Season 5 Discussion

[AnnA]

I watch the show mostly for Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlburger and Will Estes but I like almost all of the other cast members.  The exception is Erin (Bridget Moynahan).  She often annoys me - almost as much as her daughter Nikki does.

 

I hope they don't kill off Linda (Amy Carlson)

[Crs97]

Why does Erin even speak to Danny anymore? Glad her dad had her back this one time - usually he's happy to join the attack.

If your parents are brutally murdered in cold blood and you happen to be a cop, I hope you're not walking a beat the next day. I would hate to jaywalk or run a red light and have Thomas stop me right now.

Hope Linda doesn't die, although she was an idiot to send the police officer to the break room and I hope he gets fired. Feel free to kill off Curtis instead.

[CooperTV]

Frank wants desperately to catch the perps, but he wants to be very sure Danny operates lawfully.  He is angry with his son, because Danny is so righteous  about circumventing the law to capture the guy that he doesn't want to listen to orders to operate legally.

 

Considering Danny did nothing wrong and was trying to exit the situation he had no control in whatsoever, it's kind of rich of Frank to be pissed at him. He was the one who assigned Danny to this case. He was the one who assigned Erin to spy on Danny (and Erin was acting unprofessional because she clearly wanted stick it to Danny, not do her job). Frank suddenly had zero faith in his son's abilities, but he assigned him anyway? Why?

 

And then Danny found the evidence working by the book, and they still went ballistic on him for no reason. Frank essentially threw him to the wolves. The victims' son didn't go to Frank to harass him about investigation. He went to Danny.

 

I'm watching the show from season 1, but I had never been annoyed at Frank and Erin the way I was seriously pissed at them (mostly Frank) this episode.

Edited April 26, 2015 by CooperTV

[ComeWhatMay]

What negative traits people have may be amplified in a time of grief. I would say both Frank & Erin are prone to be prideful & self-righteous -- like father like daughter. When Erin allowed Mario's release -- with retired law enforcement in my family I did get the reasoning despite Erin -- & Wahlberg's Danny tried to get off the case & was denied, I thought uh oh... Erin & Frank are going to regret the way they handled things even without knowing who in the family was going to be shot at the time. Danny is a hothead & Linda -- his touchstone, wife, mother of his children & love of his life -- is badly hurt at a minimum. Thinking rationally & maintaining his cool when individuals anger/cross him is not in Danny's bailiwick. No matter what happens to Linda, there is rich drama to be mined as Danny's relationships with his father & sister will sustain a very bad hit & there are two kids who would suffer most from a family rift at a time when it is particularly not needed. Given the strife between them the first two seasons, the irony could be that the one person in the family who Danny could still feel he can talk to & will allow to help the kids would be Jamie. It was Linda who essentially brokered the peace treaty between Danny & Jamie & made it possible for them to be where they are now at the end of season two.

 

I wonder if the Warrior Kings threatened Curtis' mother, not that it excuses Curtis, but that could be what got him to agree to carry out the hit.

[yeswedo]

When a member of the Reagan clan is shot, Danny’s tries to track down the gang member responsible, without letting his emotions get the best of him. Also, he must get creative in order to bring in witnesses, in the conclusion of the two-part fifth season finale.

[AnnA]

I'm rewatching this episode now in preparation for tonight. I caught Frank saying that doing things by the book was his way of honoring his dead friend. I seemed to have missed it last week and was a bit annoyed at Frank (who I love). On the other hand there is Erin who usually almost always annoys the crap out of me. Watching her tell Danny "I am the book" made me want to tell her where she can shove that book. I hope she feels like crap when she finds out Linda got shot.

Edited May 2, 2015 by AnnA

[ComeWhatMay]

Hmm... After that tweet from The Black List describing Amy as a Blue Bloods "alum", my bet was that she was off the show (not that I wanted her to be, believe me) & not that their social media person was in need of a dictionary. The Black List social media person -- look up a word on your computer before you use it if you don't know what it means. No need to hit up Amazon. 
 

That said, I also have to wonder if that tweet wasn't accurate -- I guess we will see, because Blue Bloods is not one to do season-ending cliffhangers & with the renewal yet to come perhaps the show wanted to follow its established pattern of tying things up in a bow. Leaving the family at odds with one another or in crisis had Linda died should the show not be renewed somehow (ratings what they are I would want what they are smoking at CBS) would have been unfortunate to say the least. 

