Seasons 1-3 Discussion

[AnnA]

I know I've been binge watching again when I start doing the Tom Selleck sigh.

 

I binge watch every Thursday.   It doesn't matter that they're reruns.  I love it.

[BizBuzz]

Hello All!

 

I have just finished binge watching Blue Bloods (I am up to date except for the first episode season 6) ... it took me about 6 weeks.  Don't judge me.  LOL

 

I love this show.  It's over the top with it's convenience but I love the family dynamic, and I absolutely love how there is a show on today that promotes family dinner and discussion.  WOW, that is so old school.

 

Reading over some of the posts in here ... I see there seems to be a general dislike to Danny ... this is the trouble with binge watching and not watching over the years, it's hard to see where everyone else is over the years.

 

I am looking forward to continuing on now on a weekly basis. 

[patches403]

On 6/5/2015 at 11:20 AM, andromeda331 said:

 

I really don't like most of the characters either. I love Baker, I like Garrett and Jamie's boss but the actual family I don't like any of them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!  Of the family, I really like Frank and mostly like Henry.  The rest of them I really want to like, but mostly could care less if they all would disappear.  My biggest issue with most of the family is how self-righteous they often are - like their you know what doesn't stink.  Erin is the biggest guilty party here, with maybe Jamie in second place and Nicky in third.  At least Nicky can be somewhat forgiven for this because of her age.  At her age I thought I knew everything too although I hope I was never as "I'm better than everyone else" as Nicky is.  Frank is mostly as self-righteous as the rest of the family, but it's easier for me to forgive it from him because he's Tom Selleck, the only reason I ever started watching the show and the biggest reason I continue to watch the show.

My favorite characters besides Frank are all his co-workers - Garrett, Gormley, Baker, etc.   I most enjoy watching him interact with any other character other than his family members.  I also like the Mayor, Danny's boss Dee - heck I even like that trouble making minister more than most of the family.  I don't care much one way or the other about Danny's partner and I wish Janko would disappear to be replaced by someone (male or female) who would have a better chemistry with Jamie and can maybe counteract some of his boy hero behavior.

There's a lot to like about this show and that's why I keep watching.  It's nice to see a well portrayed family with good values and character on TV, but I just wish the writers could make some of them a little less "perfect".  I get so sick sometimes of watching them lord over others with their "higher moral character" and I get so sick of them meddling in situations they have no business meddling in just because they think they know best.

Edited August 6, 2016 by patches403

[bichonblitz]

I must have been living under a rock because I have never watched this show and I am a Tom Selleck fan! So now that I found it, I have been binge watching, also. I like all of the cast so far and I also love that the series takes place in NYC, Frank lives in Bayridge, Erin lives in Park Slope, all places I'm familiar with,  I love Brooklyn and Sunday dinners remind me of my childhood!! 

p.s. For any Tom Selleck fans , you must watch his "Jesse Stone" series. It's on the Hallmark movie channel, not the other corny Hallmark channel.  

[stuckin60s]

Is it me or does Tom Selleck walk that hard in real life?  What/Why is he doing that.  I just started watching this year, trying to catch up

Inquiring minds want to know...

[tobeyoungagain]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2014 at 10:31 AM, magicdog said:

 

 

As a native NY'er myself, I chalk it up to his day to day life.  His father and grandfather are/were police commissioners and are expected to enunciate and look and act professional especially when giving pressers.  His sister and Jaime are/were lawyers so they tended to also ease up on the accents for public speaking.  Danny worked in the trenches and chose to keep the accent (even though IRL, Wahlberg is a native of Boston and not NY).

 

I liked Jennifer Esposito and really miss her since she left the series.  I thought she was the perfect balance of NY/Italian-American/ and cop.  She came off as very genuine to me.  It's Danny's current partner, Baez I can't stand. I also loved Jaime's training officer played by Nicholas Turturro.  Very authentic in every way.

