S09.E12: Milestones

[wknt3]

Quote

A former officer waits on Frank at a restaurant, causing him to feel guilty about the circumstances surrounding why she was fired, and he tries to reinstate her. Also, Danny and Baez investigate the murder of a star college basketball player linked to sports betting, Erin seeks justice in an apparent DUI, and Jamie and Eddie pick a wedding venue.

[Biscuit Tin]

(1. )They could have flashed back to show what the officer did/why Frank fired her. It's not like CBS doesn't own the rights. (2.) Last season Jamie was painting houses on his days off to try to deal with his crushing student loan. Now they are talking about whether to spend a small fortune on the wedding or a house? That Sargent's  promotion must have come with one hell of a raise.  But I guess that's no more impractical than Jamie planning a wedding with Eddie but no one at the precinct knows they are a couple. So stupid. (3.) That was some darn good acting. between those moms in Erin's office. Made me cry.

[SuzieQ]

9 hours ago, Biscuit Tin said:

(1. )They could have flashed back to show what the officer did/why Frank fired her. It's not like CBS doesn't own the rights. 

Very true!  It was kind of fun to see someone tell Frank no though!! Loved when he came into the bar and she tells the bartender to give her the most expensive red they have!

Why would Jamie take advice from a deadbeat cop that he's known for a hot minute?  I can see trying to hold down expenses, but that whole plotline was pretty stupid.

Eddie is getting pretty mouthy at that dinner table, lol.

[LakeGal]

Jamie and Eddie working together is still stupid.  They are hiding their relationship.  But won't it look suspicious when they both take leave at the exact same time and they both come back married?  They must work with some pretty stupid people.  

[AnnA]

I used to really love this show.   Did they change writers?   It's just not as good as it was.   Too many storylines squished into one episode.   

[dirtydi]

I love Jamie and Eddie and that is why I started the show (and retroactively watched the show), but why is Jamie being a douche?  He was always the more serious out of the kids, but the dude is acting like a dope with a chip on his shoulder.  He got the girl and the promotion (extra money), why so miserable at job and at home? He won't take advice from his dad about the job, but he'll take advice from a deadbeat cop he worked with for a few hours?!  I hope Jamie isn't going be the one of those people that keep their air conditioning on 80 degrees during summer and tell you to stick your head in the freezer to save money.  Or tell you to only use a few toilet paper squares to wipe your patootie in order to save money. Dude is not of lower economic status.  I work with  people who are poor and poor he is not.

I'm glad Eddie clapped back at the dinner table and at Jamie too.  It does get tiring watching the Reagans playing devil's advocate all the time.  I liked when Linda popped off on them, back in the day, when all they did was discuss/argue the job.

 

Totally tuned out Danny's storyline too. Erin's story line was good though.  Found Frank's boring.  I miss the shows where I enjoyed all of the storylines.

Edited January 12, 2019 by dirtydi

[Biscuit Tin]

Danny's story line was very boring. I checked Facebook during some of it. That shouldn't be. Season 8 was so good, I was very hopeful about Season 9. I have loved this show, and I don't like to complain about it, but something has gone wrong with the writing. The characters, Especially Frank, do not act in ways which we know to be in line with their principles. The whole Eddie-working-for-Jamie-and-no-one-at-the-precinct-knows-and-Frank-doesn't-care scenario requires far too much suspension of disbelief. Shoot, at this point, why not have Alf come on as a wise-cracking alien detective who joins the K-9 unit?

[Katy M]

14 hours ago, Biscuit Tin said:

Last season Jamie was painting houses on his days off to try to deal with his crushing student loan. Now they are talking about whether to spend a small fortune on the wedding or a house?

It's actually been quite a few years since he's don't that.  That I remember anyway.

This episode was actually kind of interesting.

1. Frank.  OK, I actually don't really remember what happened in the other episode.  So, I'll just go off what he was saying about it.  He made a mistake firing her.  He apologized to her and offerd her job back.  that should have been it.  It's not his responsibility to pull people through life.  He did say she did make a mistake arresting the guy, so it's not like she was completely railroaded or something.

