S12.E04: True Blue

[zapper]

Jamie faces backlash from fellow officers, when he partners with Erin and Anthony to investigate an underground bar the NYPD and FDNY use to hide their criminal indiscretions; Eddie's partner, Witten, considers leaving the force.

[preeya]

I'm guessing the new drama going forward will be Eddie's new partner, good, bad or otherwise.

The underground bar scene more than ridiculous.

[ctlady]

"Rich white boys can get away with anything"

Says the black mother who can afford to send her black teenage daughter to a $60k/year private school.  Usins the privilege card seemed a little hypocritical there

Baker looked absolutely beautiful with her hair down and in a lighter colored dress rather than her usual severe french twist and black attire

 

[Sarah 103]

4 hours ago, ctlady said:

Says the black mother who can afford to send her black teenage daughter to a $60k/year private school.  Usins the privilege card seemed a little hypocritical there

My guess is that there is scholarship involved. Not a full scholarship, but at least some help from the school or another organization.

This week, I think Jamie's story was hurt the most by having 4 storylines. He has amazing research/investigative skills. I would have like to see him using them instead of going right to Erin. It would have been great to see him doing a bit of "undercover" work. Mess his golden boy/boy scout image enough so that Danny is worred: "This isn't you," and then and at the end Danny being able to say "I knew you were up to something/that wasn't really who you are." 

When did the Powers That Be decide the only Baker gets a story is if she is a victim? She had a moment of awesome in "Manhattan Queens," and we haven't see anything like that since. 

[Msample]

WTF was that final scene at the underground bar, Fight Club/cage match? That story line was nonsensical. 

[Daff]

37 minutes ago, Msample said:

WTF was that final scene at the underground bar, Fight Club/cage match? That story line was nonsensical. 

It was simply to show us “old school” internal controls imposed upon “loose cannons” that were in effect before awareness of the pressures public servants faced in the past. Old habits die hard (per the protective partner). What I found more disturbing was that Danny, Frank, and Pops all knew about the practice. Did they just delude themselves into thinking that surely it wasn’t happening anymore, did it slip their minds, or do they choose to ignore it?

[mxc90]

Talk about having "egg on your face". The person in charge of how much "loogie" to toss on Witten's face must have wanted to get some long waiting payback on the actress. Probably had them shoot the scene a few times to get it "right".

I guess the officer that was with Jaime in the beginning could be her new partner or transfer one of cops from Fight club to be her partner (I'm sure Jaime would love that).

[susannah]

3 hours ago, Msample said:

WTF was that final scene at the underground bar, Fight Club/cage match? That story line was nonsensical. 

It was horrible. You don't convince someone to go to rehab by kicking their head in until they agree. Two guys fighting is one thing, though it didn't belong in this show, but continuing to kick someone on the ground IMO is assault and I think the guy should have been arrested for it, not to mention trying to hide the drunk guy's crime. I also thought he was overinvolved in the guy's life. I get the "buddy" concept but you can't run someone else's life.

[susannah]

5 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

My guess is that there is scholarship involved. Not a full scholarship, but at least some help from the school or another organization.

This week, I think Jamie's story was hurt the most by having 4 storylines. He has amazing research/investigative skills. I would have like to see him using them instead of going right to Erin. It would have been great to see him doing a bit of "undercover" work. Mess his golden boy/boy scout image enough so that Danny is worred: "This isn't you," and then and at the end Danny being able to say "I knew you were up to something/that wasn't really who you are." 

When did the Powers That Be decide the only Baker gets a story is if she is a victim? She had a moment of awesome in "Manhattan Queens," and we haven't see anything like that since. 

Possibly so about the scholarship, but it seems odd to me that someone would choose to send their child to a school where she is going to have a certain type of schoolmates, and then hate those schoolmates. Further, I wish they had put the mother's racism back on her, when it wasn't the "rich white boy" who did "anything he wanted," but the black schoolmaster, victimizing schoolgirls, leading to the girl's death.  What would she have to say about that?

I so agree that Baker is terribly underused on the show. She does make the most of what she is given, but there should be more, and NOT making her a victim anymore.

[DanaK]

Did we learn if the school head was the father of the murdered girl’s baby?

Overall, I liked the episode, though not the cage fight at the end, and I’m going to miss Eddie’s partner

[susannah]

35 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Did we learn if the school head was the father of the murdered girl’s baby?

Overall, I liked the episode, though not the cage fight at the end, and I’m going to miss Eddie’s partner

Yes. He admitted he was having sex with her and with the Russian girl. Most likely many others as well. Predators don't stop with one or two.

[Artsda]

This episode was kid of heavy on cops doing bad things. There was the drunk driving with kids one, then outing they had a safe place for these things which included their own Fight Club and then Baker's husband's abusing arrest.  

[susannah]

5 hours ago, Artsda said:

This episode was kid of heavy on cops doing bad things. There was the drunk driving with kids one, then outing they had a safe place for these things which included their own Fight Club and then Baker's husband's abusing arrest.  

I didn't really get the Fight Club part, what the point of it was. I never saw that movie.

[AnnA]

17 hours ago, Artsda said:

This episode was kid of heavy on cops doing bad things. There was the drunk driving with kids one, then outing they had a safe place for these things which included their own Fight Club and then Baker's husband's abusing arrest.  

