“Blue Bloods” character Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) has proven herself to not only be brilliant but also incredibly strong. Growing up in the Reagan household would do that to any person, to be honest. Her entire life was spent as the lone sister surrounded by brothers, with only her mother in the house amidst a host of Reagan men. As an adult, she stands out among her grandfather, Henry (Len Cariou), her father, Frank (Tom Selleck), and her brothers, Danny and Jamie (Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes, respectively).
As an adult, Erin took a different path from her brothers. While they went on to become members of the NYPD, she spends her days as a prosecuting attorney. But with her strict adherence to the letter of the law, she sometimes pushes back on the police to get more evidence or build a better case. This puts her at odds with her family, sometimes even making it feel like she is actually a defense attorney.
Due to her passionate focus on what is right and wrong, you would be forgiven to think she was a goody-two-shoes as a child. But, in actuality, throughout the series, she is revealed to have been the more rebellious of the Reagan clan. Because of her rich history and constant conflict with her police family, there are plenty of great moments for her, but one episode feels above the rest for Erin Reagan.
Season 10’s ‘The First 100 Days’ marks a turning point for Erin
The “Blue Bloods” Season 10 episode “The First 100 Days” allows viewers to see Erin Reagan working through a rough patch in her life, spurring on development in how she views her life and relationships. While other storylines are running concurrently (in true “Blue Bloods” fashion) in “The First 100 Days,” the episode focuses on Erin and her struggle with evaluating her life. Audiences watch as she gets a call from Nicky (Sami Gayle), who hasn’t spoken to her mom in a week, causing some tension between the two. As soon as she hangs up the phone, her taxi is T-boned by another car. The accident and the aftermath cause Erin to pause and reevaluate her life.
Historically, Erin’s love life has been rocky. She met her ex-husband Jack Boyle (Peter Hermann) when she was just 19, and they married soon after. They had Nicky, which kept Jack in the picture even after the divorce. The divorce happened before the premiere of Season 1, so fans are only left with the knowledge that Jack cheated, causing Erin a deep hurt. Throughout the series, Jack has returned off and on, as has his trysts with Erin. There is fire there, but also complication.
In “The First 100 Days,” Erin uses her state of deep reflection to confront Jack and let him know exactly how badly he hurt her. This leads to a dinner with the three of them together like a family. Jack sends Nicky on a short errand to allow him to apologize. The gesture seems genuine, and the two seem reconciled. Erin had been holding on to the hurt and bitterness of the divorce for 10 seasons, and it may have even been the cause for some torpedoing relationships in the past. It was good to see her move on and find that closure and peace.
Erin is quietly the strongest member of the Reagan clan
From the very start of “Blue Bloods,” the Reagan dinner is a staple. It serves as a bit of an evaluation of what’s happened to the Reagan family, how they are processing it, and the lessons they learn. From a filmmaking standpoint, it serves as a way to help the audience process how they feel about pivotal events, too. The trade-off is the dinner conversations usually go to negative subjects like Danny’s (Donnie Wahlberg) latest homicide or Frank’s (Tom Selleck) current political crisis.
Near the end of “The First 100 Days,” the usual family chatter — which seems more gloomy than usual — causes Erin (Bridget Moynahan), still in her fragile state of reevaluation, to snap at the group. “This endless accounting of all the horrible, awful things that go on in the world,” she sighs. “It just seems like this is all we do at family dinners. Pass the potatoes and bad karma.”
Danny presses her to elaborate, and Erin continues. “I don’t know, Danny. I guess I’m just not in the mood to hear about your double homicide in Harlem, or the 11-year-old that Jamie collared, or the eyeball that Eddie stepped on.” Her monologue then describes some of the horrible things she sees on the job. It is a potent moment of self-reflection, and one that makes you realize just how much she sees, internalizes, and deals with on a daily basis.
“The First 100 Days” is an essential episode for Erin, not only because she displayed how much strength she has held on to for the entire series, but because she finally let her guard down to express the things she struggles with on a day to day basis. It took 10 seasons for her to break through this emotional and psychological barrier. She has a strength often overlooked and overshadowed by the male Reagans. This episode took a step to remedy that; the un-sung strongest Reagan finally got her moment.