‘Blue Bloods’: Donnie Wahlberg Wants Danny to Battle New Demons Next Season
Arguably, the most complex and interesting character on CBS’ Blue Bloods is Danny Reagan (played by Donnie Wahlberg). As much as Tom Selleck’s Frank Reagan still intrigues, Danny is constantly battling personal issues he never takes enough time to address.
Even Wahlberg is noticing Danny never pays enough attention to his ongoing career/life problems. Complicating this is Danny trying to find personal help amid all the turmoil that currently exists in the NYPD and law enforcement in general.
Wahlberg recently addressed how the show may address Danny Reagan’s PTSD while taking on issues about police currently in the headlines. The two could easily intertwine for a truly intense 11th season.
How much personal trauma has Danny Reagan gone through?
More casual viewers of Blue Bloods may need a little catching up to do about all the trauma Danny Reagan has gone through. After all, he lost his wife, Linda, in an off-screen helicopter crash back in 2017. He also suffers PTSD from his time in the Iraq War, not including various stressful situations working as an NYPD detective.
All of this somewhat caught up with Danny in recent seasons to a point where it seems like he was close to burnout. Regardless, it seems he never takes time to deal with his own self and instead stays firmly committed to working overly challenging cases. Details of those cases often creates tense conversations during the famous dinner scenes at the Reagan household.
When Wahlberg was interviewed recently for TV Insider, he discussed what might happen to Danny in the proposed 11th season. Along the way, he noted how Blue Bloods would likely go forward due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and the political climate with more controversial views of American police.
How these work together in helping Danny overcome his own demons could be an interesting watch.
What does Danny Wahlberg want for Danny Reagan?
Said Wahlberg in the above TV Insider interview: “I don’t know if the audience is ready yet for Danny to move on [to date]—he has a lot of pain that he still needs to confront. Doing that might lead to him being able to move forward. I’d like that.”
The big question is whether Danny will take the time to do that when the show is already going to be busy enough dealing with subjects like police brutality and racism. Wahlberg noted the show is inevitably going to have to take those issues more seriously and address them head-on.
Fortunately, it could be easier for Blue Bloods to handle these subjects since the show keeps a serious tone about everything. In fact, the show has already addressed these current issues, if only briefly.
Much of this could also wreak more havoc on Danny’s PTSD. Will he find himself in the middle of perhaps being accused of more police brutality? He already has a history of stepping over the line and getting in trouble for it.
Fitting in time for Danny to have therapy
With Wahlberg’s comment above, he clearly wants Danny to fit in some time for therapy, something we could see amid all the other turmoil. Fans may remember he already sought out therapy for his PTSD in the earlier days of the show. He did this to combat the recurring nightmares of losing comrades when fighting in Iraq.
Dealing with losing his wife so suddenly should also be addressed soon. If not, Danny could end up lashing out in some ways while working as a detective. It could also prevent him from moving on to a new relationship for a long time.