 

 

Being a Police Commissioner pays very well, so I don't doubt the nice house Frank and his dad live in.  Danny's and Linda's house looks right for their middle class level.  I don't remember where Jaime lives now - I remember he lived in a nice loft that belonged to his ex-fiancée for a while when she left the county but I don't know where he lives now.  Erin was married to a shark so they would have had some money together and after the divorce, she probably got to keep their house.

 

 

 

As someone who works in media and sees loads of pressers, the [police] are always speaking like this - it's rooted in how they write their reports.  They have official jargon and it sometimes carried over into day to day speech.

I loved Jennifer in the show - and loved Jackie the character.  She was funny, dry and just right touch of sarcasm (and balanced Danny).  Plus she could act.  I am only on Season 3 so I'm hoping that by Season 6 they get rid of Kate (the replacement detective).  She can't act worth sht!  Her expression is the same and it sounds like she's like robotically spitting out the lines.  Please tell me they get rid of her in later seasons?

Why did Jennifer leave?

[CooperTV]

1 hour ago, tobeyoungagain said:

I am only on Season 3 so I'm hoping that by Season 6 they get rid of Kate (the replacement detective). 

Danny had several replacement goldfishes detectives working with him, one was Megan Boone from The Blacklist at one point in season 3. None of them lasted long, except for Baez. She started working with Danny in season 3 as well.

[tobeyoungagain]

17 minutes ago, CooperTV said:

Danny had several replacement goldfishes detectives working with him, one was Megan Boone from The Blacklist at one point in season 3. None of them lasted long, except for Baez. She started working with Danny in season 3 as well.

Thanks!  She hasn't come onboard yet (I'm only in beginning)... the one I couldn't stand is Kate Lansing.  What a terrible actress!  I fell asleep watching her attempt to act!

[CooperTV]

2 minutes ago, tobeyoungagain said:

the one I couldn't stand is Kate Lansing.

I initially thought she was only in two episodes but Blue Bloods Wiki says it was six! She left no impression on me whatsoever, it seems, she was so bland.

[tobeyoungagain]

4 minutes ago, CooperTV said:

I initially thought she was only in two episodes but Blue Bloods Wiki says it was six! She left no impression on me whatsoever, it seems, she was so bland.

do you know why Jackie / Jennifer E. left the how?  She was so so awesome!  I loved her and Danny together.

[CooperTV]

Just now, tobeyoungagain said:

do you know why Jackie / Jennifer E. left the how?  She was so so awesome!  I loved her and Danny together.

There was a tension between Jennifer Esposito and CBS. Here's some gory details of that. It was messy, and CBS didn't look good at all.

[3 is enough]

Quote

I just rewatched "The Life We Choose", when Danny's friend is killed in an undercover operation, and Henry and Nicky compete in a talent competition.  What the hell was with that cutesy baby singing voice that Sami was using??? 

The song was from "Annie".  Think she was singing like a little girl in keeping with the character.

I just started binge watching this series on Netflix after running into it on WGN and Ion.  Never watched a first run on CBS until very recently.  I am halfway through season 3, but have seen bits and pieces of other episodes in syndication.  Just want to catch up for continuity's sake.

I can see where there are lots of things that would drive people nuts about the show, but the one thing that bothers me the most is the amount of drinking this family does.  Talk about perpetuating the stereotype that "all Irish people are drinkers"!

[Happy Belly]

Boy, oh boy...am I late to the party or what? I caught one episode of Blue Bloods on a channel late at night and got hooked. My husband and I are Netflix bingewatching, hoping to be caught up before the new season starts but we are presently on Season 3, maybe episode 12 or 13, so I don’t know if we will make it in time. But we are trying! Great show, great characters although I can’t stand old Grandpa and I miss Jackie a whole bunch.

[mtlchick]

On 04/11/2016 at 3:40 PM, CooperTV said:

There was a tension between Jennifer Esposito and CBS. Here's some gory details of that. It was messy, and CBS didn't look good at all.