 

In the larger narrative of the show, it all makes me wonder what awaits us in the fall should the show return. Watching episodes from seasons one, two & even three recently with WGN & ION, I see a shift in the show beginning with the very first episode of season four. Beyond attempting to play matchy-matchy with Jamie & Eddie (which I would say has not worked & I hope has been dropped at least in a romantic sense), I think the show had morphed into a more procedural one with less shades of grey among the main characters. It felt like they got lazy on the writing staff. These last two episodes marked by Danny butting heads with Frank & Erin kept me engaged & felt true to who those characters were at the outset of the show. I would like to see this energy continue into next season should there be one. I get that Estes is third-string behind Wahlberg & Moynahan, but honestly that short scene as they sought Mario shows that Jamie's a great bridge with Danny & Erin & the character can begin the climb out of patrol working special assignments and major cases. Danny saw for himself that Jamie was ready in 'Bad Company.' By doing so, it will be easier to integrate Jamie into the canvas without running a separate story off to the side. 

 

 

[Jlina]

Hmmmm....so a few things were definitive tonite.  Erin apparently does not believe a mother will lie to keep her son out of prison. Gah....

 

Danny doesn't really cross the line as much as he toes it and gets Dad's support.

 

And someone really loves the death penalty.  Which is fine by me, but boy that was anviled home by the writers tonite.

 

Oh, and the Allstate guy can never, ever be bad - except for the fact that Allstate is pretty crap insurance.  :)

 

Pretty case of the week for a season finale, much less a possible series finale.

[Artsda]

That wasn't as interesting like I expected. I thought they'd actually go more dramatic and have Linda more seriously hurt or die, but within minutes she was fine and by end of the episode it was family dinner like normal. 

 

I thought they'd be more Erin/Danny/Frank family fall out.

Edited May 2, 2015 by Artsda

[CooperTV]

Erin was extra annoying. "No, you can't arrest those obvious criminals for a technicality! It's like, not fair! And this is a harassment! Stop it or I'll call DAD!11". Ugh, Erin, seriously?

 

I wanted there to be more tension between Danny and Erin/Frank but it seems it was the episode how Danny should be better at his job. Because he was bad at his job before? Is Danny ever bad at his job? Like, ever? Apart from being a hardass?

 

I liked brief Danny/Jamie non-hug: Jamie was trying to hold him away from going after Linda, and Danny just sagged against him into a hug. Jamie obviously didn't expect him to. Donnie Wahlberg did a good job of showing Danny's worry and anxiety in the hospital. And he did a good job in general this episode, I thought,

 

And also, Frank at least should have given his son a real hug. What's up with that, show? Danny broke the case, was harassed by the victims' son, was stonewalled and steamrolled by his father and sister, his wife got shot. And he's only got "Look, I'm more invested in make nice with my BFFs' son than with you, loser" from Frank. So heartwarming, really!

 

The scene with the leader of Warrior Kings and Frank was brutal.

 

The only scene I genuinely enjoyed was the family dinner at the end.

[betsyboo]

 

I thought they'd be more Erin/Danny/Frank family fall out.

Me, too!!

 

Erin was extra annoying. "No, you can't arrest those obvious criminals for a technicality! It's like, not fair! And this is a harassment! Stop it or I'll call DAD!11". Ugh, Erin, seriously?

WORD.

 

I noticed that Danny softened just the *tiniest* bit when he realized Curtis shot the witness to protect his mom.

 

Praise Jeebus that Niki goes to college this fall and only shows for holidays.

[CookieBud]

I was very disappointed.  Linda disappeared from the story less than halfway through the episode, Erin was a mega-holier-than-thou- bitch, and there was no real tension.  Nothing to keep me on the edge of my seat.

 

I'm guessing the bullet in Linda will play into a future season crisis.  I really wanted to see more issues between Erin and Danny.  He should have been royally pissed at her.  Erin should have shown some conflict--she loves her sister-in--law and the job.  How about something other than unflinching righteousness?  And I have yet to figure out why these kids are so loyal to their father.  Frank is loyal to everyone else first. He's so worried about showing them favoritism, that they would get ahead because of him,  that he does the opposite and holds them back.

