The black sheep of the Reagan family is returning to the fold this week.
While a mysterious gunman targets Danny, Frank tries to aid grandson Joe Hill (Will Hochman) from his own brutal attack as Blue Bloods delivers more powerful family drama this week.
Joe Hill makes his return
The Reagans have always prided themselves on being a tight-knit family. Yet they were rocked by the revelation there was one family member out there they never knew about.
As longtime Blue Bloods fans know, the series pilot relayed how elder son Joseph had been killed on the job before the show started. It turned out Joseph had stumbled onto a ring of corrupt cops who had him silenced.
In the Season 10 finale, appropriately titled Family Secrets, Frank was approached by Paula Hill, who wanted her detective son Joe to be transferred to a safer assignment. She then dropped the bomb that Joe was Joseph’s son, the product of a fling Joseph and Paula had years before.
Frank kept it quiet, but the truth did come out with Joe naturally surprised at the news but joining the Reagans for dinner.
In Season 11, Joe first popped up helping Jamie track Danny and Baez when they were held prisoner by a killer. When the truth of his being a Reagan became public, Joe clashed with other officers and then dropped out of sight.
The Season 11 finale revealed Joe was now working undercover for the ATF. He, Jamie, and Danny got into a huge gunfight with gun runners with Joe then joining the family for another dinner.
That was the last seen of him, yet he appears ready for a return.
Why is Joe returning to Blue Bloods?
This week’s episode, Be Smart Or Be Dead, has Joe making his return while the focus is on Danny being targeted by someone.
Frank causes family tension when he assigns Jamie to guard Danny after a hit is put on him, and when Frank tries to stop his cop grandson, Joe Hill (Will Hochman), from seeking revenge after he’s attacked. Also, Eddie gets a hostile new partner, and Erin’s moral character is attacked by the defense when she tries an old murder case related to her boss, the D.A.
Given the long list of crooks he’s put away, it’s almost impossible to figure out who’d want Danny dead. Obviously, he’ll want to solve the case himself, which is sure to put tension on Jamie’s attempts to keep him safe.
Joe looks ready to take the law into his own hands while it’s unknown if he’s still working for the ATF. It shows that if anything else, Joe has inherited the Reagan temper and Frank once more has to put being the boss ahead of his family ties.
Eddie will have to adjust to a new partner with Witten quitting, which might push her wishes to take the sergeant’s exam.
Meanwhile, Erin’s own growing tension with boss Crawford may come to a head as she tries the case she reopened in the Season 12 premiere, which can be complicated by how the accused just happens to have a Congresswoman for a child.
If nothing else, this is going to be one Reagan family dinner not to be missed.
Blue Bloods Season 12 airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS.
All episodes of Blue Bloods are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
The link above is an affiliate link. This means that for any qualifying purchase you make, we may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
I just read a brief article that said Will Hochman would not be returning as Joe Hill because
he died of Covid 19 in November 2021. Is that true?