Anyone who watches the CBS police drama Blue Bloods knows that, despite their arguments and drama, the Reagans are as close-knit as they come, and it’s not just about casual dinners. Usually they enjoy it together. Throughout the show’s run, one thing has always been clear: Anyone who surpasses one Reagan surpasses them all. That goes double for the romantic partners, past and present, of any member of the New York City clan.
Few characters felt the full force of Reagan’s anger like Erin Reagan’s (Bridget Moynahan) ex-husband, Jack Boyle (Peter Hermann). Reactions to the mention of Jack’s name range from uncomfortable silence to outright anger, which may be consistent with the family’s general modus operandi.
However, avid fans of the series have noticed that not everything viewers have been told about Jack over the years is exactly the same. When comparing his reputation with his actions, fans have noticed some inconsistencies with his personality that left them disappointed with the way he handled himself on the show.
How the Reagan family views Jack Boyle in Blue Bloods
Even before Jack Boyle appeared in the flesh in Blue Bloods, the Reagan family had a long history of bad-mouthing him. Back in the show’s first season, in the episode “Perks,” someone mentioned Morgan Hall, where Erin and Jack got married. In response, Erin said, “Whatever you do, stay away from Morgan Hall.” She went on to call her previous wedding venue unlucky.
In the season 2 episode, “Parenthood,” a heated discussion around the Reagan family dinner table ends with Erin and Jack’s daughter, Nicky (Sami Gayle), telling her mother about the rules. The monk defended, “You hate them because my father is one of them. ” The comment was followed by stunned silence from the rest of the family, who were clearly uncomfortable at the mention of Erin’s ex-husband.
To put it mildly, when Jack appeared in the flesh in episode 3 “Old Wounds,” he received a cold reception from the entire family. Erin’s brother, Danny (Donny Wahlberg), and sister-in-law, Linda (Amy Carlson), refuse to stand up and greet him. Her grandfather, Henry (Len Cariou), even refuses to shake his hand.
All of these little things leave viewers with the impression that whatever Jack did to Erin that led to their divorce must have been pretty terrible. However, as the character of Jack began to appear more and more throughout the show, Blue Bloods fans began to feel disappointed with how accurately he was portrayed.
Jack Boyle’s inconsistencies upset Blue Bloods fans
After being introduced in the third season, Jack made several appearances throughout Blue Bloods’ 10-season run. The longer his character appeared on the show, the more confusion he caused among devoted fans. From his frequent polite mistakes and the Reagan family’s antagonism to his devotion to his daughter and rekindled romance with Erin, fans aren’t sure if they should love or not. hate the show’s most infamous ex-husband.
There are even several Reddit threads dedicated to pointing out the inconsistencies in his character. In an article titled “What’s wrong with Jack Boyle? Easily the most confusing character on the show,” Reddit user Hkr0067 summarized their confusion with the character, saying, “One minute he’s a deadbeat dad, the next he’s a saint. One minute he wants to go on a date with Erin, another minute he’s bringing his current girlfriend to seek her services… just to brag all about Erin to that woman.”
On another occasion, user Gordon-Sumner expressed frustration with the confusing nature of Erin and Jack’s relationship: “The writing about [these two] and their history is terrible on this show . I said before they need to put more of his character in the show.”
In both threads, many other users agreed that they wanted to see more of Jack on the show to help better establish his character. However, actor Peter Hermann’s career outside of Blue Bloods made that difficult.
Where else have you met Peter Hermann?
One of the most probable reasons why fans haven’t seen Jack as much as they would like is because Peter Hermann has a full schedule co-starring on TV Land’s comedy Younger. As Empirical Press CEO Charles Brooks, Hermann has been the show’s lead since the first season and has appeared in more than 60 episodes, which would make filming schedules difficult. More in-depth for Blue Bloods.
Younger isn’t the only show Hermann spends time on. Since 2002, the actor has regularly appeared on Law & Order: SVU as defense attorney Trevor Langan. It was on the set of the criminal procedural that he met his real-life wife, Mariska Hargitay, whom he has been married to since 2004.
So while Blue Bloods fans may want more from the mysterious Jack Boyle, for now, they’ll have to be content with sharing Hermann with his other TV commitments. However, considering the character appeared on Blue Bloods in 2020, it’s likely we’ll continue to see him throughout the show’s run.
