Jamie Reagan's Worst Moment In Blue Bloods Season 8
It isn't easy being the youngest brother. Everyone in your family feels like they know better than you, no matter how old you get. Sure, it's because they love you (most of the time), but that doesn't make it any easier. For Jamie Regan (Will Estes), that feeling is amplified by the fact that those older family members include New York's top detective, fastest-rising assistant district attorney, and two — count them, two — police commissioners.
Season 8 of "Blue Bloods" involves a lot of movement for the entire Reagan family, but Jamie sees a large share. From saving a girl from overdosing on heroin — only to watch her die in front of him later – to taking down a parole officer for exploiting his parolees for his own gain, Jamie grows as a cop. He also makes some difficult decisions as he faces pressure from his father to take the sergeant's test, and comes face to face with his feelings for Eddie (Vanessa Ray) yet again. Luckily for us, he rectifies that last part by proposing already, and the season ends with him announcing their engagement.
It isn't all sunshine for the young patrol officer, though. He faces multiple investigations from Internal Affairs, one of which went to a trial where he defends himself (thank goodness for that unused law degree). But one moment stands out as the lowest moment of the season.
He acted completely out of character for a good cop
Complacency is a cop's worst enemy. Any moment can prove deadly for an officer that puts themself into a life or death situation if they aren't focused. During Season 8, Episode 22, "My Aim is True," Jamie lets his guard down for just long enough to almost pay with his life.
The episode focuses on the story of the "Prospect Park Six" (a plot that appears to be loosely based on the true story of the Central Park Five), a group of men who are released after serving nine years in prison for crimes they didn't commit. A series of drive-by shootings begin to occur, targeting various family members of the people responsible for putting them away. Erin Reagan's (Bridgette Moynahan) boss, Monica Graham (Tamra Tunie), falls victim to one of the shootings. Later in the episode, Jamie and Eddie are patrolling and stop for coffee. Jamie fails to notice someone following their car despite knowing they are in danger from drive-by shooters. The would-be killer makes a move to shoot him, and he is only saved by a gut feeling and quick thinking by Eddie.
While it is hard to blame Jamie for not noticing someone following him, a law enforcement professional (especially one as adept as Jamie) letting his guard down while there is an active investigation into people planning to do him harm feels careless and out of character for any police officer, especially one named Reagan. Thankfully, Eddie's actions prevented the worst, and if nothing else, the event lit a fire under him to finally act on his feelings for Eddie, something that definitely rated well with the fans.