S14.E18: End Of Tour

[Snazzy Daisy]

♦️ SERIES FINALE ♦️

Quote

It’s all hands on deck for the Reagan family, as they race to stop deadly mayhem in the city when the gangs of New York unite together to demand amnesty for the release of their imprisoned members and those awaiting trial.

Air Date: Dec 13, 2024

 

[Mod-Tigerkatze]

Hi everyone,

I know the show’s ending today but kindly keep in mind that every character is portrayed by an actor/actress and that physical features are, therefore, (usually) part of the actor’s/actress’, and not the character’s, physique.

Before posting, it can be helpful to take a moment and consider if a comment is truly about the fictional persona or maybe about the real-life person behind it after all. Does the comment focus on actions and content rather than any one individual? How would it make me feel if I, or a family member or a friend, had the physical feature(s) I’m about to comment on and I read my comment?

Thank you and enjoy tonight's finale! 

[Artsda]

That was a good ending to bring everyone together into one story for the finale. 

So sad for Eddie's partner dying. 

Family dinner having everyone was nice. 

[Daff]

6 hours ago, Artsda said:

That was a good ending to bring everyone together into one story for the finale. 

So sad for Eddie's partner dying. 

Family dinner having everyone was nice. 

Yes, but the camera work around the table was too fleeting. They could have paused a bit on the rarely seen faces while proceeding with voices of the characters we always see. 
 

It took halfway through the hour to make all the character connections and figure out what was going on. Also, one minute Eddie is a patient, the next, she’s fully outfitted, in the middle of an ambush?

[cameron]

Did not recognize Edward James Olmos in this episode.

 

[highway61]

I'd call it a subdued final episode. Sorry about Badillo. (who would ever partner with a Reagan again at this point?)

Yes, good to see the final table but they could have done more there.

For me, the Season 11 two-part finisher The End/Justifies the Means, where Danny and Jamie track down Joe and the gun runners, was the biggest bang for your buck finish. I consider it the never made Blue Bloods movie.

Thanks series! Friday at 10 won't be the same!

[EtheltoTillie]

Killing off Badillo. Come on that’s just mean. 
I liked the high chair reveal. 
Looks like Danny and Baez will “get pizza.”  
I’ll miss this show. 

[txhorns79]

3 hours ago, Daff said:

Also, one minute Eddie is a patient, the next, she’s fully outfitted, in the middle of an ambush?

Yeah, I wondered about that as well.  I think she was shot in the shoulder or arm, but I guess she fully recovered in what, an hour or so?

The episode was fairly meh.  Even with killing off Eddie's partner, and shooting the Mayor, the stakes felt very low, and everything was resolved way too easily. 

On the positive side, I did like seeing the one last family dinner, even if that felt rushed as well. 

[Magnumfangirl]

Pretty meh for the finale.  The post-funeral dinner seemed way too upbeat when dinners after other cop funerals were more somber.  

[Daff]

39 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Yeah, I wondered about that as well.  I think she was shot in the shoulder or arm, but I guess she fully recovered in what, an hour or so?

The episode was fairly meh.  Even with killing off Eddie's partner, and shooting the Mayor, the stakes felt very low, and everything was resolved way too easily. 

On the positive side, I did like seeing the one last family dinner, even if that felt rushed as well. 

Well, she did say the bullet just grazed her arm, but even if she was treated in outpatient, she’s not getting discharged that quickly.

Edited December 14 by Daff

[Daff]

I actually had one disappointment. When I saw the title, I knew some character wouldn’t survive. I expected to see the “end of duty” broadcast. It would have been up to Jamie and Eddie’s boss to do that.

[gonzosgirrl]

12 hours ago, Daff said:

It took halfway through the hour to make all the character connections and figure out what was going on. Also, one minute Eddie is a patient, the next, she’s fully outfitted, in the middle of an ambush?

