The Blue Bloods Character You Likely Forgot The Arrowverse's Tom Cavanagh Played
Tom Cavanagh is one of those actors who has been around so long that it is difficult to say his big break came in 2014. He has 85 acting credits on his IMDb page, reaching all the way back to 1990. However, for the last seven years, he has been occupied almost solely with The CW's Arrowverse. While the Arrowverse began in 2012 with the titular show, "Arrow," Cavanagh didn't make his appearance until the 2014 debut of the second series, "The Flash."
"The Flash" follows Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) as he dons the superhero's costume after an accident in his laboratory gives him the powers of super-speed. The series started with a villain-of-the-week structure dealing with the consequences of a particle accelerator explosion. The same thing that gave Allen his powers creates most of his villains. Tom Cavanagh plays Dr. Harrison Wells, a scientist who works at Star Labs, the location of the disaster. It isn't until late in the first season that Wells is revealed to be not only responsible for the explosion but is actually Eobard Thawne, a villain from the future calling himself Reverse-Flash.
Cavanagh has appeared in most of the Arrowverse shows when his Reverse-Flash character crosses over. Thanks to the multiverse concept, he also appears as multiple versions of Harrison Wells. Everyone from a Sherlock Holmes-type to an ersatz Indiana Jones makes an appearance before his exit after Season 7. However, a year before donning the yellow cowl of Reverse-Flash, Tom Cavanagh appeared on "Blue Bloods." Here is the episode you may have seen him in.
He played a childhood friend of Danny Reagan
Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) is one of the central characters in "Blue Bloods." He spends his days chasing after the most dangerous criminals New York City has to offer, with many pivotal moments in the series. Not a lot is revealed about his past other than he was a Marine who saw combat and got into some trouble as a kid.
He wasn't always alone when getting in trouble. One of his cohorts was a boy named Michael "Mickey" Patrick (Tom Cavanagh). Since they were kids, the two have been friends, even developing their own secret language called "Ob," which is simply putting the letters "ob" in front of vowels. As adults, Mickey moved to Florida, and the two lost touch (much to the joy of Danny's father Frank and grandfather Henry [Tom Selleck and Len Cariou], who believed he was a bad influence). Mickey returned in Season 4, Episode 11, "The Ties that Bind." Danny is ecstatic to see his friend again until he uncovers that his old cohort is in trouble with organized crime in Florida. Reagan is forced to choose his friend over his job; if any, Danny can call that a choice. The end of the episode is a heartbreaking moment where Danny takes Mickey into custody.
Cavanagh is one of the unsung talents on today's small screen. He has been in dozens of projects and has even directed a fair amount. If you only know him from the "Arrowverse" or this one episode of "Blue Bloods," it is time for you to do a deep dive into his work. You won't be disappointed.