Rachel Witten's Season 13 Return Sends Blue Bloods Fans into a Frenzy
The procedural drama series Blue Bloods continues the story of the Reagan family, long involved in New York law enforcement.
However, the appearance of this character left fans with mixed feelings. And while some are happy, others do not understand why it was necessary in the first place.
In the fifteenth episode of season 8, titled "Legacy" we meet Officer Rachel Witten (Lauren Patten) of the 65th Precinct. She interrogates a man caught jaywalking about his immigration status. Her actions, as well as her criticism of the NYPD, lead to her firing, which is sanctioned by Reagan family patriarch Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck).
Nevertheless, this is not the last we see of Witten in the series. Later, Commissioner Reagan invites her back to be a police officer at the 29th Precinct. She works there for two years and resigns due to the high pressure and stress of the job.
And here we are, Blue Bloods fans have another chance to meet Rachel. Witten, who is now a social worker, makes an appearance in the fourteenth episode of this season, only to have another confrontation with Commissioner Reagan.
Ironically enough, this time, Rachel is in the process of taking legal action against two officers for exceeding their authority. Frank invites her to a family Sunday dinner, where they argue about the appropriateness of Rachel's actions. The only person at the table supporting Witten is Eddie, the wife of Jamie Reagan and Witten's former partner. But perhaps it is Rachel, as a social worker, who will help Danny with the ethical issue that has arisen in his latest investigation.
But don't get too excited, Officer Witten! After watching the last episode, some fans even seem to be annoyed with Rachel:
“The entire storyline with Witten is forced, and actually quite odd. Not a fan,” user kayannrdh says below the official Blue Bloods Instagram post.
In particular, many have criticized the possible foreshadowing of Frank and Rachel's romantic relationship as inappropriate:
“She certainly is not the person for the Commissioner. Big mistake if they pair them,” barbaradurbon complains.
Overall, while many were happy to see the beloved side character, other fans criticized the context in which Rachel was introduced this season. Nevertheless, we hope that in the next episodes the relationship (not romantic!) between Frank and Rachel will work out and that the latter will be able to help Danny with the investigation.