The curious case of Detective Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito) sent ripples through the fandom halls of “Blue Bloods” after her unexpected departure. Esposito portrayed the solid and capable detective for 46 episodes until she took early retirement because she was burnt out. From Season 1, Episode 4, “Officer Down” to Season 3, Episode 7, “Nightmares” (per IMDb), Curatola rode shotgun with her partner, the unpredictable Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg).
Curatola held her own when standing next to the commissioner’s son and being perpetually thrown into the most high-profile cases throughout her run on the series. The two detectives kept undeniable chemistry completely above-board, projecting more of a brother-sister relationship than anything remotely romantic. However, in the 46 episodes that saw the duo solve over 40 cases, Curatola is bound to make mistakes. While everyone is prone to slip-up and misstep, the positions the detectives find themselves in can often mean the difference between life and death.
Looking back over her three seasons, here is the biggest mistake Detective Jackie Curatola made on “Blue Bloods.”
Curatola let her guard down
In Season 2, Episode 6, “Lonely Hearts Club,” Danny Reagan and Jackie Curatola catch the case of a serial killer murdering escorts. At some point in their investigation, someone points out that the victims all look like Detective Curatola. A plan is devised to send her in as bait to lure the killer out of hiding and catch him in the act.
While Danny’s big brother tendencies have him initially oppose the plan, it ultimately goes ahead, and Curatola spends an evening with dates showing up and being turned away. Just when the team decides to call it quits and start packing everything up to try again, a last minute date shows up, and Curatola sends him away. In a moment of complacency, the date gets the jump on her, drugging her in the room. The killer turns out to be two killers, as a mother and son team believed they were doing the women a favor by removing them from terrible lives.
The big mistake here was the complacency that every cop is likely trained to avoid. Curatola let her guard down long enough for a mother-son team, essentially new at killing, to be able to get the drop on a senior detective. Curatola was lucky Reagan broke into the room in the nick of time to rescue her. For one of the best detectives on the force, this was a massive misstep that nearly killed her.