Emails. I get emails. Lots and lots of emails from puzzled, confounded, surprised and/or concerned readers who have been blindsided by something they were watching. Or not watching.
Here's one example.
"Hi, Michael.
"What happened to Danny's wife, Linda, on Blue Bloods?? She was fine after the fire at the end of last season. Then in a total throwaway line on the first show of this season they mentioned that she was dead. Did I miss something? Surely after seven seasons of her great character she deserved better than that. No explanation, no funeral. No nothing??? HELP!"
And another.
"My question: Did I miss something, or an episode?? Did I forget some of, or not see all of the last season's finale/cliff hanger?? What happened to Linda? Help!"
There were about a dozen other bewildered viewers who sent similar concerns.
There are a couple of things to glean from the emails. First, you guys are way too fast and loose with the question marks. One will do nicely, faithful readers. Three makes me want to hyperventilate.
And second, even after all these years, TV can still spring a surprise on us from time to time. Blue Bloods pulled a fast one and nobody saw it coming. Not even me. Here's what happened to Linda.
Yes, there was a fire and Reagans' house burned down at the end of Season 7. And, yes, Linda (played by Amy Carlson) survived the fire.
However, the first episode of Season 8 revealed that nurse Linda had died in the off season in a medical helicopter crash while she was helping transport a patient.
We can expect the rest of this season to show how Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and the family deal with her death.
For those who think the network is being disrespectful to Carlson and her character, know that it was Carlson's decision to leave the series after her contract was up. She probably decided to bail after the last episode was in the can or they would have had her either die in the fire or be inside the burning house for some sort of cliffhanger.
About her departure, Carlson wrote on Instagram, "My heart is full of gratitude to each of you for your generous support of me and my character for the last seven years of Blue Bloods. I loved playing Linda [and] I'm proud of my contribution to building this series."
Bottom line: The 49-year-old Carlson thought it was time to move on and try other things while she's still young.
Blue Bloods airs at 9 p.m. Fridays on CBS.
• NCIS losing Abby. Meanwhile, over at NCIS, fan favorite Pauley Perrette, who plays beloved, quirky, Caf-Pow-fueled forensic scientist Abby Sciuto, has announced that she's leaving the show after this season. The 48-year-old Perrette has been at it for 15 years and is the only other actor besides Mark Harmon to appear in every episode.
The curly-haired natural blonde is also probably weary of having her hair dyed black and straightened every day, as well as having that temporary spiderweb tattoo applied to her neck.
The Associated Press quotes a statement from executive producers George Schenck and Frank Cardea as saying, "We've known for some time this would be Pauley's final season on NCIS and have been working toward a special send-off. Abby is a character that inspires millions of fans around the world, and all of us at NCIS are appreciative of Pauley for portraying her."
That a "special send-off" is planned is a relief considering the fatal farewells given some past NCIS ladies. They include Caitlin "Kate" Todd (Sasha Alexander), who was shot in the head by a sniper in Season 2, and Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly), who died in a hail of bullets in the Season 5 finale.
Also, in the Season 13 finale, Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) dies in a mortar attack on her Israeli farm, but her daughter with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) survives. Caring for his daughter gave Tony a good reason to leave NCIS after 306 episodes, and immediately allowed Weatherly to star in his current series, Bull.
For the record, NCIS is TV's top-ranked drama and one of the most-viewed series around the world. It airs at 7 p.m. today on CBS.
Abby trivia: According to Perrette, Caf-Pow was originally Hawaiian Punch, but was switched to unsweetened cranberry juice when she cut out refined sugar.
• Longmire. Hardly a day goes by that I don't get an email or two asking when Season 6 of Longmire will come to Netflix. The streaming outfit is toying with us. The 10-episode final season is finished and in the can, but Netflix is holding off announcing a debut date. Many thought it would be this month, and it still might be. Stay tuned.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 10/17/2017