I cannot avoid having shows make me cry today

I just finished watching the season eight premiere of Blue Bloods. Typically, I will go down my DVR from top to bottom and watch in that order. Plus, I am semi avoiding Chicago Fire because I don’t want to watch one of my favorite characters die. That isn’t because I know definitively if one of them has died or not, but I get far too emotionally attached to fictional characters and don’t want to deal with the fictional massacre today.  With that said, if you are a fan of Blue Bloods and have not watched the premiere, come back to this post after you have viewed this week’s episode. Spoilers ahoy.

When we last left the Reagans Danny’s house was burnt to the ground. I’ve had some friends who have loss everything before via fire, floods, and tornadoes. Everything can be rebuilt but that initial loss leaves this numb feeling inside of one.  That is the description that has been given to me multiple times. I’ve also been told throughout the years that people tend to merely stand and look at the remains wondering what to do first. Where do they go? Depending on how bad the damage is of course those are things one must think of. How do we rebuild? And considering all the devastation in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico that is a hot button topic. How can we help?

We is the key word there. When the latest episode of Blue Bloods started there were bits and pieces to a puzzle that left me confused. To the point that when Danny reveals that he cannot do this without his wife I leaned back into the my couch. Had he just said he can’t do this without his wife? Without. Without Linda. What happened to Linda? Then the explanation came into play. Linda had died in an accident while trying to transport a patient via a helicopter. This is why Danny was so out of sync. This is why there is the debate of retirement.

As an audience we watch the breakdown of Danny Reagan before our eyes. Considering Danny’s strength and ball busting attitude the past seven seasons I started to cry. Loss after loss. Danny now has to figure out how to be in this world without his wife. And learning about the essential breakdown of the character since May 28th was devastating. Wahlberg’s performance is haunting and heartbreaking. As his therapist finally gets him to admit that his denial and not mentioning her is not healthy, any viewer can see that deep down Danny knows this.  Deep down Danny knows he has to regroup and function, but he doesn’t know where to begin.

Danny wasn’t the only reason I began to cry though. Amy Carlson’s performance the past seven seasons as Linda Reagan will be missed in future episodes. Linda was an integral part of the Reagan household.  She was not afraid to call family members out even if her opinion was not a popular one.  And considering all the close calls between being shot and kidnapping, Linda’s character went through a lot during the past seven years.  Maybe that is the reason her being gone seems surreal.  This is another accident that we expected to hear she survived somehow.

While some fans feel that the character of Linda deserved better, her death was handled with grace and respect.  The whole episode revolved around this character audiences fell in love with seven seasons ago.  That speaks volumes of the character as well as the respect for the actress who played her.  Some characters, as we have learned recently, get written off with a bad kung fu joke.

In fact, by the end of the show we are hoping that Danny reconsiders retirement. Not merely because Danny is an excellent detective, but because Linda would have never wanted him to retire due to her death. We hope that the therapy works for him. Then here comes Erin and Jamie trying to coax Danny out of a car to visit some older woman they haven’t seen since they were children. Danny of course doesn’t see the point and no one can blame him.  Certainly not I.  After all, I’ve been that person being dragged off of a couch to go out after numerous losses.

Much like myself, Danny gets out of the car and walks inside.  His family has rented him a home.  A new home that he can build up with his boys.  A home that has a real backyard according to his children.  To see this family come together in such a way in order to help one of their own move forward is nothing less than remarkable.  Frank informs his son that everything is there that Danny needs.  And it’s true.  Danny has everything at his disposal to get him through this, but it’s not an easy road to travel.

We need more good people.  We need those who are going to take action.  We need others to believe in when things are so horrible we think there’s no light left to shine down on us.  We need hope.  The beauty of this episode is even in his darkest hour, Danny gives us hope by merely saying grace during the Reagan tradition of family dinner night.  Fictional character or not, sometimes we need the reminder that everything will be okay.  We will all be okay.