S10.E03: Behind the Smile

[wknt3]

Quote

Frank's esteem for an old friend and late socialite proves to be a mistake when her son threatens to publicly reveal who she really was. Also, Jamie asks Erin for help apprehending a perp who shot at him after learning she chose not to send him to prison six months ago; Eddie clashes with her new boss, Sergeant McNichols; and Danny drags Baez into a case involving a suspicious grieving couple.

[jaimesommers]

I really, really hate that blue pinstripe suit. 

[Katy M]

This was a fairly boring episode.  I would say the theme running through this is whining.

Matt whined because his mother was mean to him.

Jamie whined because he got shot at.  OK, I'm not saying that it's good to be shot at, but it could have happened with someone else instead of that guy.  Besides I thought we were against locking people up for drugs.

Eddie whined because her big mean boss was mean to her.

Eddie's boss whined because Eddie and Rachel called over a detective 5 feet away when there was a witness who wanted to talk to him.

It's odd that the only story I was interested in was Danny's. His is usually the only one I'm not interested in.

[AnnA]

All I have to say is...

[Magnumfangirl]

So are we getting rid of Nikki?  Can we really get that lucky?  If they really are writing her out by giving her some gobbledygook acronym job that nobody can explain in San Francisco of all places, that's hilarious.  The writers must be sick of her too.  LOL!  

Edited October 12, 2019 by Magnumfangirl

[preeya]

10 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

So are we getting rid of Nikki?  Can we really get that lucky?  If they really are writing her out by giving her some gobbledygook acronym job that nobody can explain in San Francisco of all places, that's hilarious.  The writers must be sick of her too.  LOL!  

I still can't fathom the fact they pay those actors just to sit at that dinner table each week (Danny's sons, Erin's daughter, and Grandpa teeth). All I can say is farewell, Sami. You won't be missed.

[Ebau]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

Grandpa teeth

Actually, those aren't his teeth; they're prosthetics.  I read an interview with Len Cariou years ago, at the start of Blue Bloods, and he said that he does wear false teeth, but the ones he wears on the show are not his false teeth; apparently they were specifically made for his role. Why? I've no idea. I get why Rami Malek wore a dental prosthetic for Bohemian Rhapsody, but Henry Reagan is not a real person, so why do that to him? He just turned 80, by the way, and still looks pretty good!

BTW, for those of you who haven't yet heard: I read a news item this morning reporting that Blue Bloods is leaving Netflix on November 5th, apparently forever. If you want to watch old episodes, you need to sign up for CBS All Access.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Ebau

[MissLucas]

Wow, that was boring - with the exception of Danny's plot. And that's always a bad sign. Frank's plot was extremely ham-fisted, he's not a family councilor. And there have been plenty of occasions when he wasn't willing to overlook someone's faults when others asked him to pointing out that person's good sides. Oh, well.

Is it just me paying more attention because of boredom or has the wardrobe department stepped up its game (pin stripe suit notwithstanding). Baez has been wearing some really great jackets recently and Erin is wearing more color.

I hated Eddie setting up William to hug mean lady boss - that could have backfired spectacularly. 

Edited October 12, 2019 by MissLucas

[Sarah 103]

13 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

So are we getting rid of Nikki?  Can we really get that lucky?  

I'm not sure. I think that was a plot device to give Frank an idea. I think Nikki's possible job offer was a chance for Frank to give a speech on the importance of family and family dinners, which lead to him coming up with the idea to get all three siblings to eat together.

I think you need Nikki at the table to bring up the simple liberal perspective for the others to argue against. Jamie may be more liberal than some of his family, but he would say a variation of "it's a complicated issue" in a way that Nikki wouldn't or couldn't.

Can someone explain Eddie's storyline to me? Either it's crazy simple (it was all about getting her boss a hug, which could have gone so wrong) or I missed something. Also, I thought Eddie chose to be on the nightshift, so why are they now making it seem like a punishment? Did I misunderstand something or this lack of continuity?  

[MissLucas]

6 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Can someone explain Eddie's storyline to me? Either it's crazy simple (it was all about getting her boss a hug, which could have gone so wrong) or I missed something. Also, I thought Eddie chose to be on the nightshift, so why are they now making it seem like a punishment? Did I misunderstand something or this lack of continuity?  

It's simple. Eddie married a Reagan so now she has to deal with that terrible family affliction that some uppity people will make her life miserable for being a Reagan until they see the light, accept that their names are not in the opening credits and eat humble pie.

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

hated Eddie setting up William to hug mean lady boss - that could have backfired spectacularly. 

I hated that too. It's a small moment to get riled up about,  but that was completely inappropriate. First of all, I don't care how much of a bitch she was, she did not deserve to have some huge guy hug her out of nowhere. She had no way of knowing that he meant no harm. Supposing she'd flipped out at that? Then you'd have the guy completely bewildered and saying that the other two had told him to do it, which would have undoubtedly gotten them into serious trouble--and deservedly so.