Shortly after she was gone, I was at the set and was talking to a crew member.  He said what was reported was only a fraction of what was going on.  Let's just say that she wasn't missed.  On the upside, the crew and background people adore Donnie.  

[JessDVD]

My mom told me at the beginning of the summer that I should be watching Blue Bloods because she knows I like procedurals, NYC, and family shows. I have quite enjoyed it and am now near the end of season 3. I don't think I'll be able to binge my way up through the end of season 8 by the air of season 9 but I'm going to try. :-) Baez has just been introduced and so far I like her, but I do miss Jackie, whom I was predisposed to dislike because of my dislike for Esposito's character on NCIS but turned out to like her (Jackie) quite a bit.

It's nice to have a show where I'm not diving for the remote if one of my kids happens to come downstairs when they're supposed to be in bed. The list is short.

[Sarah 103]

On 4/17/2014 at 10:55 PM, mojito said:

What I love about this show is dinner conversation where the youngest children are allowed to speak. This show shows a lot of respect for children and I love that. Children are young adults; allow them to be exposed to as much as they're capable of understanding, then dumb things down for them if need be. I was raised that way and am quite grateful for it.

The family dinners are what sold me on the series and I love that is part of every episode. 

 

On 12/13/2014 at 10:09 PM, friendperidot said:

I've wondered why Danny has such a strong accent when the rest of the family doesn't..

My theory is that Henry, Frank, Erin, and Jamie lost thier accent at some point. For Erin and Jamie I'm guessing it was college or law school. Danny decided he wanted to keep the accent. Another theory that I've heard is that the only way for Donnie Wahlberg to cover up his Boston accent is to replace with it a New York one. 

On 1/29/2015 at 11:36 PM, kwnyc said:

Seriously: Baker! I'd like a Baker-centric episode...the one where the creep from Long Island was stalking her wasn't nearly enough.

I'd love another Baker-centric episode. I'd also love more scenes of Baker, Garret and Gormley interacting without Frank in the room. Maybe a scene of the three of them waiting for him. 

[observer]

  

Edited August 3, 2019 by observer

[zoey1996]

Last night’s episode was from Season 3.  Almost everyone looked so much younger!  It was nice to see Linda again. 

[kurtz]

Just did a rewatch of the two part ending of S3. Probably the best season ending until the  two hour conclusion of S11. Kevin Wade wrote both season finales. 
 

The murder of Jamie’s partner Vinny Cruz in Part 1 and the shooting of Mayor Poole and the sweep of the Bittman Projects (with the Rolling Stones’ “Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”) in Part 2 made for compelling television.  Part 1 had a flashback involving Danny’s early NYPD days that was pivotal to the plot. Frank, Danny and Jaime were integrated into a single storyline in a well balanced, sensible way. I honestly do not understand why for the last 5 or 6 seasons, there are 3 or 4 storylines in each episode that are not fully developed. Further, the precedent is there that a flashback can be utilized. Regular viewers like myself have craved a storyline with young Frank (and Mary) with teenaged Danny, Erin, Joe and a youngster Jamie. It could be done with the right writing. 
 

Of course, in S3 there is no Eddie or Anthony yet, and Sid is in the field, not at 1PP. Linda is alive, Nikki and Jack are still at Sunday dinner, and Sunday dinner seems more organic than than the expected episode ending we have in 90% of the shows now. It was refreshing to revisit after so many years. 
 

Bonus: in the last scene of the season 3 finale, Frank says to Linda that she must be a saint as she never complains about eating dinner with her in-laws every single week. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by kurtz
Autocorrect is not my friend. Regressing is not the same as refreshing.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Life happened and I never got back to watching this. But I was fur-baby sitting last weekend, and was stuck watching this, as nothing else looked interesting. And Tom sucked me back in.

