Blue Bloods season 8: Cheering Jamie Reagan’s humility and value
What’s to like about Jamie Reason? It’s actually rather hard to think about things not to like when you consider what this character brings to the table on the series week in and week out.
1. Humility – While we do think the majority of TV cops do their best to not have an ego within their profession, there are very few who manage to be as selfless as Jamie. He’s someone who has remained a uniform cop in part because he enjoys it and doesn’t really see any incentive to rush out of the position. He understands his value and what he brings to the people of New York City in the position that he’s in right now. He knows that sometimes, having a higher status in the NYPD doesn’t mean being the best use to the community.
2. Likability – We don’t necessarily think that Jamie is necessarily setting himself out to be one of the most likable characters on Blue Bloods but it just comes natural to him. He carries with him a youthful energy and a natural curiosity about life that is infectious. He’s someone you want to root for just because he’s not your typical tough-guy cop and he breaks the mold somewhat from what you expect out of this genre.
3. Vulnerability – While we don’t think Jamie is ever too morally conflicted (he knows the right thing to do, even if it’s on the outside of the law), he does still struggle with decisions in the same way that many others out there do. Take, for example, his relationship with Eddie Janko. The reason why so many fans are #TeamJamko these days is because their relationship is so wonderful to watch unfold — they have a star-crossed quality to them where, on some level, we think they want to be together. Yet, they continue to struggle with the obstacles in their way. The episode earlier this month with Jamie considering his feelings further brought out some of this vulnerability and Estes played it perfectly.
In general, it’s hard to imagine anyone playing this role better than Estes given that he always shines no matter the screen time and he knows how to make Jamie the imperfect hero we love. He comes into each mission ready to do his job, but also with an open mind and an interest in doing what is truly the right thing as opposed to what the right thing is on paper.
(Photo: CBS.)