2. HOw about a small wedding.  Compromise.  Which I realize is what they ende dup doing, but why did it take so long to figure that out?  And Eddie doesn't seem like the type to get all mad about not having a big wedding.

3. On the one hand I don't blame the other cop for being worried about liability in this sue-happy world.  On the other hand it's very sad that it's "safer" to let someone die than to help someone.

4. The drunk driving thing.  OK, I don't think being bipolar should excuse crimes. On the other hand, if you drink and drive and don't kill anybody, ti's a slap on the wrist.  Killing someone or not while you're drinking and driving is probably just more dumb luck than anything.

5.  Nice that Eddie spoke her mind at dinner.  That's definitely not everyone's idea of a nice weekly dinner.  

[buckboard]

Am I the only one who found it hard to understand why Erin thought she had only two choices with the DUI driver: ask for the maximum sentence for murder or probation for manslaughter? 

Even though I don't exactly understand why self-medicating would mean a lesser charge, why wouldn't Erin still have asked for the maximum charge for manslaughter?  The young woman WAS driving under the influence, no matter why she had taken the drugs and she caused the death of the young boy.  

[Katy M]

And I almost forgot.  When Jamie was talking on the phoe to Eddied ad the other cop asked if that was his old lady, I thought he asked if it was Old Eddie.  LOL.  I was like, does he know????

[Biscuit Tin]

I guess it was a while back since Jamie painted houses. I confuse myself watching old episodes on Amazon. =)

4 hours ago, AnnA said:

I used to really love this show.   Did they change writers?   It's just not as good as it was.   Too many storylines squished into one episode.   

My thoughts exactly. Either they changed writers or the writers have too much else going on - maybe another show, or something. I think the shows with three main threads are always better than ones with four threads, but I guess they have to try to work everyone in.

[Magnumfangirl]

42 minutes ago, buckboard said:

Am I the only one who found it hard to understand why Erin thought she had only two choices with the DUI driver: ask for the maximum sentence for murder or probation for manslaughter? 

Even though I don't exactly understand why self-medicating would mean a lesser charge, why wouldn't Erin still have asked for the maximum charge for manslaughter?  The young woman WAS driving under the influence, no matter why she had taken the drugs and she caused the death of the young boy.  

I didn't get it either and I don't think she would get such a light sentence in the real world.  The act and it's result is exactly the same.  Driving under the influence is still driving under the influence regardless of why one is under the influence. I kept thinking the victim's mother was going to accuse Erin of falling for the "affluenza" defense. 

[Katy M]

32 minutes ago, Magnumfangirl said:

I didn't get it either and I don't think she would get such a light sentence in the real world.  The act and it's result is exactly the same.  Driving under the influence is still driving under the influence regardless of why one is under the influence. I kept thinking the victim's mother was going to accuse Erin of falling for the "affluenza" defense. 

I actually thought she was going to come back and shoot her.

[AnnA]

8 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I actually thought she was going to come back and shoot her.

So did I. 

[AnnA]

1 hour ago, Biscuit Tin said:

I guess it was a while back since Jamie painted houses. I confuse myself watching old episodes on Amazon. =)

My thoughts exactly. Either they changed writers or the writers have too much else going on - maybe another show, or something. I think the shows with three main threads are always better than ones with four threads, but I guess they have to try to work everyone in.

The episodes used to be mostly about Danny's case of the week with something going on at police headquarters.   There wasn't that much Erin or Jamie.   I think as Jamie gained popularity and more screen time they had to give some to Erin too.   I never like Erin's storylines but that's probably because I never liked Erin.   

I know this is supposed to be Tom Selleck's show and I've been a fan of his forever but his storylines have been awfully boring this season.   Even the banter with his staff is blah.

Edited January 13, 2019 by AnnA

[LakeGal]

I guess Jamie and Eddie can't invite any coworkers to their wedding.

[CaptainCranky]

This show has changed a lot and it's not for the better. 5 story lines with this show is nuts if you don't include the weekly dinner.

1. Frank showing some humility was good for a change. What about the week before when he asked Baker about the purple shield. I thought it was about her spouse but nothing was ever said again or I missed it.

