S12.E13: Cold Comfort

[DanaK]

Quote

Frank contends with a potentially dirty cop within his ranks when Danny and Baez's investigation into a brutal assault on an NYPD detective reveals the officer may be corrupt. Also, Eddie and Badillo track down the culprits behind the theft of valuable rare works from a celebrated bookstore; Jamie begrudgingly joins Henry as he looks into an old friend's death he deems suspicious; and Erin snoops into the background of a new woman in Anthony's life, on the CBS Original series BLUE BLOODS, Friday, Jan. 28 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+
 

 

[preeya]

This one sure was a yawner.

Since when are Eddie and her partner detectives?

Erin is a real "piece of work." 

I didn't understand the conversation between Frank and the cop in hospital. That said, I guess his wife will get her comeuppance.

Grandpa Teeth's story was OTT.  Just because his "protege" was younger, he wasn't supposed to die. As Sinatra once sang, "That's Life"

 

[Brian Cronin]

At least Henry's reactions were realistic. Erin was a little nutjob and the crooked cop seriously didn't tell his wife to at the very least not to make a big deal out of it all? 

It's so weird that Jamie is the only one who seems to really even care about what's going on with Henry. Frank couldn't show up for the funeral of his father's chief of staff? For serious? 

[Artsda]

Frank told the wife only 3 people knew what happened, him, Danny and her husband. Doesn't Baez also know? She was with Danny entire time.

Why didn't the book owner just sell some of the books that were worth so much instead of insurance fraud and risking jail?

[preeya]

22 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Why didn't the book owner just sell some of the books that were worth so much instead of insurance fraud and risking jail?

The answer would be "STUPIDITY"  Also, if it was truly insurance fraud, wouldn't the insurance company have been investigating the claim? Did they even make a claim?

ETA: The pacing of this episode was weird.

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by preeya

[Magnumfangirl]

31 minutes ago, preeya said:

ETA: The pacing of this episode was weird.

Yes it was and my local station's commercial break timing was out of whack so some scenes were truncated.  I guess we'll get re-runs for a couple of weeks due to the Olympics.  😒

[mojito]

Erin's snooping on Anthony was ridiculous. Also, if she's done research on the woman's father, how come she didn't know who the arresting officer was?

It's cute that Erin and Anthony consider themselves BFFs.

[Daff]

3 hours ago, Artsda said:

Frank told the wife only 3 people knew what happened, him, Danny and her husband. Doesn't Baez also know? She was with Danny entire time.

Why didn't the book owner just sell some of the books that were worth so much instead of insurance fraud and risking jail?

A saying (which I never did fully understand) comes to mind: “She wanted to have her cake and eat it, too.” Problem is, as Preeya mentioned above, insurance companies send highly paid investigators. She was doomed from the beginning. 
 

I believe Frank knew Baez was privy, but wouldn’t mention her involvement in case the irate wife chose to go to her for the story, instead of getting it from the husband. He really gave her only one clear choice, and she understood that as she left his office. 

[Daff]

15 hours ago, preeya said:

didn't understand the conversation between Frank and the cop in hospital.

What part? How the cop stepped over the line, what he did wrong? Or, his future, and any action Frank would (not) be taking? Granted, it was terse, but I followed and didn’t have to go back and listen again. Cop knew he was wrong, Frank and he both knew what had to happen next. Neither wanted the wife and kids disgraced in it. 

[preeya]

1 hour ago, Daff said:

What part? How the cop stepped over the line, what he did wrong? Or, his future, and any action Frank would (not) be taking? Granted, it was terse, but I followed and didn’t have to go back and listen again. Cop knew he was wrong, Frank and he both knew what had to happen next. Neither wanted the wife and kids disgraced in it. 

Thanks, that clears it up for me.

[izabella]

3 hours ago, Daff said:

Neither wanted the wife and kids disgraced in it. 

This really did not sit well with me.  I get it that they didn't want the family to have to deal with their husband/dad outed and prosecuted for being a dirty cop.  However, by doing nothing about a dirty cop, that leaves the door open for dirty cops to continue being dirty cops.  When no one says or does anything about it, when dirty cops don't get prosecuted when they are caught, and when they are just allowed to quietly "disappear" with full benefits, it's exactly the wrong example to set.  It is an example of how cops cover for dirty cops.  It's the reason the "one bad apple" trope is bullshit - they are all bad apples when they cover for the "one bad apple."  It's a cover up, a lie, a fraud. 

Why didn't the guy's boss know his cop was dirty?  Maybe he should have been keeping closer tabs on him on what he was doing.  By doing and saying nothing, Frank isn't digging into how this dirty cop wasn't caught sooner by his superiors.  Or maybe he had been caught, but his superior did nothing.  This is just all kinds of wrong.  Jamie would be furious if he discovered that one of his officers was dirty, and he would have done something about it because if he didn't, that makes him dirty too.

[Neiman]

8 hours ago, Artsda said:

Frank told the wife only 3 people knew what happened, him, Danny and her husband. Doesn't Baez also know? She was with Danny entire time.

