‘Blue Bloods’ Finale: How Donnie Wahlberg Fought for Danny & Baez’s Big Ending

Dan Clarendon
22 Comments
Donnie Wahlberg and Marisa Ramirez for 'Blue Bloods' final season
Spoiler Alert
Michele Crowe / CBS

[Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the Blue Bloods series finale, “End of Tour.”]

Blue Bloods ended its 14-season run with joy and sorrow Friday night with the CBS procedural’s series finale. And for many fans, one of the joys was watching Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) ask out partner Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez).

The romantic twist came after Danny got grandfatherly advice from Henry Reagan (Len Cariou). “I always told you not to bring the job home,” Henry told him. “But the problem now is, you have no one not to bring it home to.”

Danny took Grandpa’s words to heart, later asking Baez if she wanted to get a pizza. And in a Variety post-finale debrief, Wahlberg said he was “pushing” for that moment.

“It was important to [showrunner] Kevin Wade to not have every partnership turn into a relationship. And I respected that, and I agreed with it,” the actor said. “I think it was just probably important for me personally that Danny grows. As the audience started sort of clamoring for a relationship with Danny and Baez, I thought, it’s more important for them to grow and for her to start making an impact on him, and him to really respect her in a way that he hasn’t always respected certain people in the show.”

Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan and Marisa Ramirez as Maria Baez in 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 Episode 11 - 'Life Sentence'

Barbara Nitke / CBS

Wahlberg wanted viewers to know how much love there was between Danny and Baez — “not even as a couple, just as human beings,” he said.

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“I think that was a lot of me really pushing,” he revealed. “I pushed a lot for some closure with that. I went to [writer] Siobhan O’Connor, and I was like, ‘Listen, you’ve got to do something. They don’t need to go get married, but something would be nice, just to show that there may be a future for them, or that their relationship has really evolved.’”

And so O’Connor scripted the grandfather-grandson conversation that put the pizza date in motion. “I did the scene with Len, and it was just gold,” Wahlberg said. “You understand he’s taking Grandpa’s advice. And I thought it was done magically. I thought it was done with respect to the show. It wasn’t ‘Let’s tie this up with a nice bow.’ It’s just a little nod to what could happen in the future for them.”

Wade told TV Insider that he thinks it was a “beautiful” ending for the pair that fans have long hoped would get together. “Danny and Baez, I’m going to shout out to Siobhan, who wrote that story and I thought it was absolutely a beautiful way to open the book on that relationship, which was helped by the scene with Pop and Danny.

On X, many viewers celebrated the Danny-Baez development:

But not everyone is a shipper:

And some viewers, meanwhile, need to see more of the couple:

What did you think of Danny and Baez’s big moment? Was it the ending you hoped for? Let us know in the comments below.

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Conversation22 Comments

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  1. G

    GreenTurtle

    I think they should be together. Personally I feel that whoever made the decision to end Blue Bloods sucks!

    16

  2. G

    GoldPopsicle

    I like that Danny asked Baez out, I always wanted them together. I am also glad that Jamie and Eddie are pregnant but we won’t get to see the baby. So disappointed the series was not renewed.

    13

  3. R

    RedPalmtree

    I thought it was a sweet possibility moment. Whether they get together or not, it showed that their relationship is moving forward. Lovely.

    13

  4. B

    BlueBox

    I was somewhat disappointed in the ending.A five year glimpse where everyone was in their lives would of wrapped it up better.

    Friday night will never be the same

    8

  5. G

    GoldFlame

    It was nice to see Danny moving on. But Baez ? Doesn’t work for me. I liked him interacting with the lady a few seasons ago … the one who had visions (psychic) and helped them on a few cases. Danny went from an irritated, non-believer to having deep respect (and chemistry) for this lady.

    7 1

    1. G

      GoldSubmarine

      I was hoping for Danny to get together with Maggie, the psychic. After all, she was the one who finally got him to move on by taking off his wedding ring. And then they went to karaoke together. I was hoping they would bring he back one more time, perhaps she could have used her abilities to help locate this perp.

  6. B

    BlueBeer

    It's what I hoped for. Thank you all for such a great finale, all neatly tied up at the end. (Actually, I loved seeing Jack too. He has grown into quite the handsome fellow :).

    4

  7. O

    OrangeLamp

    I think that it was a good thing for them but I did not wanted it to be the ended of the show

    4

  8. C

    CyanGuitar

    It was time for Danny to move on and I like them together. If nothing else they will be best friends. Will miss you guys and Sunday dinners. All the best💚

    3

  9. P

    PurplePopsicle

    Finally!!!

    3

  10. G

    GoldCocktail

    I think it was a great finale!

    2

  11. G

    GoldMustache

    I thought it was sweet. It leaves you with the possibility of a happy ending for Danny to finally move on with his life. It would be great to have a spinoff with the two of them.

    2

  12. C

    CyanController

    We need a Danny and Baez spin off

    3 1

  13. G

    GoldButterfly

    It was a perfect ending!!!

    Just a glimpse of a future together between Danny and Baez!!!

    But CBS, you literally suck for removing one of the few good shows left!!!!!!

    1

  14. G

    GreenPretzel

    So sad it's all done...only show I ever watched...I loved everyone...they all complimented each other ..the show was real....and now it's done....they will never be replaced......

    1

  15. O

    OrangeGuitar

    I don’t imagine a romance. Just friendship.

    1

  16. D

    Dave

    maybe Netflix or Amazon Prime will pick it up for future seasons.

  17. R

    RedToast

    That was an appropriate ending. Viewers don't like to leave an obvious situation hanging; its unsettling. On a different note...I am surprised that the writers seemingly erred in the final script. The scene, where Eddie was in the hospital recovering from a bullet wound (no mention of its level of damage), left her there with Danny promising to keep her informed of their progress in finding her partner's killer. The next scene is Danny, Eddie, and several other cops in full gear running down an alley towards the suspected killer (or an accomplice; not sure). No explanation that I heard. If I am correct, that woulod be a rare miss cue by these amazing writers...no big deal, but it caught me by surprise. Did I miss something?

  18. G

    GreenGoggles

    Finale was way too predictable. Erin getting remarried, Eddy pregnant. Unnecessary

  19. O

    OrangeController

    The only way we're going to get a few more shows is if Frank retires and a "Diverse" female takes over as the Commissioner.

    1 6

  20. A

    Andy Frobig

    The important thing to me was that Erin chickened out of saying she was marrying Jack, and I can interpret that as meaning she realizes Anthony is the one for her.

    7

    1. P

      PurplePopsicle

      No, she just didn’t want to steal the moment from Eddie announcing her pregnancy.

      26