Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 17 Review: Two-Faced
Jack Ori
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Cop shows often reference the blue wall of silence.
Typically, TV cops treat internal affairs officers like dirt, band together to protect each other, and ostracize any officer who doesn't follow the party line.
It was refreshing to see Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 17 approach this kind of story differently.
The parallels between Frank's situation and Jamie's were impressive.
Jamie was trying to smoke out a bad cop, while Frank was trying to get a good one to stop covering for someone else.
Sid: Statute of limitations has expired. Lenny can't be charged. That's a good thing, isn't it?
Garett: He can be charged in the court of public opinion.
Frank: As can I.
Garett: You want to start working on your response?
Frank: Yes. As soon as the last spark of optimism has gone out from me.
Lenny should have known that Frank wasn't going to give up until he had an answer that made sense to him. It would have been easier to admit that he was covering for a dead cop and didn't want the guy's children to see their dad vilified now that he's gone.
Frank didn't like it, but he accepted Lenny's choice to fall on Mike's sword so that this wouldn't happen. So it would have saved a ton of time if Lenny had just told him this in the first place.
I loved Sid's pragmatic (but wrongheaded) way of thinking about the whole issue. I'm surprised he didn't get that Frank's reputation was on the line whether or not Lenny could get prosecuted for his crimes.
But his plainspoken suggestion that they forget about it since Lenny couldn't go to jail made me laugh.
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As for Jamie's dilemma, in retrospect, it was obvious that Maya was guilty.
There was too much discussion of how her brother needed money that she didn't have to give him for her not to be a thief. But she's become so much a part of Eddie's work family that the idea of her leaving the precinct in handcuffs never occurred to me.
Naturally, this had to lead to another mini-argument between Eddie and Jamie. I'm tired of them fighting over how he runs his precinct, and this was no exception.
Jamie wanted to tell Eddie and was ordered by IAB not to do so. Eddie is not a rookie and should understand how these things work and why Jamie got barred from telling her his suspicions.
Jamie: What if it gets back that I'm investigating them? I'll lose trust, trust that i've worked hard to build.
Eddie: You want them to trust that you'll always look the other way? Is that the message you want to send?
Eddie was the one who insisted that Jamie had to pursue this investigation in the first place. Did it never occur to her that someone she liked and respected could end up in trouble?
I understood why Jamie had Maya arrested in front of the entire precinct. He wanted to send a message that illegal behavior was not going to be tolerated.
But too many people are aware that Jamie and Eddie are close, even if they aren't open about being engaged. Between that and the look Maya gave Eddie when she got arrested, there's no doubt in my mind that Eddie is going to be labeled a snitch.
Related: Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 16 Review
That could be a serious problem, and one Jamie probably never considered.
It remains to see how this plays out, of course, but I'm expecting more trouble both for Eddie and for her relationship with Jamie because of this.
Erin and Anthony's case also addressed the question of loyalty.
Dr. Peterson believed that euthanizing his daughter was a loving, selfless act, while his ex-wife considered it the ultimate betrayal and wanted him brought up on murder charges.
I kept wondering how old Sarah was when she died. I got the impression she was a little girl, but if she begged her father to kill her and he took it seriously, I doubt she was that young.
I feel no remorse because I did everything I could to save Sarah's life, down to the very last minute. If you think I should go to jail for that, that's on you.
Dr. Peterson
The story didn't directly address the question of whether euthanasia should be illegal or not. Erin focused on the fact that it was and that Dr. Peterson was going to do time for it.
Peterson himself said he felt no remorse, then later said he had to live with what he'd done for the rest of his life. Which was it?
In any case, I wasn't so sure he'd get convicted if he'd held out til trial. If he had the right jury and the right lawyer, he could have garnered enough sympathy for the Sophie's Choice he had to make when his daughter became impossibly ill and was suffering greatly.
Juries are supposed to make decisions based on the law, not their emotions, but that's a tall order that is often unfulfilled.
Related: Blue Bloods Season 9 Episode 15 Review
And when you get a doctor in front of the jury who used all his medical knowledge to try to save his child's life, then made the difficult choice to end it for her, that's a textbook case for jury nullification!
I did what was right, not what was legal. Imagine what it's like to be driven to the point that you have to make that choice.
Peterson
I laughed at the idea of Erin mediating for this couple, though. That's so not her job, nor her personality!
Danny and Maria continued to take the backburner, and that's fine with me. After eight years of Danny being the star of the show, it's beyond time to let someone else shine.
I didn't find this case particularly interesting. Fentanyl overdoses have if you'll pardon the pun, been done to death on this show.
And I don't buy Gavin's motive. I guess he was jealous of Danielle, but it would have made more sense for the killer to be someone who wanted to make a fortune on her art posthumously.
What did you think, Blue Bloods fanatics?
Was Jamie right in how he handled the whole corrupt Maya situation? Do you think Eddie has a target on her back now? And what was your favorite storyline?
Watch Blue Bloods online and then come back and tell us what you think!
Blue Bloods continues to air on CBS Fridays at 10 EST/PST.
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.
