S12.E03: Protective Instincts

[preeya]

Frank must decide between remaining police commissioner and pursuing a new professional chapter when his old friend Lenny Ross presents him with an exciting job offer. Also, Sean puts Jamie and Eddie in a tough position when he tries his hand at the family business behind his father Danny's back, and Danny and Baez investigate the murder of a restaurant delivery man.

[preeya]

IMO:  IRL, anyone (other than FR) would have jumped ship and taken the offer without a second thought.

The plot with the ride along was way OTT, especially with Danny putting on the buffoon act.

The entire episode seemed contrived.

Edited October 16, 2021 by preeya

[3 is enough]

I dozed off near the end.  Who killed the delivery guy? TIA.

[preeya]

22 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

I dozed off near the end.  Who killed the delivery guy? TIA.

The son did it. Said he was protecting the mother from abuse by the dad.

[Magnumfangirl]

The murder story in this episode was weird.  The dead guy's family seemed pretty well off for a food delivery guy.  Was the restaurant job just a side gig? 

[preeya]

1 minute ago, Magnumfangirl said:

The murder story in this episode was weird.

The entire episode was weird.

I guess TPTB decided to throw Andrew Terraciano "a bone" and give some scenes other than the dinner table. However, the ride along didn't cut it.

[zoey1996]

I liked the episode. I was hoping Frank would take the new job. It would have shaken up the family dynamics, for the better IMHO.

I liked the ride along, especially with Eddie and Rachel (?) punking Sean. Could  see him leaving the squad car from a mile away. He was lucky his injury wasn’t worse.

The delivery job was a side gig. Of course, the murder wasn’t at all what it looked like at first.

Nice to have a calmer pace with fewer stories crammed in.

Evidently, Rachel is back at work. They kind of glossed over that part.

Edited October 16, 2021 by zoey1996

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, zoey1996 said:

 

Evidently, Rachel is back at work. They kind of glossed over that part.

I found it a bit ironic that they managed to call back to Nicky’s unplanned ride along in season one (at least she only saw a dead body) and yet failed to mention anything that Rachel was back at work after her suspension.   
 

I guess someone made a call saying the show needed to be a bit more serialized this season because Erin “possibly” running for DA is pointing in that direction.  But the only thing this episode established is that Sean is living on campus but staying in New York (his brother in real life went to Vanderbilt.)

[OLynn33]

Is this the last season because that's the vibe I got from this episode. Throwing shit at the wall at this point.

Eddie's partner returns with NO explanation unless I missed it.

NFL job offering out of the blue although I did like the idea of Frank doing something for himself after a life of service.

Erin preaching to everyone as usual. All I could think of was being forced into a family dinner every Sunday. No way.

Danny and Jamie were off character to me. Jamie greeted Sean with an attitude of what do want and impatience at the station while Danny was a dick to everyone but especially Sean. That comment at the table along the lines of if you don't have the stones stay in the car or something? Just awful. Clearly Sean is going through something with respect to how he's feeling within the mighty Reagan family dynamic and father of the year goes full testosterone on him.

And since I'm on the topic, they stereotyped that family with the abusive father who was murdered. 

Edited October 16, 2021 by OLynn33

[susannah]

I didn't like this episode much at all, except for the possibility of Frank taking a job with the NFL, as much as he loved football. I didn't like the fact that when Sean wanted to ride along with Eddie and Rachel, he asked Jamie first, before even mentioning it to Eddie. If she was agreeable to it, it was up to her to clear it with Jamie. I didn't like that there was no resolution to Rachel's situation. I didn't like that Sean followed directions just as well as Nicky did. Both were told to stay in the car and neither listened. Then of course Danny goes off on Jamie and Eddie, when the only one at fault was Sean, just as it was Nicky's, and she wasn't held responsible for her actions either. Luckily Sean wasn't hurt worse but it was ridiculous that he kept saying that he did what Danny and Jamie would have done, and NO ONE reminded him that they are trained officers, and he ISN'T. He's in college now, he's not six, and should have known that difference. It was mentioned that Jamie was a little abrupt with him when he first came to the station. Sean might have caught him at a very busy time, about a non emergency matter, and that could have been talked about at any later time.

