Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 5 Review: Thicker Than Water
Christine Orlando
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The Reagan family made me want to hug them all with Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 5 because where else on TV can you find good people trying to do the right thing, even if they don't always do it perfectly.
Start with Eddie.
Shawn put her in a really tough spot. She's newly engaged to his uncle, she's a cop, and she really does want to help. But more than anything Eddie wants to fit in with the Reagans.
There's a fine line between realizing that teenagers are going to screw-up and giving them guidance versus ignoring problems like underage drinking and allowing them to become serious.
Eddie was hoping to earn Shawn's trust and give him a second chance.
Being a Reagan means holding yourself to a higher standard and not just because screw-ups embarrass the rest of the family but because it is the right thing to do. I’m not even a Reagan yet and I know that.
Eddie
Unfortunately, Shawn is the one who threw her under the bus when his father later got called down to the school.
Eddie was in a no-win situation but I am glad she told Jamie about Shawn. It shows the trust that exists between these two and could have allowed Jamie to tell Danny what had happened if he felt it necessary.
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Danny had every reason to be upset. No parent appreciates it when family members keep secrets about their kids but he eventually listened to what Jamie was trying to tell him.
Jamie: Shawn’s trying to be a problem so that Jack will decide to stick around and keep his kid brother in line.
Danny: And you know this how, Mr. Freud?
Jamie: Because I did the same thing when you left for the Marines.
Danny: Well, what happened? You get a B-minus on your test?
Jamie: A-minus. It was a dark time.
Making sure Shawn was there to help with moving Jack, allowing him to see the campus, and assuring him he would be allowed to visit some weekends was important.
Shawn has already lost his mother and feeling as though he was losing his brother, even if it was to college, is going to be a difficult transition but one they can all manage given some effort.
The hugs and kidding around between Danny, Eddie, and Jamie near the end were heartwarming. Eddie already feels like a part of the Reagan family.
Elsewhere, Erin stepped up with this Blue Bloods quote when Anthony felt too embarrassed to step up for himself.
Erin: Anthony, you are a victim of a crime. Now, what do we tell victims in this building?
Anthony: There’s no reason to feel shame because you’ve done nothing wrong.
Erin: Right. Now, do you believe that?
Anthony: Of course I do.
Erin: Then act like it.
Anthony learned how difficult it is to feel like the victim and how easy it is to blame yourself for becoming one. I was proud of Erin for setting him straight.
But I have to take a moment to mention Anthony's apartment.
Where the heck was that supposed to be in the tri-state area? It had huge floor-to-ceiling windows, a gorgeous view and if the "P2" on the elevator door that went directly into the apartment was any indication, it looked like the penthouse.
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I'm sure Anthony makes pretty good money given his years of experience but a place that high-end anywhere near New York City would cost a fortune!
Okay, back to Anthony's story.
I loved that Erin didn't let this investigation go. First off, I'm not sure she could considering there were over $8,000 worth of charges on a department-issued credit card!
Erin wasn't about to let some grifter con her close friend and get away with it.
Anthony: Didn’t I say to drop it?
Erin: Yeah, that’s a beauty to being the boss, I get to call the shots.
That Erin and Anthony arrested Maude together was perfect. That Erin continued to needle him about the use of the handcuffs was priceless.
I found both Danny and Frank's stories more than a bit sad.
The moment we learned that Dr. McCandless was a famous and beloved fertility doctor I knew exactly where this plot was headed.
What surprised me was that Noelle decided to tell her Dad that he wasn't her biological father.
I guess it would have come out eventually once what McCandless had done was made public, but how do you tell the man who raised you that the doctor he thought was the hero actually used his own sperm instead of yours?
Hopefully, they cut Roy a deal on the attempted murder charges because I'm sure there will be former patients lining up around the block who want to kill McCandless.
Finally, we get to Detective and Officer Merino.
Jay's been a police officer for four years not because he wants to be one but because his family expected it of him and he's willing to sacrifice the rest of his life to the job for the same reason.
I loved Garrett's take on this. Many people consider being a cop a calling. It's such a difficult job that you really need to be drawn to it to not only be successful but also survive the physical and emotional challenges.
What happens when your heart's just not in it?
On the flip side, Jay had a solid record with commendations from the public, so he had to be doing something right.
I don't know what the answer is but I thought this storyline was wrapped up far too quickly and neatly. So Frank just happened to have the perfect job for Jay that would both appease his father and allow him to resign from the NYPD. How convenient.
I would have preferred to see Jay finally own his feelings about the job and communicate that to his family. That would have been far more entertaining, dramatic, and realistic.
Of course, Jay's story is what led to Frank's wonderful speech to Jack at the Reagan family dinner, so it wasn't all bad...
Frank: In a few days you’re going to be gone from this place, starting out in the world on your own. Make the world your own. Take what is useful from your time with us, your years around this table, but don’t think you have to become us.
Henry: But if you do…
Frank: You do. If you don’t, you don’t. It’s your life, not ours. And I like to think that your Dad, and your Aunt, and your Uncle, do what they do because they were drawn to it not because they were pushed.
So what did you think TV Fanatics, did Eddie do the right thing with Shawn or should she have gone directly to Danny?
And did John and Jay's story ring true to you?
Check back for my review of Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 6 and until then you can enjoy the Reagan family and watch Blue Bloods online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