[shksabelle]

They can get rid of snotty Erin and her brat daughter anytime

[ComeWhatMay]

I think Linda's the only female character who gets a positive treatment by the writers outside of Baez, whatever they are trying to do.

Strident overgrown daddy's girl, disrespectful brat & immature meathead ball buster are not what I think they are trying to get across with Erin, Niki & Eddie. They are often what I see. Hard to root for any of them even liking the actresses who portray them.

Strong women who give it their all to resuscitate a guy with two bullets in them & hold their own with Danny Reagan on the street are more of what we need, I would say. With another season, Erin can learn to say sorry & Niki can learn she's not the center of the universe in college. Those two at least are fixable, I think. As family, I think we are stuck with them anyway. Eddie? I would cut my losses & give Vanessa a good exit. Eddie's not family & I can't imagine that it has worked out with Jamie & Eddie the way the brass hoped.

I want the writers on this show to work a little harder than I think they do. A lot of writers wish they had this cast to work with... No excuse to dog it. This show could be talked about if they would just step it up on the characterization.

[TVFAN]

In fairness, Erin was right about the law.  She's not making up the rules.  Frank sent her there to make certain that any arrest would actually result in a conviction.

 

She wanted the gang leader to be convicted just as much as Danny did.  Without her warning, Danny would not have gathered the additional evidence, and the gang leader would have been released without even making it to a trial.  All of Danny's work would have been for nothing without Erin. 

[AnnA]

In fairness, Erin was right about the law. She's not making up the rules. Frank sent her there to make certain that any arrest would actually result in a conviction.

She wasn't right about everything. Based on his record and their suspicion of his involvement in the chief's murder they probably could have held Mario for 24 hours like Danny asked.

Erin wasn't right about Danny's move to pull in the gang members for being in the park after dark. She called Daddy right away to tell him "We have a problem." When Sid arrived and said it was good police work, she didn't bother to say "I'm sorry Danny. I was wrong." She couldn't even give Danny the credit he was due when the gang leader showed up at the precinct.

I'm not saying that Danny isn't overly aggressive at times. He is but I think he learned a lot when Frank told him to read the Chief's case files and that it was time for him to learn to gift wrap. He said as much at the family dinner. It would have been nice if Erin admitted that she learned something too but apparently, admitting she was wrong isn't something she's comfortable doing. Danny was the clear winner in this episode. Erin needs to take that stick out of her ass.

Edited May 3, 2015 by AnnA

[Crs97]

It's funny how mileage varies because I feel like Erin is almost always the one who apologizes for no reason other than doing her job while Danny lashes out at her whenever he is the one who screws up.  Her family had no problem calling her disloyal for wanting something as silly as evidence over Danny's hunch in a case.  He forces a guy to confess before saving him from falling several stories, and Danny yells at her like it's her fault it won't hold up in court.  He's always got his hand out demanding special favors from her and treating her like she works for him.  When she questions him, he totally goes nuclear on her.  I fail to understand why she even speaks to him anymore.  Even his dig at her in this episode because Jamie figured out how to get the warrant - the idiot in that threesome was Danny.  He's an ass.

[mojito]

Allow me to step into the shallow end.....

 

From the very beginning, I've wondered this: Why does Tom Selleck always sound like he's wearing Frankenstein's monster's shoes on a cheap stage floor whenever he walks? He makes so much noise. Is the man flat footed or something or does he weigh a ton? He doesn't walk, he stomps.

 

I don't share in the Erin (or Nicki) hate. Erin's trying to be by the book, and Nicky is an educated teenager and she challenges conventional thinking. Seems like a normal teen to me. At least, a normal intelligent one.

 

As always, I like the family dinners. I like the two boys who, apparently by their unusual last names, are brothers in real life,  but I never see a resemblance. If the show lasts, they may join Team Nicki or even split as they question justice and legal issues.

 

I liked Danny and Frank using the criminals' incorrect English in their responses to the criminals.

[AnnA]

I noticed Frank's heavy footsteps in his office too and think it's done for effect.....when the weight of a difficult situation is on his shoulders.

The question "Why does she [Erin] even speak to him [Danny] anymore?" was raised. There are quite a few possible answers, i.e., he's her brother, he saved her life more than once and while his methods are often aggressive, his instincts are rarely wrong.