2. Danny and his unkempt appearance when everyone else is clean shaven is BS. And his case was boring.

3. Erin's case was difficult at best to understand the angst of losing a child but the law has to be followed. I really like the Anthony character.

4. Jamie, his leadership in the precinct and the jerk older officer should have been resolved by a rift of the guy.

5. And finally the wedding. I thought Jamie's family had some serious money. I guess not. Spending lavish amounts of money anymore on weddings is nuts.

6. Personally I FF through the dinner scenes anymore as they serve no useful purpose.

I'm gonna hang in with this show for a while longer but it's getting difficult with each passing week.

[Katy M]

31 minutes ago, CaptainCranky said:

4. Jamie, his leadership in the precinct and the jerk older officer should have been resolved by a rift of the guy.

Technically, the other officer was trying to follow procedure.  Though morally Jamie was right.

[CaptainCranky]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

Technically, the other officer was trying to follow procedure.  Though morally Jamie was right.

He was given a direct order from a superior ranked officer. As a vet, there were several times I was given a direct order I did't agree with but did it as that's the protocol in the chain of command. If something bad did happen the onus would have been on Jamie.

Having said that there is a possibility that if the order directly put your health, safety or your life at risk disobeying would be appropriate but your reasons would have to stand up under close scrutiny of a review board.

Edited January 13, 2019 by CaptainCranky

[Emma9]

17 hours ago, buckboard said:

Am I the only one who found it hard to understand why Erin thought she had only two choices with the DUI driver: ask for the maximum sentence for murder or probation for manslaughter? 

Even though I don't exactly understand why self-medicating would mean a lesser charge, why wouldn't Erin still have asked for the maximum charge for manslaughter?  The young woman WAS driving under the influence, no matter why she had taken the drugs and she caused the death of the young boy.  

The episode's theme seemed to be 'compromise? What is this of which you speak?'.

As others mentioned, it took that long for Jamie to think there might be a middle-ground between 'trying not to run over a 100-grand budget' and 'brunch'?

There's no alternatives for the woman Frank was chasing after than cop or waitress? When he mentioned she was taking classes, I thought the outcome would have been that she'd actually found something that was more suited/fulfilling to her than police work, and was only waitressing to pay her tuition.

That storyline was briefly interesting to me, though, because a career where lives hang on the line of your decisions is fundamentally not for everyone. It certainly wouldn't be for me. But pretty much every time that subject comes up on a show like this (both Rookie and Chicago Fire, this season), it's something that they eventually overcome, not a deal-breaker.

I hope Jamie does more than 'have her back'; she's going to need solid training/mentorship to not go back on the street with the yips.

[Magnumfangirl]

I wonder if this episode was written in response to negative reaction from viewers when Frank fired Whitten  in s8ep15 "Legacy".  I looked up what I wrote and what everybody else wrote about it and it was almost universally panned.  Makes me think the producers got some direct complaints and decided to rectify the story.  

Scroll down  to March 2 .

[Sarah 103]

I think it was a mistake for the show to do 4 plotlines per episode instead of 3. It does not give them enough time to fully develop each plotline. Erin's plotline this week is an excellent example of this. Erin's story was another example of "good idea, poor execution."

The good idea was showing how important it is to take mental health issues seriously. I'm actually surprised that such a conservative show put that message out there in a serious way and not a concept for the characters to mock. The mother thought it just a teenage girl having a difficult time and never thought that there was something seriously wrong. So instead of getting professional help, the girl turned to self-medicating. This was a PSA about the dangers of not taking mental health issues seriously.  

19 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

I kept thinking the victim's mother was going to accuse Erin of falling for the "affluenza" defense. 

The show didn't set it up that way. The psychologist/psychiatrist they went to was someone Erin respected. To me, this meant he or she wasn't the type of person who could be bribed or convinced to give a favorable (but incorrect/inaccurate) diagnosis.  

The poor execution comes from not having enough time to delve into some of the issues. It would have been great to have an extended argument between Anthony and Erin. Anthony takes the position that she commited a crime, and if due to her mental state it's manslaughter instead of murder, reccomend the maximum sentence for manslaughter. Erin's stance is that this is a troubled girl, and that prison will not help her. What she needs is professional help and she cannot get that kind of help in prison. I don't know who wins in the end, but this would have been a great dramatic moment. 

