Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 14 Review: My Brothers Keeper
Jack Ori
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Danny has never respected anyone's authority.
Half the reason Gormley was asked to work in Frank's office was that he and Danny were constantly butting heads, and Danny is a shoot first/think second kind of cop most of the time.
So with Jamie in a leadership position, it was only a matter of time before he and Danny clashed on something, and that's exactly what we got on Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 14.
I understood Jamie's anger, but I also thought he resented Danny showing up on his turf from the get-go and was looking for a reason to make him the bad guy.
His first reaction wasn't to ask Danny to help but to ask him why he was there at all.
In any case, I figured out immediately that Jamie's problem wasn't so much that Danny disobeyed orders but that he felt disrespected. I was glad the brothers finally talked that one out in the end!
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It made sense in a way that Jamie would write Danny up. His point that he couldn't give Danny special treatment because they're brothers is one that Frank's made over and over throughout the nine years that Blue Bloods has been on the air.
That was one of the few times he's ever seemed like he and Frank share more than DNA, though both Jamie and Danny seemed to have inherited Frank's legendary stubborn streak!
Danny: This is just between us.
Henry: Like hell it is! You two represent our family in public. And until now the two of you have never done anything to disgrace this family.
Jamie: Nothing's gonna change til someone fixes this.
Henry: All right. You made the right call, but you crossed the line. And you, you toed the line but writing him up was the wrong call. Now you two are supposed to be brothers. Act like it!
I can't decide if Henry finally getting through to them was realistic or not.
On the one hand, the conflict was wrapped up quickly as the end of the hour approached.
On the other, Henry is such a respected figure in the Reagan family that if he's mad, everyone's going to pay attention.
Frank: My sons are having an argument and they need to settle it like grown-ups.
Danny: I tried, but this one won't listen to reason.
Jamie: I'll listen to reason when I start hearing some.
Danny: Stop hiding behind those stripes.
Jamie: I'm not wearing them now.
Danny: All right, let's go outside and settle this like we used to.
Frank: That's enough! If you two can't follow the rules of this table, both of you can leave.
And someone had to get through to them because they were acting like five-year-olds at the Reagan family dinner. No wonder Frank told them to follow the rules or leave the table!
I wasn't a huge fan of Gormley's attempt to mediate. The conflict was about both Jamie and Danny feeling the other didn't respect him enough and both of them believing they were following Frank's example by sticking to their guns.
Jamie: I don't want to embarrass my father, but the chain of command is sacred. He taught me that.
Danny: My father taught me that saving lives is what the job's all about. That's what I did. And you can be damn sure I'll never apologize for that.
Telling them that the dispute would reflect poorly on Frank didn't solve any of that, and Gormley was too quick to move to get them to shake hands and make up. Maybe if he'd taken the time to listen to both sides, he might have got somewhere.
The brothers' stupid spat stood in marked contrast to Officer Green's struggle to accept that he'd killed a child who had nothing to do with the shootout in which he was defending himself.
Frank was at his best when dealing with Green. He was strong but caring, trying to protect his officer from making any more tragic mistakes because of guilt or depression over the shooting.
I loved both Frank's realism and kindness throughout the story. Frank is so often the rigid enforcer of rules that it was doubly heartwarming to see his softer side.
Related: Blue Bloods' Frank Reagan: Grumpy Curmudgeon or Man of Principle?
It made perfect sense that Green wanted Frank to be the one to talk him out of suicide. Frank had been reaching out to him all hour long!
And Frank knew exactly what to say. Whether the personal story he told was 100% true is anyone's guess, but it certainly did the trick.
I had tears in my eyes when Green handed over the gun -- was I the only one?
The only thing that was missing was a PSA at the end of the hour about suicide prevention.
The subject got handled realistically and sensitively. The time Blue Bloods always puts into researching the issues it presents paid off in this moving storyline!
I was less enamored with Erin's storyline.
Yes, Nicky told her about the case, and yes, Nicky was dating the kid.
But as Anthony pointed out, the reason Nicky asked was that the guy was innocent.
If Erin really wants to be a Bureau Chief that cares more about justice than stacking up wins, she needs to take her cases where she can find them -- even if she gets a lead from her daughter.
Anthony: Bring back memories?
Erin: I went to college to study, not to hang out in bars like this.
Anthony: I never went to college.
Plus, Erin was rather judgy throughout the whole thing.
The bartender was annoying, and I rolled my eyes too when he said he didn't have surveillance cameras because he didn't believe in the police state or whatever that nonsense was.
But there was no reason for Erin to look down on the idea of college students going to a bar at all, and her reaction, when she went to Nicky's, felt more like disapproval of Nicky's choices when it came to sex than upset that Nicky asked for help for someone she was sleeping with.
I'm not a fan of super-judgy Erin. I prefer when she's fighting for justice against her annoying boss or standing up to Frank.
Related: Blue Bloods Review Season 9 Episode 8: Stirring the Pot
And what was up with Kelly harping about the Reagans not having an attorney on retainer?
I know she was trying to point out that Frank can't separate business and family the way he thinks. She was right that he has to find a way to get along with Erin even though his office and hers appear to be mortal enemies.
But it seemed like a weird point to keep harping on the "no attorney" thing.
That said, the fact is that if Erin is going to be Bureau Chief, she and Frank are going to butt heads professionally.
She can't continue running to mutual acquaintances to fight her battles for her so that she doesn't have to deal with Frank's ire.
Yes, Frank has to deal with it -- but so does she, and Kelly's intercession did no one any favors even if justice got served in the end.
Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics!
Was anyone right in the dispute between Jamie and Danny?
Was I the only one who found Erin judgy and irritating?
And who else found Frank's talking Officer Green out of suicide to be one of the most moving Blue Bloods moments ever?
Weigh in below, and don't forget you can watch Blue Bloods online if you missed anything.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
