Patriarch and police commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) has been put through the wringer by his job over the years, but he still takes great pride in it. Driven by his desire to do what’s right no matter the cost, he’s made several enemies during his time on the force and a significant number of friends. Even though his actions can sometimes be driven by pride or vanity, there’s always a core of kindness to his actions. He cares about his kids, the people he’s in charge of, in spite of his occasional follies and missteps.
Fans may love Frank Reagan, but he does have a tendency to do things that make no sense to them or do things that get on their nerves, like sigh non-stop. This leaves a portion of the fanbase wondering why anyone actually enjoys spending time in his presence because he can also be brusque and autocratic. There’s one thing in particular that Frank tends to do, which leaves fans hanging out in the r/bluebloods subreddit in a state of confusion. It’s a master gesture that, in the end, actually has a reason for being a part of Frank’s repertoire for a specific reason.
Fans find Frank’s frequent saluting strange
“Does anyone Think Frank’s salute is weird[?]” u/epr3176 asked of the members of r/bluebloods. The poll they posted to the subreddit suggests that fans posting to the subreddit do find the gesture to be odd. Of the 96 people who responded to the poll, 42 found the gesture to be weird, while 36 responders said they didn’t find it weird at all. 14 members weighed in with an undecided vote.
u/epr3176 pointed out that Frank frequently salutes others while sitting down, which is apparently not proper police procedure. “Add in the fact that a salute should never be made while sitting down and the whole thing looks out of whack,” agreed u/kwilseahawk. But fans replying to another thread on the subreddit point out that superior officers don’t need to stand when returning a salute. Multiple fans posting to the thread note that it’s possible that Frank’s saluting style comes from his time in the Marines. Still, others suggested that Frank’s medical status might be involved. “I always figured it was because of the arthritis making it uncomfortable for him to do an actual standing salute,” said u/ohlordwhyisthishere.
It turns out that cops don’t seem to mind Selleck’s saluting style. Per an interview with TVInsider conducted in 2015, Tom Selleck explained that he occasionally receives this gesture of respect from cops on the streets. “All cops have to salute the police commissioner, and sometimes I get a salute! That’s a big deal.” Selleck said during the interview. He repeated that statement during PaleyFest New York in 2014, adding that the gesture touched him (per Yahoo).