I didn't like Jamie telling Danny that he looked up to him, when he is 10 times the officer and human being Danny is, and Danny saying that he respects everyone in the family was the biggest joke. He respects no one. Also with his justifying his "reasons" for his methods of dealing with everyone, like he is special. I didn't mind Erin telling him to leave it at the door.

I didn't like how the son was perfectly fine with letting his mother go to prison for his own crime until he got a reality check.

I thought it was kind of funny how Sid and Garrett were angling to  go with Frank to the NFL.. and I thought maybe Frank would look at Abigail too, without saying anything!

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I found it a bit ironic that they managed to call back to Nicky’s unplanned ride along in season one (at least she only saw a dead body).

I thought they were referencing a planned/official ride along that Nicky did later in the series for a college course. It involved her getting way too involved in the call they went on and made the situation worse for the woman involved. 

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. I liked that we got to see the family dynamics in greater detial. Erin is the only one of the siblings who can maybe get through to Danny and I'm guessing it's been that way since they were teenagers. It was great that Jamie was able to offer insight into what it's like to grow up in Danny's shadow and how that may be influencing/impacting Sean. 

As soon as they went to the apartment to question the wife, I correctly predicted who the killer was. 

It's a shame that Sean couldn't just ask his father to do a ride-along with an officer and explain why he wanted to do it.  

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Hey writers, why NFL? 🤔

So now Officer Rachel Witten is back, without any explanation, looking cheerful and everything?

[Blondnotstupid]

The NFL storyline bugged me because the woman who heads up security for the NFL is super impressive.  https://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/article/20994956/from-teen-mother-nfl-security-chief-cathy-lanier-rise-law-enforcement-ranks

As soon as they said what the position was I thought, "Wait!  Did Cathy Lanier leave the NFL job?"  Yeah, I actually know who has that job even though I'm not a fan of pro football.  I understand that the show is fiction (boy, is it ever fiction) and the actors are in jobs that are held by real people.   The other thing I don't understand is why people seem to think that Frank is poor.  The salary for the NY Police Commissioner is over $200,000 annually, plus he has a police pension, as does Henry (both a police pension and I would think some kind of retirement pay for his time as Commissioner).  He's lived in his house long enough to own it.  They've talked about his children having student loans, so he didn't pay for college for any of them.  He wouldn't be poor.  

[susannah]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I thought they were referencing a planned/official ride along that Nicky did later in the series for a college course. It involved her getting way too involved in the call they went on and made the situation worse for the woman involved. 

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. I liked that we got to see the family dynamics in greater detial. Erin is the only one of the siblings who can maybe get through to Danny and I'm guessing it's been that way since they were teenagers. It was great that Jamie was able to offer insight into what it's like to grow up in Danny's shadow and how that may be influencing/impacting Sean. 

As soon as they went to the apartment to question the wife, I correctly predicted who the killer was. 

It's a shame that Sean couldn't just ask his father to do a ride-along with an officer and explain why he wanted to do it.  

 

I think the one they mentioned was the one where Nicky was having dinner with Danny at a restaurant when a call came in. She might have been questioning him for some school thing, I can't recall. Anyway, when he was called, he didn't know what to do with Nicky, as it would take time to take her all the way home. She talked him into taking her with him. A high school girl had been found dead at a dance. Danny told her to stay in the car, of course she didn't, and she saw the body. Erin took his head off, instead of Nicky's, and it went on the whole show, since Nicky was having nightmares, etc. There was also the time that Nicky's friend was found homeless and disappeared, and Erin told her she would look into it. Nicky went behind her back and asked Jamie to look for him, saying she had Erin's consent, as well as looking for him herself. No consequences for her.

I also figured it was the son, and I agree that it is too bad that Danny is so hardheaded and self absorbed that his son can't talk to him.