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, Emma9 said:

That storyline was briefly interesting to me, though, because a career where lives hang on the line of your decisions is fundamentally not for everyone. It certainly wouldn't be for me. But pretty much every time that subject comes up on a show like this (both Rookie and Chicago Fire, this season), it's something that they eventually overcome, not a deal-breaker.

Yes, I wish Frank had just left it at that after he apologized and she made her speech about it not being the end of the world if she messed up an order.  I could never had a life or death job.  I'd be on edge all the time, questioning everything I did.  I'd be an absolute nervous wreck.  That doesn't make me a bad person. It just makes me a bad person to have around in an emergency:)

[TV Diva Queen]

I love how franks assistant (who I’m ashamed to admit I forgot her name) is like a guard dog to him. Last week in the restaurant when the protestors came in, she stood in front of him while he was sitting. And this weeks epi when they were in his office and frank said to rehire the fired officers, the two guys were starting to argue w frank and she stands up, opens the door and pretty much dismisses them. IRL, I’m a guard dog too, I aspire to be her. 

[Biscuit Tin]

Yes, I really like the Baker character. I enjoy the way, when Frank has a visitor, she sometimes maintains eye contact with him, even as she shuts the door.  "Just don't," she seems to be saying. That was a great episode, in season 7, I think it was, when she got a job offer and Frank refused the transfer because the new potential boss was just trying to use her. I also like the way she calls Sid and Garrett "the dream team."

[Evagirl]

On 1/12/2019 at 6:05 PM, AnnA said:

I know this is supposed to be Tom Selleck's show and I've been a fan of his forever but his storylines have been awfully boring this season.   Even the banter with his staff is blah.

Somebody on this forum (a long while ago), mentioned that Wahlberg was the star of this show.  It may have evolved to that point, but when it first started, Selleck was the star - the main reason I fell in love with the show.   Maybe the show has run it's course.  When boredom sets in with the viewers, it's time to pull the plug.  The show hasn't felt right since they killed Danny's wife.

[Katy M]

50 minutes ago, Evagirl said:

Somebody on this forum (a long while ago), mentioned that Wahlberg was the star of this show.  It may have evolved to that point, but when it first started, Selleck was the star - the main reason I fell in love with the show.   Maybe the show has run it's course.  When boredom sets in with the viewers, it's time to pull the plug.  The show hasn't felt right since they killed Danny's wife.

What mostly bugged me about that is that she had two minor children.  The death of a parent for minor children (even if they are older minors) is a huge life changing deal.  And they're all like "no biggie," past the first couple of epis. 

[buckboard]

15 hours ago, Biscuit Tin said:

Yes, I really like the Baker character. I enjoy the way, when Frank has a visitor, she sometimes maintains eye contact with him, even as she shuts the door.  "Just don't," she seems to be saying. That was a great episode, in season 7, I think it was, when she got a job offer and Frank refused the transfer because the new potential boss was just trying to use her. I also like the way she calls Sid and Garrett "the dream team."

My problem with the Baker character is that she is treated like his secretary/receptionist, not like the detective she is.  Once every year or two they give her a plot line, like when she was transferring or her husband was shot, but as is, there really doesn't seem to be a point in having someone of her rank opening the door and ushering people in and out.

[AnnA]

2 hours ago, Evagirl said:

Somebody on this forum (a long while ago), mentioned that Wahlberg was the star of this show.  It may have evolved to that point, but when it first started, Selleck was the star - the main reason I fell in love with the show.   Maybe the show has run it's course.  When boredom sets in with the viewers, it's time to pull the plug.  The show hasn't felt right since they killed Danny's wife.

You're right!    I started losing interest when they killed off Linda with so little fanfare.    She deserved a special episode about the circumstances of her death and some serious mourning.

[mojito]

Quote

I used to really love this show.   Did they change writers?   It's just not as good as it was.   Too many storylines squished into one episode.   

