Blue Bloods finale: Why the observe delivered that tall, long-awaited shock

Warning: Spoilers forward for the eighth season finale of Blue Bloods.

Smartly, Blue Bloods followers, they in a roundabout procedure did it.

In the CBS procedural’s eighth season finale, fan-popular pair Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie (Vanessa Ray) in a roundabout procedure got together after years of naughty squad-car flirting and bickering, minute doubt granting the needs of many an viewers member.

Titled “My Honest Is Correct,” the episode tied up a whole lot of the season’s free ends, to boot to completing a twelve months of grieving for Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) after the sudden death of his wife (Amy Carlson, who exited the observe), however nothing became as soon as as wonderful as when the observe headed into its last Sunday family dinner of the season. For the most major time in the observe’s a hundred-plus episode speed, a Reagan family member launched any individual new to the table. On this case, it became as soon as Jamie, bringing Eddie along — and asserting their engagement.

That wasn’t all, for certain: The couple even shared their vows in a single of the most romantic moments in the observe’s historical past. Nevertheless things weren’t fully rosy, as Frank (Tom Selleck) couldn’t encourage however remind the lovebirds that some adjustments had been afoot.

To wreck down why now became as soon as in a roundabout procedure the devoted time for Jamie and Eddie to party, what the mood became as soon as esteem on design, and what followers can seek data from subsequent, EW chatted with Blue Bloods showrunner Kevin Wade. Learn on below for all that and additional.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What made you get out to in a roundabout procedure bring Jamie and Eddie together?
KEVIN WADE: The writers identified early on that these two actors had a good chemistry together. It carried out very effectively for a sort of seasons, ideally obedient as other folks riding along, however also, two ideally obedient other folks that identified an enchantment to each varied. I have confidence we carried out that out. Then the demand turns into, “Are you going to throw the newborn out with the bathwater?” If two other folks acknowledge that they take care of each varied and they’re happy ample together to dispute that they have to marry each varied, you design up the discipline that there are no real scenes in a happy marriage. As soon as you internet aside a pair together and they’ve said, “This is it, I’m so happy!” there’s nothing there for the viewers. So it became as soon as in truth a subject of, if we carry out this and they double down, however we design as a lot as get the obstacles alive — esteem the real fact that they per chance won’t salvage a procedure to shuffle together anymore, that one of them may per chance per chance additionally neutral switch precincts or internet a promotion — it ideally obedient gave a higher panorama to play out the connection. I have confidence it wished to substitute. You may per chance easiest hold two other folks riding along in a squad car for [so long] without going, “Now we have to substitute it up a minute bit bit.”

The viewers became as soon as also ready for this.
There became as soon as also some recognition — no longer that I internet a retail rate abet — that the viewers felt esteem, “When are the writers going to internet up and take note that these two needs to be together?” There became as soon as some sense of viewers expectation, which is allotment of my job, too. All that being said, moderately on early in this season, I ideally obedient had the root that, “Smartly, if we wait unless the final scene of the last episode of the season, we can per chance pull this off.” After which carry out a reset after we near abet for season 9 with a heightened sense of expectations, and positively heightened stakes for these two as a pair.

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How did Will and Vanessa react when they heard the info?
Will became as soon as cautious, at the muse, and rightly so, on memoir of he had the worry that, frankly, he had each correct to hold: “Are we going to be taking part in scenes the internet aside we’re keeping fingers, observing into each varied at some stage in a checkered tablecloth in a dimly lit restaurant?” I assured him we had no hobby in writing those tales, and I know he has no hobby in taking part in them. We talked lots about the dynamic that became as soon as there — the chemistry that became as soon as there in front of us — and having to push it further. The nature of a observe esteem Blue Bloods is [that it’s] obviously no longer a serial — it’s a procedural, so it’s shut-ended each week — however there may per chance be a personality evolution that has to happen, to get the characters growing and the viewers . This regarded esteem the prime candidate: Let’s grow these characters correct into an real couple and ogle the internet aside we can internet it from there.

Vanessa has turn into an increasingly indispensable allotment of the observe; it wasn’t unless season four that she became as soon as even launched.
Yep. And Vanessa and Will together originate almost a Third [major] declare, and I in truth wished to capitalize on that. So as soon as Will and I and Vanessa talked it via, and then when they got the script, I have confidence they had been contented with the procedure in which it turned out. And it became as soon as a gargantuan scene to shoot. We’d never, in a hundred and seventy-extra special family dinner scenes, launched a new personality into that Sunday dinner.

It did feel almost poetic that this engagement became as soon as launched there. What became as soon as the mood on design esteem?
The mood is terribly a lot reflected in what you ogle onscreen: an acceptable sense of, “Wow! We’ve never carried out this sooner than, how will we address this?” The actors reacted in personality. In Donnie, there became as soon as a twinge of “happy for him and sad for himself.” With no doubt, for Frank, it became as soon as esteem, “Ok, I will be succesful to’t in truth upset the mood right here, however you guys understand you may per chance per chance’t shuffle together anymore.” After which when they disappear, “Smartly in truth, that’s no longer written anywhere.” And he’s esteem, “Smartly, okay.” I wished to make certain that it had an affect that may per chance per chance per chance originate the viewers disappear, “Huh, they’ve carried out something constructive right here, however they’ve also painted themselves correct into a minute bit of a corner.”

You’re headed into season 9. Why carry out you specialize in the observe continues to resonate with viewers?
If I knew, I may per chance per chance additionally per chance carry out it higher. I don’t know exactly. I have confidence that there’s an aspirational quality, almost, in a in truth elemental procedure of being shut to your loved ones, of being shut to varied generations of your loved ones, of having those other folks to lean on. It’s a in truth last century — and even century sooner than that — tiny-town daily life, and a tiny-town values machine. All the pieces has gotten so unfolded and isolated that I have confidence, at the terminate of the day, it’s a constructive space to disappear on Friday night.

You touched on it a minute bit, however what are you able to tease about the internet aside we’re headed with Jamie and Eddie?
They’ll have to handle just a few things. We laid in just a few episodes earlier that there became as soon as a sergeant’s examination that at the very least she became as soon as taking, and we left it delivery-ended [as to] whether or no longer he became as soon as going to internet it too. And we’ll have to handle how Jamie and Eddie as an engaged couple manifest in their work lifestyles.