I thought that was an odd line too.  Besides Baez, there are some gang members who know.

[EtheltoTillie]

I did not understand the resolution to the dirty cop story.  He would not be prosecuted and he would be left alone but would be leaving the force, which he would leave anyway?  He would keep his pension? So his wife would be told the secret so she wouldn't continue speaking out? Recently they had a story line about the pension issue.  What was Frank's position on that?  I can't remember. 

[Neiman]

Could Erin be falling for Anthony? I thought I sensed some jealousy.

Danny's son gulping wine at the table just wasn't that funny to me. I think it's about time to find him a job or send him off to college. Maybe he could be the next Reagan in uniform. 

I wish they'd give more time to Danny and Baez and less time to Eddie. Has anyone watched all the facial expressions she displays in an episode? Whether someone's talking to her or not, there are so many reactions--some over the top.

Although not my favorite storyline, I enjoyed seeing some emphasis on Grandpa this week.

Edited January 30, 2022 by Neiman

[Neiman]

5 minutes ago, Neiman said:

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by Neiman

[Neiman]

6 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

2 minutes ago, Neiman said:

 

Sorry...I meant to quote @EtheltoTillie

I didn't understand the resolution to the dirty cop story either. They left that one open for interpretation it seems with her getting the message that her husband isn't a hero. I recall an episode last season when Frank wanted Erin to be his liaison with the governor because he supported a pension plan but didn't want to support it publicly.  Can't remember how that ended, though.

[DoreenDash]

1 hour ago, Neiman said:

Has anyone watched all the facial expressions she [Eddie] displays in an episode? Whether someone's talking to her or not, there are so many reactions--some over the top.

That's to compensate for the fact that Jamie has only one expression. 😁

Erin following Anthony to the restaurant was nuts. And Gramps thinking that because the guy who died was younger than him it had to be murder--yikes. The wine tasting, dirty cop, bookstore insurance scam-- a weak episode all the way around.

[Brian Cronin]

2 hours ago, Neiman said:

Sorry...I meant to quote @EtheltoTillie

I didn't understand the resolution to the dirty cop story either. They left that one open for interpretation it seems with her getting the message that her husband isn't a hero. I recall an episode last season when Frank wanted Erin to be his liaison with the governor because he supported a pension plan but didn't want to support it publicly.  Can't remember how that ended, though.

It's all part of this show's incoherent policy on real life stuff. Frank agreed with the idea that bad cops be stripped of their pensions but he didn't want to publicly admit that he was for it. But here, he's apparently decided that being beaten nearly to death was enough of a punishment for the dirty cop. 

[Daff]

11 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

But here, he's apparently decided that being beaten nearly to death was enough of a punishment for the dirty cop. 

He’ll probably be retired on permanent disability. Since he’s still working age, the pension and social services disability together probably won’t amount to a “cushy” income (those 6-figure retirements only go to the big wigs).  He’s never going to walk again, and continued medical coverage will take a big chunk of whatever income he does get. I’d say his future is quite the object lesson for other cops not to cross that line. 

[zoey1996]

23 hours ago, Artsda said:

Why didn't the book owner just sell some of the books that were worth so much instead of insurance fraud and risking jail?

Because nobody wanted to buy them at this point in time? For a sale to occur, there needs to be a willing seller (the bookstore), a willing buyer (there was none) at an agreed-upon price (no willing buyer, no agreed-upon price). Desperate to save the family bookstore, a risk was taken. She got caught, and the risk did not work out in her favor.

[Neiman]

I thought the book store plot was rather lame. As has already been pointed out, Eddie and her partner aren’t detectives, yet we’ve had episodes with them acting as though they are. It’s like the writers recently watched “You’ve Got Mail” and were inspired to recreate the setting (Meg Ryan’s store) and dilemma of having problems making ends meet in the family owned book business with a Blue Bloods crime twist.  Yawn.  Until Eddie is promoted (hope that doesn’t happen), they should keep her role in check.

[preeya]

49 minutes ago, Daff said:

He’s never going to walk again, and continued medical coverage will take a big chunk of whatever income he does get. 

IMO, since he was injured on the job and his illicit behavior won't be at issue, his medical expenses will likely be covered by the NYPD or some other disability program offered to cops.

Edited January 30, 2022 by preeya

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Daff said:

I’d say his future is quite the object lesson for other cops not to cross that line. 

Except that no one knows he crossed a line.  Everyone but Frank, Danny, Baez and the guy himself thinks he's a hero.

[Sarah 103]

17 hours ago, Neiman said:

Danny's son gulping wine at the table just wasn't that funny to me. I think it's about time to find him a job or send him off to college. 

Sean is in college. We don't know the name of the school, but it's local. There was a scene in another episode of Danny visiting his son's dorm room. Unlike his older brother who went multiple states away for college, Sean is more like his cousin Nicki. Sean is in college, but close enough that he can make it to Sunday dinner. 