I totally missed any mention of a Fight Club.  My mind must have wandered off for a bit.  I tend to do that if what I'm watching isn't holding my interest.   Sadly, Blue Bloods has not been holding my interest lately. 

[DanaK]

I think the “Fight Club” term is a little misapplied. There apparently were occasional beatings given to those cops or firemen who misbehaved

[Katy M]

10 hours ago, DanaK said:

I think the “Fight Club” term is a little misapplied. There apparently were occasional beatings given to those cops or firemen who misbehaved

I think it was more than occasional if they have a cage all set up and waiting.  It was ridiculous.

[DanaK]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

I think it was more than occasional if they have a cage all set up and waiting.  It was ridiculous.

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to argue with that

[zapper]

the whole "two men enter, one man leaves" cage fight falls short if the wrong man leaves. No wait, that can't happen because the wrong man is still drunk. Gee that seems morally upright - beating the snot out of an incapacitated man. 

Unless the "wrong man" is not incapacitated or drunk. But then we are back to the wrong man leaving the cage.  

Seems particularly dumb for this show. For any show. 

[AnnA]

1 hour ago, zapper said:

 

Seems particularly dumb for this show. For any show. 

Unfortunately, Blue Bloods has been getting dumb for a while now.

[OLynn33]

Agreed with all the Fightclub mentions. One thing to have a gym set up even boxing to work out issues but ya not like that. Ridiculous indeed.

I actually thought Jamie would have left the force by now to pursue a legal career like Erin. They always walk the line with his character. He didn't know about the bar yet Danny, Pops etc did suggesting what, that Jamie isn't the true blue cop Danny is? And there's always this hint of underachieving with his character even though he's a Sergeant. 

Baker is an enigma to me. Not at all the direction I thought they were going early on with her character although given the conservative perametres of the show not surprising either.

I did like the conclusion with Eddie's partner Rachel. I liked that they showed Rachel recognizing she was having difficulties that no smoothie or a weekend partying with Eddie was going to solve. Stepping away and going on leave isn't as dramatic as a suicide ending but depicted a positive alternative in dealing with the negative stress of being a police officer. The show should be commended for that I think. I liked too how Frank said to check back with him in a year to let him know how she's doing. That's a good boss.

Edited October 26, 2021 by OLynn33

[EtheltoTillie]

He fight club and the whole hidden bar thing was odious. The scary thing is that this is probably based on some element of truth. As a New Yorker that does not fill me with confidence. 

Edited October 26, 2021 by GussieK

[NJRadioGuy]

If a couple of guys want to get into it and settle their differences with their fists, out of sight and out of mind--and it's fully consensual--I really don't have an issue with it. Although it's best if someone is there to stop things if the aggressor goes apeshit and tries to kill the other guy.

[susannah]

5 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

If a couple of guys want to get into it and settle their differences with their fists, out of sight and out of mind--and it's fully consensual--I really don't have an issue with it. Although it's best if someone is there to stop things if the aggressor goes apeshit and tries to kill the other guy.

Except the two cops fighting in this show didn't have "differences." it was one guy beating the snot out of another guy for a reason that had nothing to do with him. Also, the drunk guy was down and the other one kept kicking him. How could the drunk guy consent to being beaten to a pulp?

[Sarah 103]

On 10/26/2021 at 5:04 AM, OLynn33 said:

I actually thought Jamie would have left the force by now to pursue a legal career like Erin. They always walk the line with his character. He didn't know about the bar yet Danny, Pops etc did suggesting what, that Jamie isn't the true blue cop Danny is? And there's always this hint of underachieving with his character even though he's a Sergeant. 

I thought it meant that Jamie has never messed up badly enough to need the bar. It's on a need to know basis, but he has not had a reason to need the bar. Jamie is almost too perfect (He is Frank's mini-me to some extent).

Even Frank must have some kind of interesting past. He was walking a beat during the 1974 Watergate hearings. The department back then was incredibly corrupt. I want to know more about this part of Frank's backstory and it kills me a little that Henry gets all the "in my day" stories while Frank's past in the NYPD, especially his early years, is this big unknown. 

 

[zapper]

On 10/27/2021 at 1:02 PM, Sarah 103 said:

Even Frank must have some kind of interesting past. He was walking a beat during the 1974 Watergate hearings. The department back then was incredibly corrupt. I want to know more about this part of Frank's backstory and it kills me a little that Henry gets all the "in my day" stories while Frank's past in the NYPD, especially his early years, is this big unknown. 

I have said it before, I want to have a prequel series with Frank, Mary, Henry, the kids knocking about and the times that were.

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, zapper said:

I have said it before, I want to have a prequel series with Frank, Mary, Henry, the kids knocking about and the times that were.

TOTALLY YES! I thought I was the only one who wanted this. You keep the three storyline structure. There is a storyline that is focused on Henry as police commissioner, a storyline focused on Frank and his police work, and a storyline at home focused on one or more of the kids. 

[judyri]

I don't get why Rachel last week was having fun with Eddie in the squad car, and next week (because of a spit ball) is leaving the force.  Are we supposed to assume women can't hack it?  Didn't mean to go there, but...