‘Blue Bloods’: Fans Praise Nicky’s Handling of Sexual Harassment

Blue Bloods returned Friday after the Winter Olympics forced the show to go on break.

The long-running police drama returned with a heavy episode, including a plot about sexual harassment. Fans at home were happy to see the series tackle the topical issue.

In “Legacy,” Nicky Reagan-Boyle (Sami Gayle) was sexually harassed by her new boss Bobby (Sean Kleier). However, Nicky tried to keep her famous family name out of the situation. Her mother, Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) was a little disappointed in her daughter after finding out that she used Boyle as her last name.

The interview with the boss at the start of the episode went well, but he complemented her look. That might have raised an eyebrow. It certainly did at home.

After her first day, Erin wondered why her daughter chose her ex-husband’s last name. “I wanted a clean slate,” Nicky said.

During her next day at the office, a co-worker tells Nicky not to wear makeup or do anything to attract attention to herself. That’s because Bobby is lecherous, and there’s little chance to change it.

Bobby later calls Nicky into his office and asks if they got off on the wrong foot. As she tries to go back to her work, Bobby invites her to dinner and she agrees to go. When she gets to the dinner, she finds Bobby by himself.

Bobby gives Nicky her home address, but she goes home to Erin instead. Nicky tries not to tell her mom about what really happened, and insists on taking care of the situation herself.

Fans were happy that Nicky did not go to the apartment.

On the next day, Nicky told her boss she could not go to his apartment. He kept pushing her and lunged forward to kiss her. Nicky stormed out, and started packing her stuff. Then, in a show of solidarity, three other women walked out.

In the end, Nicky told her mom she quit. Erin tells her she is not the only woman to deal with this. She has nothing to be embarrassed about, her mom tells her. Nicky also told her mom about the three other women who walked out, and said they would probably talk to investigators.

Nicky has been taking a bigger role in Blue Bloods as Gayle gets older. The character has grown up before our eyes and is now a 21-year-old student at Columbia, her mother’s alma mater. Nicky has also shown an increasing interest in taking jobs outside the New York Police Department.

New episodes of Blue Bloods air on CBS at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT Fridays.

Photo credit: John Paul Filo/CBS