Jackie Reid
DI Jackie Reid is a fictional character in the ITV series Taggart. WPC Reid made her first appearance in the first episode Killer in 1984. Although Jackie Reid featured throughout the late 80s, her first line in the show was in Death Comes Softly, when the character was promoted to a regular basis. In 1994 Jackie was promoted to Detective Sergeant, much to the dismay of Jim Taggart. She is the longest running character in the show. She is from the fictional village of Garsden in Lanarkshire.
Storylines
Jackie's upbringing is revealed over several series. In 2002, the men of the team go to a boxing match and Jackie is hurt that she wasn't invited. She says that she knows a lot about boxing as she is the only girl in a family of sons. In "Fearful Lightning", she says that her mother died after a long illness when she was younger and that she went through a phase of anger and depression. In "Bloodlines", Jardine asks her to watch a woman who has been released from prison for murdering three children and their parents almost thirty years previously. Jackie confides in him that she was five at the time and one of the victims was her best friend. In "Crossing The Line", Jackie has to confront her past when a murder is committed in her hometown. She admits that she rarely talks about her past as it was a rough upbringing, eventually arguing with her former school bully who held her head underwater when they were playing at the river. Jackie tells Burke that the other kids didn't like her as she was bright.When DI Robbie Ross joins the team in 1998, he and Jackie immediately hit it off. In "Bloodlines", she seems visibly upset when Robbie sleeps with a woman who is helping them with their enquiries. She returns to just being a friend, but he invites her over for a romantic meal at the end of "Fearful Lightning". When she arrives at his home with champagne and promises of a home-cooked Italian meal, his semi-naked girlfriend comes out of the bedroom to introduce herself.
She begins seeing DCS Brian Holmes in the episode "Ghost Rider" and announces their engagement in "Wavelength". In the episode "Falling in Love", she and DI Robbie Ross, a close friend, share a tender moment following a slow dance and she momentarily questions her devotion to Brian before marrying him at the end of the episode. She glances at Robbie seconds before reciting 'and forsaking all others' during her vows.
Jackie had a special relationship with DCI Michael Jardine throughout their time together on the Taggart team. She was seriously affected by his murder in 2002 and this contributed to the breakdown of her marriage.
She struggles to get along with their new boss, DCI Matthew 'Matt' Burke as he couldn't understand her devotion to Mike. They argue throughout "Fire, Burn" as he patronises her by calling her 'sweetheart,' accuses her of going over his head to their superiors and then finally declares that she is carrying on more like Jardine's widow than his colleague.
In "Halfway House" DC Stuart Fraser mentions to DI Ross that Jackie and Brian have filed for divorce as he wants to move to London and she is unable to move on from Mike's death. In the 2005 episode "A Death Foretold", it is revealed that Brian has returned to Glasgow following diagnosis of a brain tumour and that Jackie is spending her free time by his bedside. This causes problems among the team as they are unaware of her personal problems and become tired of her being late to work and not having any focus.
In "Mind Over Matter", Jackie gets herself into trouble by going undercover at a group therapy class. She proves on several occasions, however, that she is more than capable of handling herself. In "Penthouse and Pavement", she explains that she used to teach self-defence and then takes down the murderer when he attacks her. She also breaks a man's wrist in "Lifeline" after he tries to convince her colleagues she is suicidal and then breaks into her home.
In the 2006 episode "The Best and The Brightest", Jackie was reunited with a former friend of her husband, Professor Sean Murray. She slept with him but it later transpired that he was having an affair with a student and murder victim. She was formally disciplined by DCI Burke, who warned her to stay away from Murray for the duration of the case. Robbie threatened Murray for having got his 'very good friend' into serious trouble, later increasing this to a threat of violence.
She and Robbie have always been good friends, despite the occasional argument. In "Genesis", Robbie stays with Jackie for a few nights as his flat is flooded. They also spend a couple of nights together at a hotel on an island following a murder, during which time Jackie becomes frustrated with him for leaving her out of the 'boys club' stuff. She is visibly distressed in "The Wages of Sin" when Robbie goes missing from an undercover operation but joins in with the laughter when he is found tied up, naked, in a barn full of turkeys. She falls out with Robbie again during "Running Out of Time" as he was put in charge while Burke was out on a fishing holiday. Jackie made the decision to find Burke at his resort to tell him that a DC has been murdered, going against Robbie's wishes. When she got to the lake, she found Burke fighting for his life, having been shot in the neck. She and Robbie finally kiss while on an undercover operation in "Bloodsport" but it isn't taken any further. Robbie is frequently in hot water and Jackie helps him out as often as she can. In "Skin Deep" he is falsely accused by Brian Holmes of taking bribes. Jackie visits him on suspension, going against orders, and supports him as much as she can. She is also the only person who stands by him in "A Fistful of Chips" when Jardine kicks him off the case for being too involved with known criminals.
Despite earlier misgivings, she and Burke develop a strong respect for one another. In "Atonement", Robbie becomes frustrated with Burke for not listening to his views on another suspect. Burke only stops to listen to him when Jackie intervenes and says she agrees with Robbie. In "Compensation", Burke develops a friendly relationship with an elderly farmer, who reminds him of his father. When the relationship becomes unhealthy and threatens the case, Jackie steps in to check that Burke is OK, and then forces him to visit his father at the end of the episode.
Jackie and Stuart have a strong friendship, only arguing once, when Stuart accidentally discloses to Burke that Jackie is having financial difficulties. She shouts at him in front of the entire office, causing Burke to intervene and discipline her. When Stuart falls asleep on duty in "An Eye for an Eye", allowing a murderer to kill again, Jackie comforts him and then visits his flat while he is suspended. She encourages him to take a blood test, which reveals that he was drugged on the night in question.
She is finally promoted in the most recent episode, "The Ends of Justice". She currently has the last line of the show so far on answering the telephone: "DI Reid?"