[susannah]

38 minutes ago, Blondnotstupid said:

The NFL storyline bugged me because the woman who heads up security for the NFL is super impressive.  https://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/article/20994956/from-teen-mother-nfl-security-chief-cathy-lanier-rise-law-enforcement-ranks

As soon as they said what the position was I thought, "Wait!  Did Cathy Lanier leave the NFL job?"  Yeah, I actually know who has that job even though I'm not a fan of pro football.  I understand that the show is fiction (boy, is it ever fiction) and the actors are in jobs that are held by real people.   The other thing I don't understand is why people seem to think that Frank is poor.  The salary for the NY Police Commissioner is over $200,000 annually, plus he has a police pension, as does Henry (both a police pension and I would think some kind of retirement pay for his time as Commissioner).  He's lived in his house long enough to own it.  They've talked about his children having student loans, so he didn't pay for college for any of them.  He wouldn't be poor.  

I didn't know anyone thought Frank was poor. His house is fabulous. I remember Jackie saying to Danny once that "not everyone gets to grow up in a nice house in Bay Ridge," so I assumed it was an upscale neighborhood.

[Blondnotstupid]

Susannah, you're right.  My use of the word "poor" was incorrect.  What I was getting at was the comments in this episode about Frank finally having a chance to make some money, and IIRC, not having to worry about money anymore.  Not the same as being "poor" but the comments sounded to me like people thought Frank wasn't making much money when by today's standards he is doing well.

 

[OLynn33]

6 hours ago, Blondnotstupid said:

The NFL storyline bugged me because the woman who heads up security for the NFL is super impressive.

Wow what an incredible life story. I had no idea.

[bichonblitz]

17 hours ago, susannah said:

I didn't like Jamie telling Danny that he looked up to him, when he is 10 times the officer and human being Danny is

Yeah, that was irritating. All the siblings and Danny's own kids think he's someone to admire. Ok, show. Didn't Jamie also graduate Harvard Law School? Danny was a Marine and really cool in high school  so I guess that trumps all. 

[Sarah 103]

4 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Yeah, that was irritating. All the siblings and Danny's own kids think he's someone to admire. Ok, show. Didn't Jamie also graduate Harvard Law School? Danny was a Marine and really cool in high school  so I guess that trumps all. 

There's a pretty big age difference between Danny and Jamie. As kids, Jamie looked up to Danny. He was always the super cool older brother. I could totally see Danny being part of the popular crowd (or at the cool crowd), while Jamie was never cool. 

Part of the issue is that Jamie is now grown up and is a mature, responsible adult, but still sees Danny as the super cool big kid older brother. When it comes to Danny, Jamie's opinion and view of him is still what it was when Jamie was a little kid. 

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

There's a pretty big age difference between Danny and Jamie. As kids, Jamie looked up to Danny. He was always the super cool older brother. I could totally see Danny being part of the popular crowd (or at the cool crowd), while Jamie was never cool. 

Part of the issue is that Jamie is now grown up and is a mature, responsible adult, but still sees Danny as the super cool big kid older brother. When it comes to Danny, Jamie's opinion and view of him is still what it was when Jamie was a little kid. 

I think the show is tripping over itself on this one. I think that Jamie looked up to Joe, and had a good relationship with him, and it was said that Joe was the "bridge" between Jamie and Danny. When he died, that bridge was gone and Jamie and Danny didn't really have a relationship, even though they were adults by then. It would of course help alot if Danny didn't treat Jamie like crap, sneering at him because he went to Harvard, treating him like he knows nothing. I think Danny feels threatened by Jamie because he is so much smarter and mature and responsible, so he has to trash him every chance he gets.  Maybe Danny feels threatened and insecure by everyone, and that is why he has to act like he knows everything, tries to control everyone, and won't listen to anyone.

[NJRadioGuy]

22 hours ago, susannah said:

I didn't know anyone thought Frank was poor. His house is fabulous. I remember Jackie saying to Danny once that "not everyone gets to grow up in a nice house in Bay Ridge," so I assumed it was an upscale neighborhood.

That actual house on Harbor View Terrace in Brooklyn, where the show's exteriors are filmed is valued at $2.66 Million on Zillow, and even smaller houses on the same street are valued at or selling for over $3m. Would today's NYPD commissioner be able to afford to buy a similar property with the current salary, unless he had a previous career on Wall Street or was married to someone who did?

As for the ridealong, since when do NYPD RMP sector cars have no divider between the front and back seats, and look that clean!

