Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 2 Review: First Blush

Frank’s decision not to endorse anyone in the Manhattan DA’s office caused a lot of drama.

People kept showing up in his office, some of them irate on Erin’s behalf, but he refused to budge.

Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 2 had a happy ending to an entirely ridiculous conflict.

Frank’s policy has always been to treat Danny and Jamie the same way he would non-related police officers, so why should anyone be surprised that he didn’t want to treat Erin differently than any other candidate?

It wasn’t as if he had endorsed her opponent. He declined to make any endorsement in the race at all.

Erin hasn’t officially announced her bid, so it would be ridiculous for him to endorse her. And beyond that, she isn’t owed an endorsement by anybody, not even her father.

Garett: Are we going to give the parties involved a heads up?
Frank: Would we normally give them a heads up?
Garett: No, but this isn’t normal.
Frank: It has to be.
Garett: Wishing won’t make it so.
Frank: But actions will.

There were good reasons for Frank to refrain from endorsing anyone in this race.

If he endorsed Erin, the pundits would have a field day over it; many might speculate that he only supported her because of their familial relationship. That couldn’t be good for her campaign!

And if he endorsed someone else, it would hurt Erin’s feelings and give that person an outsized advantage because commentators and voters might assume that the candidate must be extraordinary for Frank to pick them over his daughter.

No matter who Frank endorsed, it would hurt Erin’s chances, so it was better for him to stay out of it.

Erin thought that Frank’s non-endorsement was a tacit acknowledgment that she planned to come after him hard as part of her campaign. 

That self-centered assessment doesn’t consider the political ramifications of any endorsement Frank might make, but if it allows Erin to forgive him, it’s acceptable.

But what on Earth had gotten into Henry? He was once Police Commissioner and should have understood the reasons behind Frank’s decision.

Instead, Henry showed up guns blazing, demanding that Frank endorse Erin because her feelings were hurt.

Frank: I could have been in a meeting.
Henry: To hell with your meeting.
Frank: This is about Erin, isn’t it?
Henry: She came to me in confidence and asked me not to tell you. So you break my word and I break your nose. And I’m the only one who’ll still do it.

If Erin had a problem with Frank, she should have taken it up with him herself before or after Sunday dinner. That’s the way conflicts are resolved in the Reagan family.

What she should not have done is what she did: get her grandfather to fight her battles for her.

Also, Erin is supposed to be an adult. Understandably, she might have hurt feelings over Frank not publicly endorsing her. But her feelings shouldn’t be his only consideration, and she should be able to deal with her disappointment and move forward with her campaign anyway.

Danny and Baez had one of their more bizarre cases.

There was no body, no proof of a murder, and no way to identify who was in that room until Dr. Knight came forward.

Knight claimed someone slashed him and had a wound to prove it. He wasn’t pressing charges, so there was no crime committed. Why did Danny and Baez need to keep investigating?

It didn’t seem vital for the cops to find the escort and confirm his story. Did Danny think he hurt her and then slashed himself to make it look like he was the victim?

Danny disliked Knight, but that was no reason to look so closely at this case. He and Baez did anyway and discovered that Knight’s daughter slashed him because she was angry that he had sex with her friend.

They hadn’t interacted with her before her confession; Danny put the case together by pressuring the woman the escort worked for. How disappointing!

Jamie’s new job will lead to compelling conflicts. His boss’ emphasis on not knowing who might be compromised makes me think that Jamie might learn information that he feels is wrong to keep from Eddie in the future.

Eddie herself won’t be compromised, but what if she’s assigned a partner who is or a witness she’s tracking down is involved in some covert bad stuff? What will Jamie do then?

I’m surprised he didn’t know what he was getting into until his first meeting with his new CO. He had to know that he was working on top-secret cases before accepting the job!

Jamie agonized over whether or not to remain with the intelligence unit because he was afraid the secrecy would ruin his marriage. He and Eddie eventually worked that out, but they should have discussed it more thoroughly before Jamie considered quitting his new job.

Jamie’s conversation with Henry was one of the highlights of the hour.

Jamie: I can’t talk to Eddie about my job and I can’t even talk to you about the things I can’t talk to her about.
Henry: I’ve kept my share of secrets in my time.
Jamie: How did you handle it at home?
Henry: I roamed with the dinosaurs. My wife would never ask me what happened on the beat.

I love the special relationship Jamie has with Henry. Henry’s advice was great; Jamie had to figure out what he wanted and how to deal with the secrecy of this job.

Surprisingly, McNichols’ advice to Eddie was also decent. Eddie needs to find something to do other than constantly bother her about her decision not to let Jamie and Eddie work together.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t time in the hour for Jamie to work any intelligence cases, but hopefully, that’ll come.

Your turn, Blue Bloods fanatics. Hit that big blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your thoughts.

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Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 PM EST / PST.

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