10 Most Rewatchable Episodes Of Blue Bloods

Family, duty, honor, and complex moral situations — those are the hallmarks of the best episodes of "Blue Bloods." While the show might espouse so-called traditional values and its belief in the family way, there are also complexities that introduce themselves into the narrative frequently, and not every criminal will pop up as a horrifying foe for the Reagans to defeat. 

The very best episodes of the show often lace together scenes of the Reagans spending time together and talking alongside whatever cases the group are dealing with in their individual careers. Sometimes the show chooses a grander plotline, maybe centered on a hostage crisis or a larger threat to New York City. But more often than not the cases are intimate, personal, and even daringly open-minded for a show that's often accused of being simplistic copaganda. Here are the 10 best episodes of "Blue Bloods," chosen via authorial opinion and IMDb listings, in no particular order. 

Usually, the best thing "Blue Bloods" does is tell small stories about a close-knit family. But in the case of "Exiles," Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) manages to uncover something that's so earth-shaking that, thanks to his suspension, it ends up scooping every single member of the Reagan clan into the drama, ultimately landing the case in the capable hands of his father, Frank (Tom Selleck). The end result is quite compelling, easy to rewatch, and results in an 8.4 from viewers on IMDb.

Danny and Maria's (Marisa Ramirez) case ends up entwining with a DEA-controlled sting. The twosome quickly learn that Ms. Ilene Clayton had a strong — and very personal — connection to a prostitution case being run by the state DA. Danny doesn't believe that Ilene killed herself and can't stop himself from investigating the situation; he's placed on suspension for his disobedience.

But soon the other Reagans step in — each of them fielding a piece of the case — until what really happened to Ilene becomes apparent and a much deeper well of corruption is revealed. This is what the Reagans do best — ferret out the most wicked of New York's hoi polloi — and "Exiles" distills many of its best elements into a single outing. The episode's subplot — in which Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie Janko (Vanessa Ray) get personally involved in an apparent domestic dispute — is also beautifully handled.

NYPD Deputy Chief Donald Kent only appears once on "Blue Bloods," but he's played by the self-assured and talented Dennis Haysbert, who automatically elevates this episode with his prodigious skills and ever-remarkable voice. The murder of Kent once again forces all of the Reagans to group their specific skill sets together to get the bad guy in Season 5's "New Rules." IMDb users love this formula and put this at an 8.4 too, making it another top-tier episode (and a rewatchable one, even if only to enjoy Haysbert's vocals) as Team Reagan goes all in for justice.

Kent and his wife die together in what appears to be a gang hit, and Frank goes scorched earth looking for suspects. Kent commanded the gang division, so the connection initially seems quite clear to Frank. Danny and Maria search up members of the Warrior Kings gang and soon find that one of the members is in proximity to Linda (Amy Carlson), Danny's wife, in the hospital. While the episode ends on a cliffhanger, there's plenty to love in this packed outing in and of itself. 

One of the saddest moments in "Blue Bloods" history occurs in "The Bitter End," which features the death of a young gang member, who jumps off of the roof of her building with her baby in her arms to escape the violent life she's been immured into. That moment alone is worth watching again and again, but the heartbreak that action causes is what brings viewers back.

It's a deed that Jamie witnesses, and one that deeply affects his partner, Vincent "Vinny" Cruz (Sebastian Sozzi). Cruz grew up in the housing project the young lady lived in, and to say he's shaken by the sudden act of violence is putting it mildly. Danny soon manages to figure out that the girl who leaped to her death had a connection to a previous crime — the deaths of her parents, for which she always blamed herself. A complicated web of defiance, guilt and loyalty all falls on Danny's shoulders when he realizes he failed to protect the girl as he'd vowed to do long ago. Now he has a second chance through the girl's sister; but a bigger problem surfaces when the local gang vows revenge on the NYPD. 

Frank and Erin (Bridget Moynahan), meanwhile, get into a roundelay over the city's decision to drop cases against the housing project's residents in the hope of convincing them to testify. Intense and filled with complex emotional ugliness, that unforgettable opener is just one hint as to the drama that's hiding inside. "The Bitter End" has an outstanding 8.5 on IMDb for a reason.

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Some of the most interesting episodes of "Blue Bloods" feature the Reagans trying to relate to civilians that absolutely, and understandably, hate everything the police force stands for. In "Unbearable Loss," Frank's the one shoved out of his comfort zone when the Reverend Darnell Potter (Ato Essandoh), a longtime critic of the police force, loses his son in an act of violence.

Darnell and Frank have to put aside years of bitterness and work together to find out who killed Michael. Darnell must resist the temptations of extrajudicial force, and Frank must figure out the limits of his position while helping Darnell grieve and find justice. It's their relationship that brings about rewatchable gravitas.

Potter is another recurring character who makes a great impact on the Reagan family, and Essandoh projects quiet dignity in the part — and as another of his appearances on the list will prove, he provides perfect friction for Selleck. It's a performance that makes the episode and makes the viewer want to rewatch it again and again. IMDb viewers agree and it stands at an 8.5.

The tension between Danny's family-man ways and his devotion to police work sets a lot of amazing plots in motion. The one in "The Job" is especially poignant because here it's Linda who says no, who tells him to choose between the job and his family. Danny is thus determined to show her he can make both work, by tracking down the suspect who shot at his family after a car accident.