Once again, the writers failed detectiving-101. Obvious to even a 5 year old that the mother was covering for the son. So why not pull the son's phone records and get the GPS location? That'd be enough P.C. to get an arrest warrant; that and the make/model car would probably be enough to get a plea without going to trial. Her confession would have been worthless once the gun stunt happened, and she would have been released immediately. But go back even further, why is she talking in the presence of an attorney? The lawyer would have denied them the chance to even interview her, period. "My client chooses not to make a statement at this time." The end. Danny didn't have the probable cause to arrest or even detain her in her home based on that conversation, although he absolutely did have the right to start probing behind the scenes.

Liked the NFL sub-plot but it was ridiculous to think there's even a 1% chance he takes the job unless the show is one or two episodes away from the series finale and they're moving the pieces in place for the endgame.

[AnnA]

Exactly!  Jamie doesn't look up to Danny the way he looked up to Joe.  Jamie (Frank, Pop and Erin too) all know that Danny is a hot head and often acts without thinking.   They love him but they know exactly who and what he is.    The one they admire the most is Jamie.  He's the smart one and has proven himself time and time again.

Edited October 17, 2021 by AnnA

[mythoughtis]

Jamie brought the captain the security footage that cleared Whitten in last weeks episode.  Once he quit yelling at Jamie, he surely sent it to IAB.  So we knew she was going to be back. 
 

so  I guess Sean’s going into the family business eventually.  
I like the family dinners, but it’s unbelievable that no family member in town is ever absent ( except for the newly found grandson) , and only the children in college ever go out of town.  The one ‘vacation’ that Danny and Linda took was to a local hotel and they had to be back for Sunday church and dinner. 
Don’t any of them ever want to spent their entire weekend doing what they want to do? 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by mythoughtis

[susannah]

1 hour ago, AnnA said:

Exactly!  Jamie doesn't look up to Danny the way he looked up to Joe.  Jamie (Frank, Pop and Erin too) all know that Danny is a hot head and often acts without thinking.   They love him but they know exactly who and what he is.    The one they admire the most is Jamie.  He's the smart one and has proven himself time and time again.

Exactly. They can love Danny all they want, but he has proven that he makes an inferior officer, it's been said that he has been reprimanded time and time again, he has flat out broken the law, is extremely insubordinate, etc, yet Frank doesn't kick his officer ass to the curb. Not only that but they stand by and allow Danny to treat Jamie, and now Eddie, really badly. They enable Danny instead of telling him to straighten up and fly right. I know they love Jamie but I don't think they admire him.

[susannah]

16 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Jamie brought the captain the security footage that cleared Whitten in last weeks episode.  Once he quit yelling at Jamie, he surely sent it to IAB

I wonder. Wouldn't that invite them asking the captain was so harsh with Rachel straight away, when there were three officers saying that the stupidhead had hit Rachel from the back.

[AnnA]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

Exactly. They can love Danny all they want, but he has proven that he makes an inferior officer, it's been said that he has been reprimanded time and time again, he has flat out broken the law, is extremely insubordinate, etc, yet Frank doesn't kick his officer ass to the curb. Not only that but they stand by and allow Danny to treat Jamie, and now Eddie, really badly. They enable Danny instead of telling him to straighten up and fly right. I know they love Jamie but I don't think they admire him.

They admire him for being at the top of his class at Harvard Law and again at the Police Academy and most recently the sargeant's exam.   They can't publicly admire Danny who breaks, bends and ignores the rules.

[highway61]

Kinda wanted to shake Frank. Wasn't he nearly fired last week? Didn't he himself cogently explain how he had to get out of his daughter's political way? I feel like there was a missing scene where Frank gets a kid's cat out of a tree and realizes he has to stay a cop!

 

 

[bichonblitz]

C'mon, Frank. You're in your golden years and have nothing to prove to anyone. Take the cushy NFL job for the big bucks and enjoy your life. Find a lady friend to have fun with, too!

[NJRadioGuy]

On 10/17/2021 at 7:40 PM, mythoughtis said:

so  I guess Sean’s going into the family business eventually. 

I'd be good with that. Looked like it was going to Nikki for one forgotten episode only three or so years ago.

