The Danny Reagan Scene On Blue Bloods That Went Too Far

On the surface, the Reagan family is much like any other. They are a tight familial unit that still holds traditional Sunday dinners together. They just also happen to have significant ties to New York City law enforcement. Now in its 12th season, "Blue Bloods" has consistently pulled in millions of viewers interested in seeing the Reagan family break bread at the dinner table and break criminals in the hunt for justice (via Deadline). Despite their best efforts on both fronts, the Reagan clan isn't always perfect, and this is especially true with hotheaded elder brother Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg).

While his temper and detective work have made for some exciting TV, Danny's actions are also very questionable. As fans have pointed out on Reddit, he performs numerous NYPD rule-breaking and civil rights violations with suspects, and we can't entirely ignore the fact that Danny still has a job despite his staggering kill count. The detective even bothers some fans with the way he holds his weapon. Still, during a Season 2 scene in which his wife and children are put in danger, Danny may have truly gone too far.

Danny Reagan is used to dealing with the worst that New York City crime has to offer, which probably means the detective has had his fair share of bullets whizz past him. But what happens when a shootout between him and a suspect puts his wife and children in the crossfire? Season 2, Episode 12, "The Job," explores this idea, as Danny's vehicle hits another man on the run during a nightly drive with his family. When Danny checks on the man he hits, a masked shooter tells him to step away. Danny pulls out a hidden gun from an ankle holster and yells that he's with the police. A shootout happens with the masked shooter wounded but escaping. However, Danny's children are left terrified of the gunfire that nearly hits them.

It's already debatable if Danny handles engaging the masked assailant properly, especially with his family in tow. However, the following scene shows that Danny clearly cannot read the room at times, despite being such a great detective. His family is traumatized by the experience, yet this doesn't stop him from entering full cop mode and immediately detailing to them how and why he'll be able to find the suspect. That would be fine if he were talking to anyone at the precinct or other law working members of the Reagan clan. Instead, he's talking to his wife Linda (Amy Carlson) and his two children, who have a bullet nearly hit them. In the moment, they need a reassuring husband and father instead of an officer. Unfortunately, Danny seems to also have a habit of traumatizing family members, such as when he accidentally shows his niece a dead body.