I know it was just a flesh wound (tm Monty Python), but it was jarring going from Danny telling her he'd let her know as soon as they had a lead, to an ambush/shootout with nothing in between. WTF?

[mythoughtis]

Danny and Baez ‘get pizza’.  That’s supposed to tell us there’s a relationship happening?  As if they’ve never shared a pizza as partners after a long shift?  Sorry, that wasn’t good enough.  Danny asking her on an actual date and making sure she knew it  would have been a little better.  Having her and  her daughter at dinner with the rest would have been best.  
 

Some info about the kids’ current lives would have been nice. We know about Sean, but the other two… we know nothing.  Nor do we know anything about Baker, Sid, Garrett. They are a lot more important to me than the mayor.   Who didn’t need to be shot for this storyline. 
 

 

[Sake614]

That’s it? That’s how they wrap up 14 years? The episode literally started with a gang and ended with a whimper. And since when ydo NYPD cops not wear vests at all times? Unless badillo was shot by an armor piercing bullet, he would have been fine. That was a cheap shot IMO. 

I almost thought it was going to be a two hour finale because there was so much happening, and then suddenly it’s all over and the good guys won. 

Glad Erin and Jack got married again. They’ve been dancing around it for years. I knew Eddie was going to be pregnant, so I guess yay them. 

overall I was underwhelmed by the finale. Oh well, it’s over. Not sure I’ll miss it but it will be odd not seeing it in my DVR queue anymore.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Not satisfied with the series finale. The COTW is meh and the final dinner scene is rushed, makes it unmemorable.

It seems like season 14 continues to prioritize Eddie till the end. They don’t have to kill Badillo just to give Eddie an emotional story. She’s already involved in other stories — finding Amelia Ramirez and the pregnancy. Geez. 🙄

Badillo’s foster son must be really traumatized after losing both his dad and his uncle Luis. Poor boy.    
 

[zapper]

I would have like Baez to be at the final dinner, and for Erin/Jack to not chicken out with their remarriage news. 

A few (or more) seasons back Frank went into a bar and ordered "Irish, ice in a separate glass"  Since then that has been my drink for episodes. Yes, they drank a lot of scotch (as do i :) ) but that "ice in a separate glass seemed so very Frank to me - trust, but verify as he would know the truth of the measurement the bartender was serving.

I've been timing out my current bottle of Irish and tonight I had my last "Irish, ice in a separate glass" for was what actually a pretty good episode. Siobhan at the writing helm pretty much guaranteed that. 

Was a good end.

[torqy]

16 hours ago, cameron said:

Did not recognize Edward James Olmos in this episode.

 

I knew him right away, remembered him from Miami Vice!

[Daff]

2 hours ago, zapper said:

chicken out with their remarriage news.

Yeah, Baez should have been there, but I get delaying Erin and Jack’s news. With the addition of the high chair, it was a “big reveal”, and Erin didn’t want to “bomb” the moment. (Like when someone proposes at a wedding.)

[Msample]

7 hours ago, Sake614 said:

That’s it? That’s how they wrap up 14 years? The episode literally started with a gang and ended with a whimper. And since when ydo NYPD cops not wear vests at all times? Unless badillo was shot by an armor piercing bullet, he would have been fine. That was a cheap shot IMO. 

I almost thought it was going to be a two hour finale because there was so much happening, and then suddenly it’s all over and the good guys won. 

Glad Erin and Jack got married again. They’ve been dancing around it for years. I knew Eddie was going to be pregnant, so I guess yay them. 

overall I was underwhelmed by the finale. Oh well, it’s over. Not sure I’ll miss it but it will be odd not seeing it in my DVR queue anymore.

I think Badillo got shot in/near the neck, above the vest and bled out.

[Snazzy Daisy]

4 hours ago, Msample said:

I think Badillo got shot in/near the neck, above the vest and bled out.

 

[Sake614]

1 hour ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

 

Neither of them is wearing a vest!

[Msample]

Look at Eddies back - you can see a faint outline on her back. They wear them under their uniform .

