Why Some Blue Bloods Fans Are Very Disappointed In Season 12 Episode 7
This article contains spoilers for Episode 7 of Season 12 of "Blue Bloods," "USA Today."
CBS' "Blue Bloods" is a long-running police procedural about a family who lives for the law. 12 seasons deep into its run, the show has maintained a loyal fanbase that regularly tunes in every Friday night to find out what new situations will befall the Reagan family, and to enjoy their family dinners.
Angela Reddick (Ilfenish Hadera) is a newcomer to "Blue Bloods" cast, but fans are already protective of her. The show's most recent episode, "USA Today," has her butting heads with Sid Gormley (Robert Clohessy) as she suggests busting down a fellow officer for misconduct. While Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) takes her suggestion into consideration, Sid opposes the idea, worrying that it would be bad for team morale. Other members of the staff deal poorly with Reddick's attempt at changing how they run things at 1 Police Plaza, or 1PP. Ultimately, Frank agrees with Angela ... but transfers her to beat duty, instead of keeping her on at 1PP.
Until now, "Blue Bloods" hasn't really been a lightning rod for controversy during its long network run. However, what occurs in "USA Today" has upset many regular viewers, and it largely comes down to what the show does to Angela.
Fans find the show's treatment of Angela to be problematic
Some fans felt that the show's treatment of Angela, who is Black, was dismissive — and, for that matter, racist. It's quite hard to ignore the fact that the show introduced and demoted the character in such a quick fashion, which made the character's role feel more like a token gesture toward inclusivity and progress, rather than a genuine effort. The show's demotion of Angela is particularly problematic given not just the way it happened in the series, but also how it parallels real-life events and situations.
A number of fans on Twitter made it clear that they were not happy with the way the storyline played out. As @QAFBrianJustin opined, "It's such bull that they brought in a young, dynamic WOC for 1 episode in 1PP just to boot her out again, saying she's 'too good to keep.'" This viewer's comment exemplified the anger of many fans who voiced their disappointment in the storyline's choices when it came to Angela's treatment. Another viewer who agreed was long-time "Blue Bloods" fan @FLRed45, who also expressed how they had initially been thrilled to see a Black female character promoted in the series, "then very DISAPPOINTED to see that you couldn't take a strong black women giving her opinion!! I guess 1 black 'lead' is 1 [too] many."
Another viewer tweeted that it was "not cool" how the fact that Reddick was speaking up and forcing accountability led to her being transferred. Meanwhile, @str_rosie wrote, "I'm disappointed beyond words!," and later noted the show's overall lack of diversity, a problem only worsened by this latest episode.