Is Final Blue Bloods Season Setting the Stage for Danny’s Romantic Endgame?

The following contains spoilers, I suppose, from the Feb. 23 episode of CBS’ Blue Bloods.

Two episodes into Blue Bloods‘ two-part farewell run, it sure seems like the well-watched CBS series will end late this fall with widower Danny Reagan back in a romantic happy place.

It was just over a year ago that Blue Bloods casually revealed to us at a family dinner that a dapper Danny had plans that night for a date with Detective Laura Acosta.

But to hear the series’ latest episode tell it, that clearly did not amount to anything.

“[Linda]’s been dead five years [sic*] and you’re still not in a serious relationship with anyone. Why not?” the elusive serial killer Dr. Walker taunted Danny while being interrogated. “No, I’m not in a serious relationship with anyone,” Danny confirmed.

*Linda’s tombstone lists her date of death as May 28, 2017

Drilling down deeper, Walker posited, “Have you ever fantasized about your partner Baez? Or, your old partner [Jackie Curatola, played by returning guest star Jennifer Esposito]? You seem to have a lot of chemistry with her too.

“Are you afraid of your bad luck, that if you start a relationship with someone, they’re go to end up dead, murdered like your wife?” the doc added, enraging his adversary.

How Did Linda Die? Blue Bloods Murder Explained

Later, as part of a scheme to elicit intel from Walker, Danny returned to claim, “You were right. I don’t want to start a relationship with my partner, because I don’t want anyone that I love to ever be put in danger again.”

But was Danny alluding to Maria, or Jackie? And seeing as the former was listening in on the interrogation, was Danny’s “confession” merely a pre-arranged part of his tactic?

Or, even if he had run the “script” by Baez, maybe this was his way of subconsciously saying something he had long wanted to share?

But then… later… Danny had a warm moment with Jackie, as she bid him adieu, again, to return to Suffolk County, where she is Chief of Police.

“I thought you missed this,” Danny asked.

“I miss you, not the job,” she made clear. “Anyway, you and Baez, you work well together.”

“We do. You and I do, too,” he kinda-flirted back. “We always did.” (Um, how are we defining “work” here, anyway, Danny?)

When Jackie invited her ex-partner to ring her if another serial killer needs hunting, he suggested he’d call her for other reasons.

Like Walker/Jeremy, “Maybe I have an alter ego myself, who likes the water and the quiet life,” he joked (?).