It really angers me that two women--COPS for that matter--set up another woman to have some strange guy put his hands on her. 

And it really bothers me that she just stood there, tolerating it even though she's clearly uncomfortable, just like we all have had to do, because the burden is always on us to play along and not cause a scene.

[Katy M]

33 minutes ago, Camille said:

I hated that too. It's a small moment to get riled up about,  but that was completely inappropriate. First of all, I don't care how much of a bitch she was, she did not deserve to have some huge guy hug her out of nowhere. She had no way of knowing that he meant no harm. Supposing she'd flipped out at that? Then you'd have the guy completely bewildered and saying that the other two had told him to do it, which would have undoubtedly gotten them into serious trouble--and deservedly so.

It really angers me that two women--COPS for that matter--set up another woman to have some strange guy put his hands on her. 

And it really bothers me that she just stood there, tolerating it even though she's clearly uncomfortable, just like we all have had to do, because the burden is always on us to play along and not cause a scene.

It also wasn't fair to the guy.  I don't know anything about this syndrome he has, or if it was made up for this show.  But, he has obviously had to be told that it is not OK to go up giving people hugs and now Eddie and Rachel(?) are giving him mixed signals.

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

Can someone explain Eddie's storyline to me? Either it's crazy simple (it was all about getting her boss a hug, which could have gone so wrong) or I missed something. Also, I thought Eddie chose to be on the nightshift, so why are they now making it seem like a punishment? Did I misunderstand something or this lack of continuity?  

It annoyed me.  They were trying to make out like the sergeant was a jerk.  But, IMO, the only time she was a jerk was when they were in the station and she yelled at them for hooking the witness up with the detective.

If something happens at the end of your shift, you have to work late.  That's most jobs.  Eddie was walking right by the sergeant to get the detective.  Of course, she should have just told the sergeant.  

[preeya]

14 minutes ago, Katy M said:

It also wasn't fair to the guy.  I don't know anything about this syndrome he has, or if it was made up for this show.  But, he has obviously had to be told that it is not OK to go up giving people hugs and now Eddie and Rachel(?) are giving him mixed signals.

WILLIAMS SYNDROME

Williams syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. This condition is characterized by mild to moderate intellectual disability or learning problems, unique personality characteristics, distinctive facial features, and heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) problems.

People with Williams syndrome typically have difficulty with visual-spatial tasks such as drawing and assembling puzzles, but they tend to do well on tasks that involve spoken language, music, and learning by repetition (rote memorization). Affected individuals have outgoing, engaging personalities and tend to take an extreme interest in other people. Attention deficit disorder (ADD), problems with anxiety, and phobias are common among people with this disorder.

[mtlchick]

2 hours ago, Ebau said:

BTW, for those of you who haven't yet heard: I read a news item this morning reporting that Blue Bloods is leaving Netflix on November 5th, apparently forever. If you want to watch old episodes, you need to sign up for CBS All Access.

Absolutely true story: I'm the one that had to explain to a cast member (coughDonniewheeze) what CBS All Access AND The Good Fight were  even though that show was taking over the wardrobe area of the Good Wife...which is inside the main stage area where Blue Bloods shoots the dinner scenes. 

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Also, I thought Eddie chose to be on the night shift, so why are they now making it seem like a punishment

It was either change precincts, move further from work or stay close by where she currently is but work nights.  It's "punishment" in the sense she won't see Jaime as often.  

As for the hugging thing...I don't much about Williams but I know it's associated to a learning and intellectual disorder.  So I was pretty uncomfortable with all that.  Had it been my sister getting an unwanted hug from someone she didn't know, she would have punched them.  

[wknt3]

3 hours ago, Ebau said:

Actually, those aren't his teeth; they're prosthetics.  I read an interview with Len Cariou years ago, at the start of Blue Bloods, and he said that he does wear false teeth, but the ones he wears on the show are not his false teeth; apparently they were specifically made for his role. Why? I've no idea. I get why Rami Malek wore a dental prosthetic for Bohemian Rhapsody, but Henry Reagan is not a real person, so why do that to him? He just turned 80, by the way, and still looks pretty good!

He wears the dental prosthetic because he looks so good for his age. He is only six years older than Selleck. So they age him up with makeup and his acting choices and age Tom down with all the usual tricks they use for aging stars. It helps him look like he's around 90 while we're supposed be believe Frank is in his early sixties.

[Ebau]

17 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

He wears the dental prosthetic because he looks so good for his age. He is only six years older than Selleck. So they age him up with makeup and his acting choices and age Tom down with all the usual tricks they use for aging stars. It helps him look like he's around 90 while we're supposed be believe Frank is in his early sixties.

I knew about the scant age difference between Cariou and Selleck, and your explanation makes sense. However, I did notice that Selleck is now getting more gray in his hair - or is being permitted to allow his hair to go grey. Network suits are a pitiless bunch.

