‘Blue Bloods’ Finale: Joe Hill’s Return Reminds the Reagans of the One They Lost

Ileane Rudolph May 13, 2021, 1:30 pm

Will Hochman Joe Hill Undercover Blue Bloods Season 11 Finale — John Paul Filo/CBS

The last time the Reagans saw Det. Joe Hill (Will Hochman), on Blue Bloods’ December 18 episode, he reneged on a promised visit to Sunday dinner. The newly discovered grandson of police commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) returns front and center, though, in Friday’s intense two-hour Season 11 ender.

The story opens as Joe’s uncle Danny (Donnie Wahlberg, below) tracks down a weapon used in multiple crimes. The trail leads to a pair of illegal gun dealers…one of them Joe, working undercover. Unbeknownst to the family, he’s been loaned out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to infiltrate a crew that is buying and selling guns and drugs up and down the East Coast. (ER favorite Gloria Reuben, who played Selleck’s love interest in several of his Jesse Stone TV movies, guest stars as the senior ATF agent overseeing Joe.)

Sneak Peek: Gloria Reuben Guest Stars in the 'Blue Bloods' Finale (PHOTOS)

The two cops’ missions collide, says executive producer Kevin Wade, “when Danny leads a bust and realizes one of the guys they’re busting is his nephew. He has to make a decision in a split second about how to recalibrate, while Joe has to take his cue from Danny.” And despite being compromised, Joe wants to continue in his role.

If you think this sounds like risky business, you’re right. The question is, who will get to him first: his family and the NYPD, or the bad guys?

Joe’s father — Frank’s eldest — died on an undercover sting, which “weighs heavily on the Reagans,” Wade says. They leave their comfort zones to help ensure Joe’s safety, but he may not allow a rescue before the job is done.