[Sake614]

3 hours ago, Msample said:

Look at Eddies back - you can see a faint outline on her back. They wear them under their uniform .

Ah I see now. IRL they wear the vest over the uniform. Either way, Badillo was shot in the chest, so if he was wearing a vest, it was pretty flimsy. 

[CheshireCat]

23 hours ago, Daff said:

Yeah, Baez should have been there, but I get delaying Erin and Jack’s news. With the addition of the high chair, it was a “big reveal”, and Erin didn’t want to “bomb” the moment. (Like when someone proposes at a wedding.)

Agreed. As much as I would have loved to have Erin and Jack actually make the announcement, I think it made sense from a story-telling point of view.

Even if Eddie and Jamie have been married for a few years now, I think there's still a certain excitment around certain things, like announcing they're expecting their first baby. I would imagine, they still have the feeling that they can't wait to share things like that with everyone. 

Whereas for Erin and Jack, I think it's a more private relationship. There's a news-worthy aspect to it because they've rediscovered their feelings for each other but I feel like they're at a point where they want to share it with their family but don't have that feeling that they can't wait until they can tell everyone anymore. 

I also think that Erin and Jack couldn't have just made the announcement, everyone would have congratulated them and that would have been that. Even though I think everyone, except probably Joe and maybe the other Jack (and Nicki who, I hope, as the daughter, was aware of the full picture) knew that Erin and Jack are in a (committed) relationship to some degree or another, I expect they still would have been stunned/surprised by their announcement.

Erin and Jack probably had an idea about that, hence the decision not to make the announcement. 

Although, I think they could have made the announcement first and that Eddie and Jamie are expecting their first baby could have served as a means to change the subject. 

But the show would have needed at least an extra minute for that. Personally, I think they could have taken that time from the funeral, however, if they had included the announcement, the writers would also have needed to make a decision as to what exactly it was going to be. 

Erin said "tell everyone after the fact", so that they were going to make an announcement suggests they have gotten married already. But there was a lot going on, so, the question is, would they have gotten married with all that was going on? (They would have needed to get a marriage license, correct? And provide proof of divorce for that? I'm guessing, couples getting remarried does happen but probably not as often, so, them taking care of the paperwork and the clerk's reaction could have made for an interesting scene). 

ETA: Come to think of it, I'm not sure if it would work for Erin and Jack to say something along the lines of "we've decided to get married but won't tell you when and where". There may be couples out there for who that works and for who it fits but in this situation, I think it's a little bit like saying we're getting married but you're not invited/we don't want you there and I don't think I can see Erin and Jack do that. 

So, that, too, would suggest they've gotten married already. 

But not having Erin and Jack made the announcement meant TPTB didn't have to settle on either or. 

Overall, I think the episode was one of the examples why I miss the extra 10-ish minutes shows used to have in the 70s and 80s (when there were fewer commercials and episodes were around 50 minutes long). I think even 5 more minutes could have made a big difference. 

 

 

On 12/14/2024 at 10:40 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

Not satisfied with the series finale. The COTW is meh and the final dinner scene is rushed, makes it unmemorable.
 

I don't think Blue Bloods did finales well in general. I often felt underwhelmed by their finales and I think it's because they often seemed to be trying so hard to make the finale something special and they wanted every character to be a part of it so that the finale ended up a big story with very little time to tell it all. 

I don't know if there was enough material for a two-hour finale but maybe they should have considered it. (Although, maybe doing it this way was a conscious decision? Kind of like letting the characters be in a good place but at the same time, it felt like they weren't making that big of a deal out of the finale and that seems in line with the show's character. I guess, the question is if it's fair to the fans and if they shouldn't have prioritized fans over show character).

Edited December 16 by CheshireCat

[kurtz]

You cannot tell me that there is not enough footage from the finale for a 90 minute director’s cut. This would be perfect for Paramount+, and could result in new subscribers. 