I had set my cable for dvr'ng, but it's crazy that three different channels are airing early, mid, and late seasons. Then I checked to see if it's streaming, and yes, it is. So I sat down this weekend and watched the rest of one and the second season. Started the third before going to bed.

And I will admit, the few recent seasons I've seen, and now the first two full seasons? Like night and day. With the first two being much, much better, even if I'm rolling my eyes at how adversarial they are showing the cops with the DA's office. Blame it on my many years of watching Original Recipe Law & Order.

Speaking of which, I admit, I know NOTHING about how producer credit works, but I did sit up and pay more attention when I saw that Ed Zuckerman was credited as an executive producer in the first two seasons (so far), and even wrote one! Why am I excited? Because he was a writer for original recipe Law & Order during the GOOD early-mid years. @wknt3 knows what I mean (waving!), right?

What I don't like, as much as I love Tom Selleck, and also growing to love Will Estes (as Jamie is my favorite), is the slant how the cops never do any wrong, and are always justified, blah, blah, blah. There's no nuance here. And it just makes me roll my eyes so VERY HARD.

But I found myself smiling when I saw that Amy Carlson and Nestor Serrano shared a scene in the episode where Danny was under investigation, because the last time that I saw them together, they played a cop, who was an abusive raping asshole, and she was his wife, who was the one he raped. Such a toxic and unhealthy relationship in Law & Order: SVU. And it had been what? almost 10 years? Then there was "Women Who Carry Guns" and for me, it was seeing Tom and Margaret Colin reunite, as they played love interests in the original Three Men & a Baby!😍

Now I'm wondering if Joey McIntyre has appeared on this show.

I also like Jackie/Jennifer Esposito and it's so awful how the Brass treated her.

Since I've read this entire thread, I know what's coming and am bracing myself.

And I love seeing how many of Law & Order early years alumni have appeared so far. We had the regular defense attorney played by Bob Dishy (not a scuzzy defense attorney) playing the judge at the end of season 2 in the Denko trial.

And Gormley, played by Robert Clohessy, always playing an asshole, murderer, person of interest in the original, playing such a wonderful character on this show.

I love seeing New York and recognizing the places I've lived and visited. So glad it's filmed on location.

Who knows how long it will take me to catch up! Hee.

[wknt3]

9 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Speaking of which, I admit, I know NOTHING about how producer credit works, but I did sit up and pay more attention when I saw that Ed Zuckerman was credited as an executive producer in the first two seasons (so far), and even wrote one! Why am I excited? Because he was a writer for original recipe Law & Order during the GOOD early-mid years. @wknt3 knows what I mean (waving!), right?

Producer credits can mean just about anything or nothing. In general when a writer is listed as an Executive Producer it means they are either the creator, the showrunner, the showrunner's top lieutenant, or they were brought in as a consultant to help with the development of a series or to try to revamp an existing series. It can also mean that they developed or created the series and are still getting checks even if they have left or were kicked out. I believe that in this case it meant he was a senior writer as he did take over as showrunner at one point. And I do know what you mean. I think a big part of why the show was so well executed in the early years is that there were a lot of L&O alumni in various production roles. Unfortunately writing for Law & Order during the peak years does not necessarily mean you can work miracles on a different police drama with an aging diva star pushing an agenda as anyone who watched SVU during the past decade knows...

[GHScorpiosRule]

59 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

I think a big part of why the show was so well executed in the early years is that there were a lot of L&O alumni in various production roles.

I’ve noticed that! And other familiar names!

 

 

1 hour ago, wknt3 said:

Unfortunately writing for Law & Order during the peak years does not necessarily mean you can work miracles on a different police drama with an aging diva star pushing an agenda as anyone who watched SVU during the past decade knows...

Tell me about it! 

OOH!!! Ken Howard!! So many favorite actors! I still can’t stand the lack of nuance and one-sidedness.

And you know when you see a well known name, they will either be a good person or the bad guy. Like I knew right away Richard Burgi was guilty.