Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 4 Review: Out of the Blue
Christine Orlando
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Why do the Reagans always think they're right? It felt like the Reagan arrogance was on full display on Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 4, and it wasn't pretty.
The member of the Reagan family I had the least problem with was Danny, and that's unusual.
The only questionable thing Danny did was wrap his hand around a mobster's throat after the man threw a bunch of insults at him, the last of which happened to inadvertently be about Linda.
You ever disrespect my wife again that blade will go through your throat like a stick of butter. You got it?
Danny
But it's easy to understand why Danny's a little touchy on that subject after losing his wife, and I'm not sure his reaction would have surprised me even if Linda were still alive.
That's just how Danny Reagan might react when he's having a bad day.
What I didn't understand was Jamie's belief that Danny somehow messed up the case because he didn't suspect the wife first.
Yes, the spouse is usually the prime suspect, but this was a cop's wife, the cop was ambushed in what looked to be a professional hit, and he was about to testify against a mobster in a high profile case.
There were plenty of reasons to look elsewhere first, and even with all of that, Danny and Baez still figured out it was the wife and the partner in a pretty timely matter, making Jamie's "observation" sound more like a dig.
And boy, did it make the Reagan family dinner awkward. I felt sorry for Danny. If I were in his shoes, I'd hate all of the quiet, sympathetic looks the family was shooting his way.
As much as I appreciate that the show isn't sweeping Linda's death under the rug, I also hope that every episode doesn't dwell on it too much because that could get awfully depressing.
In this case, it zapped all of the fun right out of the normal family dinner conversation.
Elsewhere, Garrett got "SWATed" in his own home, and Frank certainly took it all in stride.
At first, Frank's calm attitude at the hospital didn't bother me very much. He was trying to gather information and took it upon himself to ask some tough questions, although I understood Garrett's annoyance which came through in this Blue Bloods quote...
That's your first guess. That I had an affair and now I've got Glenn Close and boiled bunnies on my hands.
Garrett
But Frank's direct manner came across as a lack of empathy.
One moment Garrett and Cynthia were worried someone was breaking into their home and the next they had an entire SWAT team come at them with guns drawn and were face planted on their front lawn.
That had to be pretty damn scary.
And Garrett was right; he's not a cop. He works in an office with a lot of police officers, but that's not the same thing. Frank's crack about casual Wednesday and his attitude of suck it up and move on, came across as cold and uncaring.
Frank: If you think you are owed an apology, I'm sorry.
Garrett: I never thought, “owed.”
Frank: Well, whatever, there it is.
Garrett: Take it or leave it.
Frank never really asked what he could do or what Garrett needed. As much as I agree that Frank has a very important and demanding job, which he reminded Garrett of more than once, he could have spared a bit more compassion for the man he supposedly considers a friend as well as a colleague.
Then we get to Erin and Anthony.
Whatever Jimmy's got is good for Jimmy and Jimmy alone; end of story.
Anthony
You'd think that after that warning, Erin would have tried to figure out why Jimmy was handing her Carlo Tomasi on a silver platter since this isn't a guy who cares about doing what's right.
Perhaps Anthony should have brought Jimmy's information to Erin even though he didn't consider him a credible source, but Erin definitely should have consulted Anthony before making a deal with Jimmy to find out exactly why he told Jimmy to take a hike.
Erin just assumed she could handle things and then got blindsided by Jimmy being Jimmy.
Apparently how Anthony got Jimmy to turn himself in will remain a mystery to viewers, which just feels like lazy storytelling to me.
Once again, Jamie only showed up for the family dinner, and Eddie was completely nonexistent.
This was the fourth installment of Blue Bloods Season 2, and I've begun to wonder if the actors have taken on other jobs and are being written off because they've become nothing more than bit players.
I hope I'm overreacting, but the lack of storyline for two characters I've grown to really enjoy has become a constant disappointment. I tune in hoping that this will be fixed, but it hasn't happened yet.
Will I get my wish? We'll have to tune in to Blue Bloods Season 8 Episode 5 to find out.
In the meantime, you can watch Blue Bloods online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