Quote

I like the family dinners, but it’s unbelievable that no family member in town is ever absent ( except for the newly found grandson)

Yeah, I can just see the dilemma: Collar a serial killer or go for dinner. Guess the bad guys all take Sunday afternoon off. Show me one household who has even one public safety family member always make Sunday Dinner, every week. It ain't happening. If you're lucky, you've got a good boss and cow-orkers who love you, you might be able to switch shifts and get Christmas or a kid's birthday off once in a while. Maybe. An entire family of cops, firemen, or EMS? BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH::snort::HAHAHAHHAA@%oy2#&6j NO CARRIER.

But I'll handwave this since it's a nice thing to watch happen.

Edited October 19, 2021 by NJRadioGuy

[SuzieQ]

On 10/17/2021 at 5:03 PM, NJRadioGuy said:

That actual house on Harbor View Terrace in Brooklyn, where the show's exteriors are filmed is valued at $2.66 Million on Zillow, and even smaller houses on the same street are valued at or selling for over $3m. Would today's NYPD commissioner be able to afford to buy a similar property with the current salary, unless he had a previous career on Wall Street or was married to someone who did?

 

Agreed, if he were to buy it today, no way, but that house has been in the family for at least 40 years or more.  Not sure if Frank bought it with his wife or it could have even been Henry's house which would mean they've had it for over 60 years.  Either way, it was purchased 40 or 60 years ago for under a hundred grand.

[zapper]

On 10/18/2021 at 9:02 AM, highway61 said:

Kinda wanted to shake Frank. Wasn't he nearly fired last week? Didn't he himself cogently explain how he had to get out of his daughter's political way? I feel like there was a missing scene where Frank gets a kid's cat out of a tree and realizes he has to stay a cop!

 

 

i think his realization when his old partner mentioned something about wondering when Frank would realize that he'd have 30 bosses followed by Frank's trademark reflective smile.

[kurtz]

I appreciate what the cast is doing with lackluster plots this season, including this episode. Last season was mostly good, ending on a high note. This season so far is C minus, including the current episode. 

The scene in the “Bedford Houses” where Sean was clocked by a perp was shot in my neighborhood in mid September. My problem with that ride along storyline, and most of the other storylines in this 12th season, is poor writing with lack of continuity. Long time viewers remember Nicki’s ride along. That should have been referenced by Danny, Erin, or Jamie in some way to admonish Sean.

Just bringing back and dropping in a familiar face (Treat Williams as Lenny, for instance) for an episode does not create continuity. The writing should somehow reflect that storytelling is often informed by the characters’ history. Anyone could have offered Frank the NFL position. If there was a specific reason it was Lenny - and not some rando - then the script was so weak that I missed the reason. 
 

My sense is that most of us watch the show because we like the generational aspect of the show, and the Reagan family (or most of them, most of the time). Families have their stories and when they are told well (like Joe Hill’s storyline last season) it can create deeper engagement for the type of people who enjoy that type of plot structure. Character consistency and relationships are being set aside for moving the story along. There should be a payoff for the viewers’ continued viewing. Otherwise, why not watch any other procedural?

[zapper]

i think that inconsistent writing is really shown up.  With regard to Nikki's ride along vs Sean's ride along. With Rachel - despondent, tauntingly suicidal Rachel who is now cracking jokes and everything is fine. With Jamie going to the captain for permission for Sean - but *not* getting raked over the coals for more "Reagan privilege". With no mention of last week's blow-up with the mayor when Frank considers a new job.

If it wasn't for the arc continuity of Erin running for DA, the episodes in this season could be jumbled into any order.

[judyri]

So he's basically making Erin's run impossible.  Isn't he like past retirement age anyway? Just move on already.  This is getting to be such a downer, no one has any life to them.  Danny snarls, Erin preaches, Jamie tries to appease everyone.  Get something new going already.

[SunnyBeBe]

I’ve gotten to where I dislike Frank so much.  He was right about being selfish in refusing the NFL position.  It’s apparent that power and ego trips keeps him where he is. Ugh…He has no issues taking others down a notch.  I wonder if he’ll get his chance.