Linda's fights with Danny and the scene surrounding the shooting are worth watching again and again — especially when Danny's caught teaching their son Jack how to shoot a gun. It's one of the better marriage episodes for Danny and Linda, and one of the most solid outings for the series as a whole. On IMDb, it sits at an 8.1. And unsurprisingly, it's also one of Amy Carlson's favorite episodes. 

"The Job" also includes a lovely subplot for Frank, who must give the eulogy at a funeral for a friend. Said friend rescued many people in the twin towers during 9/11. Frank's speech has to walk the line between praising his friend's heroism and acknowledging his humanity. The writers — and within the episode's universe, Frank himself, do a good job at this. A solid round-up that shows off how hard it is to be a police officer — and how, sometimes, the battle is worthwhile.

"Blue Bloods" grappled with police brutality on a number of occasions, and they never did a better job than in Season 5's "Excessive Force." Which just happens to be what Danny is accused of using against a suspected perp, which threatens his career, his life, and his future as he's accused of the possibility. It doesn't help that the guy tumbled to his death while Danny was chasing him, tossing himself out a window while shouting that Danny had pushed him. The episode is another 8.5 on IMDb and a real tribute to the show's actors and their skills.

Reverend Potter is once again a spanner in the NYPD's works, and here he provides a perfect foil for both Frank and Danny alike. Frank must be evenhanded in his attempt at figuring out if his son really did use excessive force, and things don't look good for Danny when the only witness to the incident moves out of the jurisdiction. It's all heavy-duty stuff, but it's acted out with care and finesse. A light subplot in which Jamie and Eddie's buried romantic feelings for each other reach a crisis point (when Jamie dates a doctor) adds just the right bit of comic relief.

Everyone loves rewatching a wedding episode, and Jamie and Eddie's trip to the altar is no exception to that rule. It's an occasion of nearly pure joy for the Reagans, and fans flock back to it again and again to catch any nuances they missed. "Something Blue" is a hit on IMDb as well, and sits at an 8.7

Each of the Reagans is dithering over Jamie and Eddie's upcoming union in their own way; Frank's big worry is that he's got a toast to deliver at the rehearsal dinner and cannot get it right at first blush. But his worries are just a drop in the ocean compared to what Erin thinks she's discovered about Eddie's policing. After discovering a witness whose testimony she took lied under oath, jeopardizing the case, Erin's on the warpath. When Jamie takes Eddie's side, Erin is appalled. The family feud has to be settled before the family, but the threat of a rift looms over the Reagan clan like never before.

Elsewhere, Danny and Baez are trying to figure out who murdered a young vic, but it looks like his complicated love life might make things hard. It's a charming and generally light-hearted outing, m making "Something Blue" a crowd-pleasing rewatch.

The second half of the show's Season 5 two-parter, "The Art of War" is mainly all about Linda. Amy Carlson never got a better showcase for her talents that this episode, and this simple, claustrophobic outing definitely left viewers fearing for her life. It sits at a solid 8.8 on IMDb, and is in many ways one of the finest hours "Blue Bloods" ever put on. 

The episode picks up with Linda having been shot by a gang member, as set up by the cliffhanger previous. She's trapped as a hostage in his room, and Danny must walk a high wire between keeping his wife alive and bringing about justice. The rest of the Reagans are just as scared for Linda as he is, turning the situation into a true family affair. It ends happily, of course — and with a long-distance Reagan family dinner scene, one of the best ever on "Blue Bloods." But all of that fear and tension definitely left viewers wondering how it would all turn out. That makes it ever-valuable for a revisit.

The best Season 1 episode of "Blue Bloods" is dotted over with stories that center and circle around the death of Joe Reagan, who was murdered in the line of duty while on an undercover mission before the show began. Danny, Frank and the rest of the clan slowly unravel the mystery behind Joe's murder — it seems he'd infiltrated a secret society called the Blue Templar. They're so old that Grandpa Henry Reagan (Len Cairou) knew of them when they were originally conceived as a society intended to clean up the police force. Unfortunately, over the decades they've been infiltrated by corrupt new blood. Joe's cover was blown, and he was summarily killed.

Busting the Blue Templars is another all-hands-on-deck mission for the Reagans, and everyone holds a piece of the investigative pie. Erin and Frank do the political legwork, Jamie and Danny investigate, and even Henry provides a historical backdrop for the conflict. The sense of relief, justice and joy when they finally bust the organization down is palpable. The episode has an 8.7 on IMDb — helping to mark it out as highly rewatchable — a vital piece of Reagan family history, and wildly enjoyable as a rewatch.

At the top of the heap is "My Aim is True," widely regarded as one of the best episodes of the show. It's also considered one of the finest Danny Reagan episodes over the course the program, and, to boot, one of the best Jamie Reagan episodes of "Blue Bloods" ever. Standing at a stellar 9.1 on IMDb, it's still the highest-rated episode of the show overall on the website as of this writing. And that helps to make it the most rewatchable outing of the lot; there's plenty of craft to admire.

In the outing, Danny and Maria Baez solve a series of drive-by shootings which have resulted in murder. Since the deaths have happened in concert with the release of six men being released from prison, they worry that the men are exacting their revenge through these shootings. Meanwhile, an even more important situation finally starts to develop between Jamie and Eddie, who face down death and realize they're in love. A remarkable thriller and a remarkable love story — it literally wouldn't get any better for fans of "Blue Bloods."