Like most shows that run beyond a few seasons, this one's grown stale. The Brits have it right with their limited-run programs and short series. Clearly it's too difficult to follow this 20+ show format each year and keep the show fresh and interesting.

[wknt3]

On 1/15/2019 at 2:40 PM, Evagirl said:

Somebody on this forum (a long while ago), mentioned that Wahlberg was the star of this show.  It may have evolved to that point, but when it first started, Selleck was the star - the main reason I fell in love with the show.   Maybe the show has run it's course.  When boredom sets in with the viewers, it's time to pull the plug.  The show hasn't felt right since they killed Danny's wife.

IIRC that was actually a quote from Selleck about Wahlberg being the star. Something about how it's really his show. Which isn't really true except in the sense of having most of the action and being the lead of the police procedural inside of the family show.

As far as the larger point is concerned I'm not sure if the show has truly run it's course as far as having exhausted all the possible stories and come to its natural conclusion so much as it refuses to let its characters develop and grow or tell different types of stories. There is all sorts of untapped potential there, but they insist on repeating themselves instead of telling new stories. For instance if they didn't repeat the same Jamie/Eddie stories they had already done (but with a layer of ickiness and improbability added) but focused entirely on his new position or if they explored Henry a little more I think we wouldn't be talking so much about how bored we were.

[Magnumfangirl]

4 hours ago, wknt3 said:

For instance if they didn't repeat the same Jamie/Eddie stories they had already done

 They could just get rid of Eddie all together as far as I'm concerned because these two look so awkward together it's distracting.    FWIW, I don't think they were going to go with the Jamko storyline until Linda left the show.  After that they were stuck with making Jamie and Eddie a couple because none of the Reagans had a spouse and they had wasted so much time with teasing Jamko they forgot to give Jamie an outside love interest.  

[torqy]

On 1/15/2019 at 2:44 PM, buckboard said:

My problem with the Baker character is that she is treated like his secretary/receptionist, not like the detective she is.  Once every year or two they give her a plot line, like when she was transferring or her husband was shot, but as is, there really doesn't seem to be a point in having someone of her rank opening the door and ushering people in and out.

 

On 1/14/2019 at 10:41 PM, Biscuit Tin said:

Yes, I really like the Baker character. I enjoy the way, when Frank has a visitor, she sometimes maintains eye contact with him, even as she shuts the door.  "Just don't," she seems to be saying. That was a great episode, in season 7, I think it was, when she got a job offer and Frank refused the transfer because the new potential boss was just trying to use her. I also like the way she calls Sid and Garrett "the dream team."

I have thought for some time now that Baker should be developed a little more, but with all the other characters it might be difficult. I don't know if it's the writing or the way Abigail Hawk plays it, but I love the little sarcastic touches she adds occasionally, like the "dream team."

[MDL]

I also like Baker. As far as the detective/receptionist balance, a cop friend who watches the show told me that it is smart to have an armed, trained detective in that role because  "she is the last line of defense for the PC, if things go horribly wrong."

While I think that hie words were a bit over dramatic, in this day and age, maybe not.

[buckboard]

torqy, I understand that it is difficult to develop Baker with all the other characters, but this begs the question, why bother with her character in the first place?  Make her an assistant, like the two guys and let a civilian answer the phone and usher guests in and out of the office.  Or write out the character.  Or let her transfer.  If she showed up once or twice a year in a plot -- like the mayor does -- she'd have as much if not more air time than she does now.

You don't need someone with the detective rank as a bodyguard.  There are plenty of officers who could do that duty.

[torqy]

2 hours ago, buckboard said:

torqy, I understand that it is difficult to develop Baker with all the other characters, but this begs the question, why bother with her character in the first place?  Make her an assistant, like the two guys and let a civilian answer the phone and usher guests in and out of the office.  Or write out the character.  Or let her transfer.  If she showed up once or twice a year in a plot -- like the mayor does -- she'd have as much if not more air time than she does now.

You don't need someone with the detective rank as a bodyguard.  There are plenty of officers who could do that duty.

Well said.

