Blue Bloods Recap: “Stirring the Pot”

Last week’s Blue Bloods episode “Stirring the Pot” found Erin in a legal and moral dilemma, Frank threw a tantrum unlike anything we have ever seen before, Jamie had a crisis of faith in his abilities to lead others and Danny asks himself how far he will go to protect his friends. Who said these guys were The Waltons of cops?

The Choices We Make

Let’s start with Frank, who’s reaction to Erin’s office not to prosecute marijuana laws seemed a bit childish. Sure he was upset. He’s the police commissioner and the thought of the DA’s office not holding up the law had to have put a bad taste in his mouth, but when he found out that it was Erin that spearheaded the policy? Whew.. his head exploded. Frank had made it pretty clear in the last episode that he can’t act like her father while she’s the ADA and he’s the Commissioner, so what was Erin supposed to do? Text him that she was doing her job as the ADA? She seemed as irritated by the whole thing as I was, especially after Frank called a “blue flu” and his officers didn’t show up for their court appearances. Eventually these two made up, Frank even admitted he reacted in anger while Erin made a small tweak to the policy that Frank could swallow. Good game, indeed.

Meanwhile, Erin was having her own issues with a sex-trafficking case that couldn’t give her a break. In order to put these scumbags away, Erin had to convince their 16 year old victim to testify in open court; in front of the men who abused her and held her captive to get a conviction. The victim was reluctant and while Erin understood, she still needed the testimony to convict. Erin had a lunch date with the governor to discuss legislation that could help in future cases. While he seemed sympathetic, he was unable to help because of red tape in Albany. It’s nice to know that politics in the reel world is just as screwed up as the real world.

Erin left the victim with a choice: She could walk away or she could testify and stop those men from hurting anyone else. In the end she testified and it was honestly heartbreaking. I kept thinking about how many young girls this happens to on a yearly basis. I couldn’t imagine having the strength and internal fortitude to do what that girl did.

Erin scored another victory of sorts when the governor said he would help get the legislation passed if she would do something for him… yeah, politics isn’t all that different on television.

Putting it all on the line

Danny’s arc in this episode kinda threw me, to be honest. I was expecting some emotional fallout from the last episode where he found out that his late wife’s “accident” wasn’t an accident at all. She had been murdered by the leader of a drug cartel because Danny had gotten too close.

Anyway..

Danny is put into an ethical pickle when he’s is called in by IAB to speak on a friend freezing in the middle of a firefight. Danny himself was injured in the melee, but sticks up for his friend and gives a testimony saying that his friend was in a sound mind. Why, do you ask, did his friend freeze? Turns out he’s a new father and couldn’t think about anything other than his new child.

Danny ends up receiving a visit from his old boss, Sid, who advises him no one is worth risking his shield. Danny, as always, is stubborn and digs his heels in. He gave his word that he wouldn’t say anything, so he won’t. Turns out he doesn’t have to because his friend comes clean to IAB and takes an early retirement.

Again, I am puzzled by this. I get that the whole last season was Danny coming to terms with his wife’s sudden passing, but I was expecting more now that he knows she was murdered. Has Danny not brought this up to anyone in his family? I wish I knew.

The Right Decision

Everyone who watches this show has been asking for years “When is Jamie going to get a promotion?”, myself included. This season has finally answered that question. After Nine long years, Jamie finally was promoted to Sergeant. The family has always known, along with the viewers, that Jamie was born to lead. He has the smarts, the drive, the intuition and the skills, but being the PC’s youngest son has given him many roadblocks on his career. No one wanted to promote him for fear of it looking like asking for a favor from command, so Jamie and his talents seemed to be lost in the wind. The only thing that made it bearable was his spunky blonde partner, Eddie Janko. The friendship/sexual tension turned to love kept me tuning in for four years until finally at the end of last season they got engaged.

So now Jamie has the girl and the job.. What could go wrong, right?

Exactly.

Jamie’s arc in this episode was the highlight of the show for me this week as he was tested like never before. A judgement call that ended up getting one of his officers shot makes Jamie question whether he’s ready for command. It doesn’t matter to him that everyone keeps telling him he had the right call, even the officer that was shot, Jamie begins to give into that deep-rooted doubt that he has what it takes. What kind of man leaves a six-figure salary as a lawyer to become a beat cop in New York City? The best kind. The ones that want to make a difference in the world. It’s heartbreaking to watch Jamie question himself to the point of actually talking about resigning his command.

It isn’t until his grandfather asks him to meet him at “Police Arlington” that Jamie finally comes to terms with what his new job entails. Not every call will be the right one, not every right call will have a good outcome. Some will die, some will live. “But a strong leader, which is in you, will save more lives than he lost when it comes to the end of the day.”

Wise words, Mr. Reagan.