Recently I caught an old episode, "Unwritten Rules." Erin starts out with her usual smug stick up her ass attitude and lets a cop killer go because she felt the only eye witness wouldn't hold up under cross examination. The fallout she experienced came from her family, the media, the entire police force and from her boss. After her boss tells her she has to live with her decisions, Erin decides to take the stick out of her ass and teams up with brother Danny to trick the perp into a confession. Apparently, she knows how make the law work for her when her job is on the line. It's too bad she doesn't play well with others more often.

Edited May 4, 2015 by AnnA

[Calamity Jane]

Is it even worth addressing how unlikely in the real world it would be for a husband to be questioning the suspects in his own wife's shooting injury, and for said wife's sister-in-law to be the ADA in charge?  This show.  Leave Linda the heck out of it, and everything else could probably be okay.  As it was, the whole episode was tainted for me just because of how hard it was to believe such a thing would be allowed.  Talk about a field day for the defense!

[ComeWhatMay]

Calamity Jane, that's actually why I hope that if they get another season, they just own it & have some fun. Danny & Erin on Linda's shooting says right there that they are not all that concerned with realism. I watched early SouthLAnd for that anyway & I have the first season on DVD.
 

Part of the fun, for me anyway, with a long running show with a family element such as this is watching the characters grow & change. Why not promote Jamie (in the real world I think it is a safe bet he would already be promoted), let Erin date Alex (chemistry & the complications of an interoffice romance), etc.?

Edited May 5, 2015 by ComeWhatMay

[Calamity Jane]

Calamity Jane, that's actually why I hope that if they get another season, they just own it & have some fun. Danny & Erin on Linda's shooting says right there that they are not all that concerned with realism. I watched early SouthLAnd for that anyway & I have the first season on DVD.

 

Part of the fun, for me anyway, with a long running show with a family element such as this is watching the characters grow & change. Why not promote Jamie (in the real world I think it is a safe bet he would already be promoted), let Erin date Alex (chemistry & the complications of an interoffice romance), etc.?

I love the show, and I loved SouthLAnd -- was crushed when it was canceled!  I still want to know what happened to the guy who got the crap beat out of him right at the end.  Agreed this one isn't even supposed to be approximating real life, but somehow this time it just went too far.  And seriously, it could still have been a gripping episode WITHOUT Linda getting shot.  

[mtlchick]

 

let Erin date Alex (chemistry & the complications of an interoffice romance), etc.?

 

I was  hoping it would lead to that even though Peter Hermann (Erin's ex) is hot to look at too.  However James Lesure is starring in the Uncle Buck reboot this fall so we may not be seeing him as much, if at all.

[ComeWhatMay]

Renewed, per TVLine.

Glad for James Lesure, but too bad for us. I hope the writers still have fun elsewhere while jettisoning what doesn't work & let the characters grow/circumstances change.

I like Peter Hermann/looking at Jack Boyle too. Intentional or not on the writers' part -- I see Erin being a Daddy's Girl (never mind prideful & self-righteous) as at least part of the trouble in that house.



 

[torqy]

Glad it was renewed; maybe now they can figure out what to do with Det. Baker. She seems under-used.

[Crs97]

Just saw the rerun. So Jamie left Tina on the bench even while she was in a panic that she was being watched and then couldn't figure out Eddie might by in danger when her phone went dead. Pretty, but not too bright is our Jamie. Maybe someone should check his fish for bones next time.

I am sure that there is something that makes Henry redeemable, but I haven't found it yet and gave watched a ton of episodes now.

[Crs97]

Just saw this again and enjoyed it. I really liked the resolution to the campus rape storyline; I thought it was realistic not to try prosecuting the guy after so much time, but the victim can have some consolation that someone heard and believed her. I also was reminded that I really liked Erin's boyfriend and am sorry he's gone. I thought he was interesting and a good match for her. Sad they ruined his character.

I loved how the chief disciplined Danny and Baez (?). Last on vacations selections and keep the cars clean and gassed? Nicely done. I wish she hadn't ended with the ultimatum, though, because the writers will forget about it but we won't the next time he blows her off.

[Bastet]

Why does Erin even speak to Danny anymore?

 

I hate this show - I gave syndicated episodes an extended chance because of the cast, but I find Henry and Danny utter assholes, and Frank less so but still an example of much of what's wrong with police forces around the country - but nothing was on last night and I was trying to distract myself, so I watched this episode.  Nothing changed since the last time I watched; I, too, cannot figure out why Erin doesn't tell Danny to go fuck himself, and tell Frank she'll be at Sunday dinner once a month, not every week.