[Magnumfangirl]

Was that a real bookstore in New York?  It looks like a bookstore I've seen in another show before.  

Edited January 30, 2022 by Magnumfangirl

[Brian Cronin]

7 hours ago, Daff said:

He’ll probably be retired on permanent disability. Since he’s still working age, the pension and social services disability together probably won’t amount to a “cushy” income (those 6-figure retirements only go to the big wigs).  He’s never going to walk again, and continued medical coverage will take a big chunk of whatever income he does get. I’d say his future is quite the object lesson for other cops not to cross that line. 

How can it be an object lesson if they covered up why he was attacked? 

[Daff]

Working in the public sector pays pittance (especially in NYS). NYPD will contribute to the state disability money (it’s shared), again, a pittance compared to the care he’ll need. (If he wanted additional disability coverage to protect his family while on the job, he would have paid big bucks for it, so no, he probably didn’t). Since it is public service, there’s not another soul working for the department who won’t know how he messed up. Life is going to change dramatically for him and his family VERY quickly. And I wouldn’t be surprised if other “undercovers” aren’t suddenly lining up for transfers. 

[Misslindsey]

9 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Sean is in college. We don't know the name of the school, but it's local.

Maybe he is at Hudson University. If that is the case we should expect an episode where he gets murdered.

As someone who is into wine, I rolled my eyes at the wine tasting scene. Of course that is how they reacted.

[jabRI]

Erin was just really bizarre tonight.  Even if Anthony was being conned, what was she going to do sitting at the bar watching them? The story made no sense

[kwnyc]

On 1/29/2022 at 6:08 AM, Brian Cronin said:

the crooked cop seriously didn't tell his wife to at the very least not to make a big deal out of it all? 

Wasn't he in a coma for a bit? He probably didn't tell her anything about the extra money. And it does seem as though they're just going to let him retire. If he's been in for 20, it'll be at full pension and he should get disability. But they portrayed the wife as the villain here (even though it was her husband who broke the law). 

I thought it was interesting that when Frank asked Danny to investigate, he acknowledged that Gormley sees no evil when it comes to cops. 

And to answer a question upthread, there is a bookstore owned by the daughters of its founder in NYC. It's called Argosy, and was profiled on CBS news a few years ago. 

As for Grampa Teeth (love that!) I was surprised that Jamie didn't share the experience of the reformed con with Gramps. After all, it shows that the protege had an influence on someone that goes on after he died. 

Note to Jamie & Eddie: Don't EVER bring a good bottle of wine to Sunday dinner.

I'm glad Anthony set a boundary for Erin. She really does have the family entitlement, and it was rude and unprofessional for her to spy on Anthony. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by kwnyc

[Irate Panda]

I don’t get Erin basically stalking Anthony.  I really thought she was going to burst out some confession of undying love for him. I can see looking out for your friend but this was weird and did I miss an actual reason Henry thought his friend dying obviously equated to murder other than him not being 150 when he passed away?

[zapper]

I think that the show is setting up Henry to be exited via death of the character or dementia. They have set up increasing situations over the seasons that he is starting to lose mental faculties. Tie that into the obvious shaking in his hands when drinking coffee/tea with Jamie in their last scene.

[mythoughtis]

On 2/3/2022 at 10:03 AM, zapper said:

I think that the show is setting up Henry to be exited via death of the character or dementia. They have set up increasing situations over the seasons that he is starting to lose mental faculties. Tie that into the obvious shaking in his hands when drinking coffee/tea with Jamie in their last scene.

He is definitely looking older this season.  He gave up driving several seasons ago and has lived with Frank since the beginning of the series.  I don’t know if they will go the dementia route - even younger people can forget to turn a burner off.   I do think it’s time for him to need more help than just being left in the house all day by himself while they are all at work. 

[Maverick]

 Maybe they'll have him get involved in another incident like the store robbery, only it doesn't work out as well this time and he gets killed.   

 It definitely feels like they're building up to something with him.   It feels like they're moving the pieces in place for the series finale (Erin's DA aspirations, Frank's job offer) and if that's the case Henry's death could be what they're going to cap the series with.  

[Sarah 103]

On 2/3/2022 at 8:09 AM, Irate Panda said:

 did I miss an actual reason Henry thought his friend dying obviously equated to murder other than him not being 150 when he passed away?

I think it felt unnatural because the friend was slightly younger than Henry and was supposed to be in excellent shape. This episode reminded me a joke I heard a stand-up comedian tell at a show. The comedian had recently turned 60 and said something like "I read the orbituaries differently now that I've turned 60. I see that someone was 92. So young, was he killed by a bus?"

On 2/3/2022 at 11:03 AM, zapper said:

I think that the show is setting up Henry to be exited via death of the character or dementia. They have set up increasing situations over the seasons that he is starting to lose mental faculties. Tie that into the obvious shaking in his hands when drinking coffee/tea with Jamie in their last scene.

For years I've been pretty sure the series finale will be a multi-part episode that deals with Henry's death.