[Magnumfangirl]

According to Tom Selleck who's quoted in the current issue of TV Guide, they returned to the Officer Whitten storyline because he (Tom) didn't like it.  He says it felt OOC for Frank and he wanted to fix it.

[wknt3]

On 1/17/2019 at 1:21 PM, MDL said:

I also like Baker. As far as the detective/receptionist balance, a cop friend who watches the show told me that it is smart to have an armed, trained detective in that role because  "she is the last line of defense for the PC, if things go horribly wrong."

While I think that hie words were a bit over dramatic, in this day and age, maybe not.

 

20 hours ago, buckboard said:

torqy, I understand that it is difficult to develop Baker with all the other characters, but this begs the question, why bother with her character in the first place?  Make her an assistant, like the two guys and let a civilian answer the phone and usher guests in and out of the office.  Or write out the character.  Or let her transfer.  If she showed up once or twice a year in a plot -- like the mayor does -- she'd have as much if not more air time than she does now.

You don't need someone with the detective rank as a bodyguard.  There are plenty of officers who could do that duty.

There are a number of sworn officers in administrative roles that could be just as easily handled by a civilian in the NYPD and other large police departments and there are a lot of reasons for it, although the show would never address most of them since it requires admitting that police are not necessarily morally superior. For instance having a sworn officer in the role means that they are under command discipline and have already been vetted. There is also the whole blue wall culture thing where they are less likely to buck the system or blow the whistle and having plum posts to hand out to veterans who want to get off the street. And while you don't need a detective as a bodyguard the commissioner's staff is mostly made up of detectives because they get higher pay. In real life the NYPD actually created the designation of Detective-Specialist for the officers assigned to posts like VIP security because so many cops were being given the rank to get paid even though they weren't doing any investigating.
 

3 hours ago, Magnumfangirl said:

According to Tom Selleck who's quoted in the current issue of TV Guide, they returned to the Officer Whitten storyline because he (Tom) didn't like it.  He says it felt OOC for Frank and he wanted to fix it.

Why is it that the only time they seem to have Frank admit that he made a mistake is when he punishes beat cops for being in the wrong? And if he's worried about something being OOC for Frank shouldn't letting his son be his fiance's CO be a bigger priority than giving into citizen pressure over a bad arrest?

[KLovestoShop]

Baker had great stories a couple of times.  One was when the kid who's father was from Argentina was raping college girls and it was Baker who did the investigating about how the kid raped in his home country also.  And then there was the one where Chief DeLucca was basically sexually harassing her and she put him in his place by doing all the investigating about him and his brother-in-law who were racing around NYC.  

Another thing to remember about Eddie.  Before they basically changed her family image and made her father a criminal, she was brought up in very high society standards, which we saw in one of her early shows when she climbed into her Porsche and told Jamie it was her graduation present from her dad.  Shows me that she's used to having some better things in life and would probably go more towards a bigger wedding.  But I don't see their working relationship getting a lot of favor once they're married.  

[iwasish]

On 1/27/2019 at 3:47 PM, KLovestoShop said:

Baker had great stories a couple of times.  One was when the kid who's father was from Argentina was raping college girls and it was Baker who did the investigating about how the kid raped in his home country also.  And then there was the one where Chief DeLucca was basically sexually harassing her and she put him in his place by doing all the investigating about him and his brother-in-law who were racing around NYC.  

Another thing to remember about Eddie.  Before they basically changed her family image and made her father a criminal, she was brought up in very high society standards, which we saw in one of her early shows when she climbed into her Porsche and told Jamie it was her graduation present from her dad.  Shows me that she's used to having some better things in life and would probably go more towards a bigger wedding.  But I don't see their working relationship getting a lot of favor once they're married.  

It always bugged me that she was so pissed at her father for “being a crook”, that she  him out of her life, but happily drove around in that expensive car that was purchased with the money he stole from other people. As far as the wedding, maybe daddy stashed some money aside to pay for it? 

Has Jamie paid off his student loans? Or did he have a scholarship? Perhaps dad paid? 

[yankydoodle]

I really enjoyed that Frank did right by eventually Officer Witten.

Good to see a top official being remorseful.

 

I'm new here, and i'm busy with Season 9. :)