgeship application is going, things quickly get tense.
Erin’s complaints about the judgeship were fairly mild; she didn’t rant or accuse anyone of anything.
However, she didn’t appreciate her brothers’ attempts to tease her about being judgmental and admitted that she didn’t think being from a family of cops helped her much because the Mayor’s office was not friendly toward police.
This dinner had the family drama that Blue Bloods is known for dialed up to the max.
It didn’t help that when Danny finally came in, he didn’t want to talk about the serial killer case he was working on, and his reticence made things even more tense.
The Family Rallies Around Danny After Linda’s Death
Danny Seemed Lost Until They Rented Him A New House
Linda’s off-screen death was heartbreaking. The first episode of Blue Bloods Season 8 featured a time jump, but the months that had gone by did little to help Danny.
Throughout the hour, he struggled to function without her, but as always, the Reagans came to the rescue.
The first Sunday dinner without Linda present was also one of the most memorable Reagan family dinners.
Some fans hope that before Blue Bloods ends, Linda somehow turns out to be alive. That’s not likely to happen, and if it did, it would cheapen this beautiful scene.
The Reagans not only rented a house for Danny so that he wouldn’t be reminded of Linda all the time but also had their dinner there instead of at Frank and Henry’s.
Danny’s surprise competed with his grief as he was brought into the new house for the first time.
This dinner was similar to the one when Danny was in the hospital with Linda after she’d been shot, but it’s equally memorable because it demonstrated that the Reagans will move on together, no matter what happens.
Hopefully, that will be the message of the series finale as well so that fans can at least be comforted by the fact that the Reagan family will continue even if their further adventures are off-screen.
Joe Hill Joins The Family For The First Time
Sean Invites Him After Learning About His Existence
Joe Hill’s introduction on Blue Bloods changed the Reagan family forever, and the first time he walks into the room for one of the Reagan family dinners is one of the series’ most emotional moments.
Joe is the Reagans’ only connection to the late Joe Reagan, but nobody knew he existed until Sean found out by accident during the Blue Bloods Season 10 finale.
Frank’s attempt to secretly check out his grandson was awkward, and Paula Hill’s explanation that she didn’t want her son to know he was a Reagan was downright painful.
During the final minutes of the hour, however, Sean introduced the family to his cousin Joe. Talk about a tearjerker of a scene!
During those first few minutes with his family, Joe was awkward, shy, and grateful to be welcomed by the Reagans.
The moment is made all that more memorable because it was the only time Joe was as positive about the Reagans throughout all nineteen episodes he has appeared in so far.
He is slated to appear at least once more in Blue Bloods’ final eight episodes, so hopefully there are some more memorable Reagan family dinners in store for him!
Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics!
With 283 to choose from, there were some wonderful Reagan family dinners that got left off the list.
Hit the comments to tell us about the ones you love best.
Blue Bloods’ final eight episodes will begin airing on CBS on October 18, 2024, at 10/9c.
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