This series finale ranks third in Blue Bloods season finales. Season 11 The End/Justifies the Means was a tight, exciting two parter that would have made both an excellent movie as well as series finale. 

Season 3’s two part The Bitter End/This Way Out is second to Season 11. Oddly, though it bookends the series finale, as Jamie’s partner Vinny is killed, Mayor Poole is shot, a motherless child of a gang member needs protection, and a sweep of the Bitterman Projects that results in collaring the perps. 

Great scenes by Selleck, especially that Burgers and Cards dialogue with Edward James Olmos. While I’m not an Eddie fan or a Jamko shipper, Vanessa Ray acted her heart out in a way that may have overshadowed most of the hour. 

Erin and Jack Boyle’s remarriage could have occurred a couple weeks ago, and still been a secret. It’s always been my position that Peter Hermann and Bridget Moynahan have off the chart chemistry. Some viewers may not care for Erin but most viewers of shows like Blue Bloods love a good romance. 

Lost opportunities for Sid, Abigail, Garrett, and Anthony to have more impact on the finale. Not enough Joe Hill or even Grandpa Henry Appearances by Nicki Reagan-Boyle, Jack Reagan and (blink and you’ll miss her) Rachel Witten.   There is bound to be unused footage to justify bringing these three actors in for the last episode. 

Many episodes of Blue Bloods had scenes filmed in my neighborhood in Queens. (One was actually filmed on the floor of my building, two doors away.) Had it not been shot locally, I doubt I would have watched it weekly. It had a good run. But I still want that director’s cut. 

[Sarah 103]

I think the episode needed another half an hour (90 minute runtime, with commercials). I want to see Erin and Jack's second wedding and hopefully have at least Nicky there. 

There should have been an extended dinner scene where we find out what all of the grandkids are doing and their future plans. Also, let Erin and Jack announce that they are married, and then (as someone else suggested) when everyone is asking questions, have Jamie and Eddie make their announcement. 

I needed Danny and Baez to have a brief conversation where they talk a bit about what going out for pizza means or have Baez suggest something more than pizza (something fancier/nicer).  

[NJRadioGuy]

On 12/14/2024 at 12:22 PM, Daff said:

I actually had one disappointment. When I saw the title, I knew some character wouldn’t survive. I expected to see the “end of duty” broadcast. It would have been up to Jamie and Eddie’s boss to do that.

I was also expecting this. Sadly, I've heard several of these IRL and it's...powerful.

Very real thing, using a murdered cop's cuffs to collar his killer. They got that right.

What they also didn't do, and I'm surprised they didn't, when an NYPD cop gets shot they are awarded a gold shield with a formal promotion to detective (even if they remain on patrol). Eddie should have received hers before the funeral, preferably still in the hospital. These gold shield promotions are also awarded posthumously.

Like others, I agree that this needed to be a 90 minute or two hour finale. My biggest criticism of this show is throughout it's run it remained an episodic show, with no overarching story arcs, meaning no real opportunities to wrap up the sub-plots of the characters in the preceding two or three episodes. I would have been very happy to see at least a full 30 minutes, if not the entire final episode, typing up every loose end in a satisfying way.

I will miss this show dearly, despite its frequent and many flaws. The family aspect was always compelling, even if the procedural stuff was eye-roll cringe at times. And I always loved the sparring matches with the Cardinal. And finally, I think Frank should have announced his retirement, and that should have been the storyline for the episode, not just another case-of-the-week.

[Sake614]

On 12/18/2024 at 1:41 AM, NJRadioGuy said:

Frank should have announced his retirement, and that should have been the storyline for the episode, not just another case-of-the-week.

Honestly that’s how I expected the series to end, and I would’ve been happy with it. This just didn’t feel like a series finale. As I said upthread and others have commented since, it was too rushed. It should have been at least 90 minutes, maybe 2 hours. There’s no way the writers couldn’t come up with something more fitting with extra time, so I wonder if the network wouldn’t give it to them?