Being a Reagan

With the promo for More Than Meets the Eye indicating that the new Manhattan DA believes the Reagans take advantage of their name, it seems appropriate to look back at some of the ways the Reagan name has affected Jamie and Eddie, both the good and the bad… The bad times are more noticeable, so it becomes easy to think of this as a summary of the downside of being a Reagan, but nothing is that straightforward. The Reagan name may draw unwanted negative attention, but it is also helpful in opening doors, and sometimes even additional authority. Before this slightly unusual look back, a chance to look forward to Friday’s episode.

Shadow of 1PP

For Jamie and Eddie, Frank’s position at 1PP is, unfortunately, the reason for many of the negative consequences of having a link to the Reagan name. The most significant impact has been how it has limited Jamie and Eddie’s career progress. To the extent that Eddie almost didn’t have a career with the NYPD because she made a mistake and Jamie was her training officer. In season 4’s The Truth About Lying Frank’s conversation with Kelly Peterson leaves no doubt as to why Eddie is being singled out;

Kelly: “she does make a terrific sacrificial lamb.”

Frank: “With the added bonus that you would know that she is my son Jameson’s partner and that I am known hopefully for avoiding any appearance of favoritism where my family is concerned.”

Frank made sure that Eddie wasn’t unfairly punished and was able to continue with the NYPD. Later, Eddie was warned in Stomping Grounds that her partnership with Jamie was restricting her career (Although Ray’s point of view isn’t entirely trustworthy, it’s probably motivated by his plans to get close to Eddie)

Ray: “You have the potential to do big things in this department, but being partnered with a Reagan is holding you back.”

Eddie: “Why is that?”

Ray: “The PC can’t afford to be seen as favoring his son’s partner. You need another hook.”

Beyond that, there haven’t been too many comments about Eddie’s career, but there have been a few discussions about how long Jamie was a police officer, and with Eddie now being Mrs Reagan, there’s a good chance that these same issues apply to her as well. Jamie’s career finally moved forward when he became a sergeant, but it had already been made clear that it was the only path left open to him. It’s probably the main reason that Frank pushed so hard for Jamie to take the exam in Your Six, as the only way for Jamie to move on from being an officer while Frank is in charge. The situation was discussed in Righting Wrongs and Lost Souls.

Frank: “I’ve always been a hard-ass about not using my job to show favoritism to my kids.”

Garrett: “There’s unintentional consequences to being the most ethical PC the department’s ever had.”

Frank: “Jamie’s a gifted cop, but no one dares recommend him for promotion for fear that I’d question their motives.”

Garrett: “Would it be better if Jamie was a detective already, and the guys were whispering behind his back that it was nepotism?”

Frank: “It would be better if I wasn’t the one holding him back.”

Garrett: “People know you go overboard making sure that there’s no special treatment for your kids.”

Frank: “Jamie’s successes and failures should be purely his own, like every other cop.”

Garrett: “But he’s not like every other cop. And pretending he is doesn’t make it so.”

Frank: “So I should just move him up the ranks as I please?”

Garrett: “No, but however well-intentioned you are, in not artificially helping him along, it actually does the opposite. It artificially holds him back.”

Frank: “How?”

Garrett: “There are bosses on this job who are very interested in Jamie. And who wouldn’t be? They want to tap him for special assignments, even promotions, but they’re afraid in doing so, it will ruffle your feathers.”

Of course, it’s not just the life-affecting stuff, there’s also the day to day impact. Any incident that Jamie or Eddie become involved in can get additional focus because of the Reagan connection. This might mean a public figure who sees it as a way of using the situation against Frank, but it could be extra attention from the press. There are times, like the bucket of water incident in Higher Standards, where the media attention causes what might have been a minor problem to turn into a much bigger issue. However in Rush to Judgement, Jamie was a pawn in a political game; Reverend Potter made sure there was media attention on the initial incident as a way of attacking Frank, then a member of the DA’s office seized on what they claimed was an issue with the whole family’s abuse of power.

Leslie: “The process has been working well for Officer Reagan and his family for a long time. Hasn’t it?”

Jamie: “What are you getting at?”

Leslie: “Your brother has beaten numerous excessive force complaints while your father’s been police commissioner. Maybe you think you’re invulnerable as well.”… “Your sister may work here, but having the Reagan name is not the same as a “get out of jail free” card.”

The DA’s comment is the latest example of the assumption they get special treatment and are somehow able to ‘get away’ with ignoring rules or imposing their version of the rules. Despite their denials, they’re never quite believed. Such as in Not Fade Away, where they’re accused of ignoring the guidelines about relationships.

Kelsey: “I thought I knew you were a stand-up cop, but I guess ’cause he’s a Reagan, you can count on the bosses looking the other way.”

During their defence in Risk Management, even their counsel assumes that Jamie and Eddie will be treated differently with an expectation that Jamie will get preferential treatment in any judgment.

“Says the commissioner’s son.”… “When someone gets thrown under the bus here, you think it’ll be Prince Charming or Princess Nobody?”

The Upside

The focus so far has been on the problems caused by Frank’s role, but there can be some benefits. Again, these are not necessarily anything tangible, although they still can be useful. There have been times where Jamie will lean on the family connection to imply greater significance to his actions. In Ghosts of the Past, it’s quickly established that the congressman knows Jamie is Frank’s son, and this is the main reason Jamie can have the discussions regarding Andrea’s situation. Similarly, it doesn’t seem likely that an officer could typically threaten a training sergeant into requesting a reassignment as Jamie did in Stomping Grounds. Ironically in Close Calls, Jamie visits Sid immediately after claiming he has little influence at 1PP.

Jamie: “I can’t just walk into 1PP and ask my father for a favor every time a cop comes to me about a rotten assignment, I just…”

Similarly, Eddie was able to resolve the issue with her Sergeant by obtaining information from Baker in Grave Errors. It certainly doesn’t appear that either of them is wielding the wide-ranging power that others may accuse them of having.

Family’s Strength

The main strength of the Reagans is the support and compassion the family can provide for the job. The one tangible benefit has been reliant on how well the family knows Jamie and Eddie’s skills, and the opportunities this sometimes provides. There have been two occasions where Frank has relied on Jamie’s abilities to deal with a sensitive situation. In Righting Wrongs Frank said it very simply.

Frank: “It’s delicate. Needs to be under the radar. I need someone I can trust and someone who is capable.”

While in All The News That’s Fit to Click Frank really stated the trust he placed in Jamie’s skills.

Garrett: “Is that why you put Office Reagan on this? As insurance against my judgment?”

Frank: “I put Jamie on this because he can read a potential situation better than anybody I know.”

Garrett: “Because you don’t trust me to.”

Frank: “Because it’s sensitive.”

Similarly, Eddie has been given assignments by both Danny and Erin due to their awareness of her capabilities. Partly these may be an excuse to allow Eddie to work undercover, but they have also demonstrated a level of trust and respect.

There may be times that Jamie and Eddie ask Erin or Danny for a favour, but none of these would appear to have been to an extent where they could justify the new DA’s claims against the family. We will have to wait and see what happens during More Than Meets the Eye, but realistically there will always be new claims of the Reagans ignoring the rules just because of the positions they hold. Unfortunately, Jamie and Eddie are usually the ones faced with these comments from senior officers, and consequently likely to get a rip as a result (there have been so many of those incidents I could create another of these posts based just on them). What happened with Joe in Atonement is a reminder of how bad things can get, but Jamie and Eddie have shown they’re able to make it through together.