[wknt3]

40 minutes ago, Ebau said:

I knew about the scant age difference between Cariou and Selleck, and your explanation makes sense. However, I did notice that Selleck is now getting more gray in his hair - or is being permitted to allow his hair to go grey. Network suits are a pitiless bunch.

Yeah pretty sure that the black shoe polish is all about Selleck's vanity since he's been sporting it across different roles for awhile now and I can't see any outside observer thinking it's a good look. Even a network executive and my expectations of that group are pretty low. I mean I don't see CBS forcing Mark Harmon or Scott Bakula to dunk their heads in a toner cartridge...

[Rambler]

19 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

So are we getting rid of Nikki?  Can we really get that lucky?  If they really are writing her out by giving her some gobbledygook acronym job that nobody can explain in San Francisco of all places, that's hilarious.  The writers must be sick of her too.  LOL!  

I wouldn't hold my breath. The company she's looking to join funds green initiatives and minority startups, is funded by a tech billionaire and is located in San Francisco. In Blue Bloods world that translates to a shady company that secretly funds eco-terrorists and imports illegal aliens so they can take the jobs of hard working Americans. I give Nikki a few weeks of driving a Prius and eating avocado toast before she finds out something like the company is really a front for ANTIFA, and she pulls out her fork and runs back home.

[JayDub]

Frank's story arc = mega lame.

Jamie, Erin and Anthony = lame

Eddie and the stick up her ass Sgt = lame

Danny = the only decent story arc of the episode.

[AnnA]

Please, please, please let Nikki move to San Francisco!

[Sarah 103]

22 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Yeah pretty sure that the black shoe polish is all about Selleck's vanity since he's been sporting it across different roles for awhile now and I can't see any outside observer thinking it's a good look. Even a network executive and my expectations of that group are pretty low. I mean I don't see CBS forcing Mark Harmon or Scott Bakula to dunk their heads in a toner cartridge...

It may very well be about Sekkeck's vanity. On the other hand, Mark Harmon looks so better now than he did 30 years ago. I think NCIS era Mark Harmon is far more attractive than Moonlighting era Mark Harmon. Gray hair suits him well.  

20 hours ago, Rambler said:

I wouldn't hold my breath. The company she's looking to join funds green initiatives and minority startups, is funded by a tech billionaire and is located in San Francisco. In Blue Bloods world that translates to a shady company that secretly funds eco-terrorists and imports illegal aliens so they can take the jobs of hard working Americans. I give Nikki a few weeks of driving a Prius and eating avocado toast before she finds out something like the company is really a front for ANTIFA, and she pulls out her fork and runs back home.

This totally sounds like a multi-part season finale. Nikki sense that something is off during part one and asks Jamie to look into it because he won't rush to judgement and is better at research. Part one ends with Jamie realizing something is very wrong. It then cuts to Nikki in serious trouble (possibly kidnapped by eco-terrorists, and not the inept kind that kidnapped Murphy Brown). Even though it's out of thier jurisdiction, Danny and Baez go across the country to save the day in part 2. The final scene of Part 2 is the Sunday dinner with Nikki fully recovered.

[Fostersmom]

On 10/11/2019 at 10:59 PM, jaimesommers said:

I really, really hate that blue pinstripe suit. 

I couldn't help but think he looked absolutely ridiculous in it. I'm sure it's been used many times, but for some reason it really stood out in this episode and he just looked stupid. That suit is for a slim young man. Neither of which is Selleck. 

[kurtz]

Blue Bloods’ writers are 0 for 3 this season, with this one the worst of the trio. Only Danny’s storyline was compelling, and even it could have been fleshed out more.  The show is better with one primary story and two (occasionally three) smaller arcs that are somehow thematically related to the big storyline. Frank’s story was so incomplete. (What was so terrible about the deceased? Why was Frank involved with the foundation? Did they have an affair? Was the deceased a character from a previous episode?) 
 

I’m not a fan of procedurals, but I’ve been drawn to Blue Bloods primarily because of the intergenerational stories and their relevance to the Regan family relationship. On this basis, they’ve failed miserably so far this season. 

Blue Bloods usually shoots in our neighborhood for a day at several sites at least once each season. They shot here last week (my spouse was going to the wine store and saw DW), and apparently are shooting again this week. So it’s either a multi-episode arc or a big story. I will say that compared to other procedural productions that have shot here (I’m looking at you, Dick Wolf), Blue Bloods’ crew is consistently the least intrusive and disruptive to our neighborhood. 
 

 

[kwnyc]

On 10/12/2019 at 7:36 PM, Rambler said:

I wouldn't hold my breath. The company she's looking to join funds green initiatives and minority startups, is funded by a tech billionaire and is located in San Francisco. In Blue Bloods world that translates to a shady company that secretly funds eco-terrorists and imports illegal aliens so they can take the jobs of hard working Americans. I give Nikki a few weeks of driving a Prius and eating avocado toast before she finds out something like the company is really a front for ANTIFA, and she pulls out her fork and runs back home.

It's like you're sitting in the writers room!