Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 12 Review: The Brave
Christine Orlando
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Someone in the Reagan family whom I never expected to be interested in entering the family business decided to do just that on Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 12.
Nicky decided to take the NYPD entrance exam.
Admittedly, I never saw that one coming.
Nicky has always been the idealist. The college kid who was both proud of her family in law enforcement but also tried to hide it from her friends, as being a cop wasn't considered cool.
I wish we'd heard a little more from Nicky about why she wanted to join the NYPD other than that she wanted to help people.
Erin: Nicky is not a cop.
Frank: You don’t know that.
Erin: I am very proud to come from a cop family. It defines who I am and what I do. Nicky is not a cop.
Frank: She doesn't get to decide what she wants to do for a living?
Erin: That's not fair.
Frank: But it is the real question here.
I understood why Erin was upset. I'm sure she's pictured her intelligent, well-educated daughter being many things, but a police officer has never really been one of them.
Especially after having lost her brother to the job.
Cops put their lives on the line every day, and as Frank pointed out, mothers are hard-wired to worry about their child's safety. It's perfectly natural for Erin to balk at Nicky wanting to join the NYPD.
And she wasn't about to let her family romanticize their experiences for Nicky...
Erin: Okay, so you guys want to stop sugar coating it now?
Frank: Nobody's sugar coating it.
Erin: Really?
Frank: Yeah.
Erin: Because I don't hear anyone talking about the stinkers and the jumpers, the crack addicts and the child abusers. Not to mention the anti-cop sentiment that is your thank you these days.
But Nicky has grown up hearing both the good and the bad. Wasn't it only last year that a serial killer abducted her? If that didn't scare her off, I'm not sure what will.
Oddly enough it was Frank's pride that was pleasantly surprising.
Yes, all of his sons have joined the NYPD, but I feared he might feel differently about his only granddaughter signing up for the front lines of the family business.
I was thrilled that Frank didn't show a hint of gender bias in his reaction.
If a smart, savvy, young candidate from a long line of dedicated cops wants to take the exam, if I blink at that you should throw me out the door.
Frank
Poor Erin was not only struggling to handle Nicky's desire to consider becoming a cop, but she was also reeling from Anthony getting shot on the job.
I couldn't understand why Anthony's ex blamed Erin for having him go out to interview a witness alone.
Doesn't Anthony usually work alone? He doesn't appear to have a partner.
Also, he wasn't heading out to interview a suspect; he was going to interview a witness, the grandmother of the victim, to make sure she was prepared to testify in court.
It certainly sounded like an easy enough task. But then again, there is no such thing as a genuinely safe assignment when you're a cop.
It was the exchanges between Danny and Anthony that made me smile, though.
Anthony: You think I'm looking for happy endings in a sleazy massage parlor for kicks while I'm on duty?
Danny: That's not what I was saying. I mean, obviously it wasn't a happy ending, look how the hell it turned out for you.
I also had no idea that Anthony not only had an ex-wife but a young daughter.
It was touching when Anthony explained to Erin why he hoped his daughter would grow up to be just like her in this Blue Bloods quote...
Anthony: When Sophia grows up I hope she's just like you, and not because you're a hottie.
Erin: A hottie?
Anthony: Not because you're good looking, but because you're smart, you know what you want, and you know how to go after it. And you're a good mom because you taught Nicky to be the same way.
Anthony's words were what reminded Erin to be there for her daughter to support her when she took the NYPD exam, even if she's probably still scared to death about Nicky becoming a cop.
And finally, we got to see more of Jamie and Eddie, both on and off the job.
When they first ran into Billy in that bodega, I had little doubt the man would find trouble yet again.
It's entirely possible that the only reason Billy is still alive is that Jamie decided to ignore an order and put himself in harm's way to try and talk the unarmed man out of that patrol car.
It was the right thing to do, but it wasn't surprising that Jamie and Eddie ended up having to pay the consequences for their actions.
Sometimes life just isn't fair, but it could have ended far worse if Jamie hadn't taken the risk.
When Jamie and Eddie were talking about her date's failure to call her back, I was a bit disappointed to hear she was dating at all.
These two have such great chemistry, but they did decide to keep their relationship as partners professional.
But those professional boundaries seemed to be slipping while they flirted over fortune cookies and Eddie admitted to why her date dumped her...
Eddie: Apparently I talk about you too much and it made him feel inferior, I guess.
Jamie: Well, I see how I could make other guys feel inferior.
Just when I think they've pushed this will they/won't they trope too far and I've stopped caring, we get a scene like this and I'm hooked once again.
The tease of an Eddie and Jamie pairing is just killing me. I love them as partners but I'd love to see them as romantic partners as well.
What are the odds we'll get to see both?
So what do you think TV Fanatics? Would you like to see Nicky pursue becoming a cop? Is she cut out for the job?
And who is rooting for some romance for Jamie and Eddie?
Check back next week for my review of Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 13, and until then, you can watch Blue Bloods online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