[wonderwoman]

Just caught this episode on ION, and, as usual, found myself screaming at the screen. So much about this show annoys, and Nicki is the least of it. There's the over the top deference to the commisioner -- his underlyings treat him like he's a god. And Danny! It's not just that he has to be right all the time, it's his utter contempt for anyone on the other side -- Erin, for example. He's clearly cut from the same cloth as the grandfather --not even an attempt to understand the often conflicting Constitutional issues underlying the criminal justice system, much less the nuance required to navigate those issues. And never, ever, any real consequences!

Edited September 19, 2015 by wonderwoman

[Lillybee]

We all know that Nicki is going to Columbia (or Hudson as it is referred to on this show) So I am not getting the college angst. Columbia is a great college.

[Lillybee]

Lt. Fancy of NYPD, you have been missed.

[Lillybee]

I remember a show a few episodes back where Frank and Pop were talking about which one of Frank's kids had the potential to be a PC in the future and they decided that it should be Jamie.

[Lillybee]

When the guy in the hospital agreed to be a witness, Danny should have at least doubled his protection. So I blame Lynda's getting shot on Danny.

[TV Diva Queen]

I've been binge watching for a couple months now and am almost current -  two things that bug.  1)  That the new interim DA's last name is McCoy; and 2)  that the new Lt, is Anita VanBuren redeux.  

[TV Diva Queen]

On 1/18/2015 at 9:22 PM, mtlchick said:

 

I'm waiting for the day that their paths do cross given they both use the steps in front of the NYC Supreme Court to film.  

 

Interesting episode: while I didn't think much about Jamie's part, I liked that Erin is figuring out that her boss isn't all that great.  (Also glad that James Lesure is sticking around.)  Didn't really pay attention to Frank and Henry.

 

 

I would love to see Jack McCoy, the background, just walking down the stairs.  That would be the coolest stunt ever.  Someone upthread said that because BB and L&O are different networks we won't see crossover.....Hudson University is in both shows, so there is some hope..

[TV Diva Queen]

On 2/11/2015 at 10:48 AM, FiveString said:

Of course the most delicious aspect to me was the fact that a red Ferrari was the car chosen to be "too flashy" on a detective's salary.... At least his name wasn't Robin Masters.

When Frank was looking at the pic of the Ferrari - I wanted a "thought bubble" above his head of Thomas Magnum driving one. 

[TVForever]

I used to enjoy this show, but over time, it seemed to become a little TOO pro-police. Even the bad cops (okay: Danny) are considered the good guys. For goodness sake, I've also had my fill of corrupt cop shows too, but at least the POV tends to be that we are seeing a bad guy, or at least, a bad cop.
Then they ran that episode a few seasons back where a guy THREW HIMSELF out of a 2nd or 3rd story window just so he could claim police brutality against Danny. What? Then the Reverend/activist (recurring character whose name I forget) was shown to be truly corrupt by bribing the witness family with groceries and electronics to maintain the lie. Then you've got the community up in arms calling for Danny's head, when we the audience know that Danny was the innocent one and everyone on the "other side" was either lying or mistaken.It just seemed to play into an ongoing narrative on the show and made a mockery of real problems that certain communities have with how they are treated by police.

That was it for me, unfortunately. I haven't really watched the show since. And upon reading this review, I'm happy to keep on walkin'.

[Ina123]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2014 at 9:07 PM, auntlada said:

 

They do that on almost every TV cop show I've ever watched. I don't know why.

For the action scenes.

(Sorry, I'm just now binge watching to catch up.)

[Ina123]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2015 at 11:45 PM, webruce said:

Garrett must have been out of town. Liked Det. Baker having a little more to do.
 

Yeah. She's gotten quite proficient at hanging up Frank's coat.

[Ina123]

Linda had no authority to tell the cop outside the door to take a break. Nor should the cop have left the door. But, of course, it needed to happen to advance the story.

[txhorns79]

I've been watching the show on Netflix, and caught the episode with the student being raped at Hudson.  Between this show and the Law and Orders, I'm surprised Hudson doesn't simply advertise as the school where students can expect to be raped or murdered.    

Edited July 29, 2019 by txhorns79