Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 5 Review: Bad Faith
Jack Ori
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Haven't any of these politicians heard they should be careful what they wish for?
They all try to get Frank to do what they want, but it never works out the way they expect.
On Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 5, Tate Donovan's character was the latest person to insist Frank come to a meeting Frank didn't want to attend, and as usual, it didn't work out as expected.
Frank's stance on the Teamster Union idea was confusing. He told the Dream Team he was for it in principle, told Terry he was against it, and told his family he saw both pros and cons.
Frank is usually intractable because his decisions are based on deeply held values, so the inconsistency didn't make much sense.
Still, he followed the tried-and-true Frank Reagan formula of dealing with politicians who want him to co-sign opinions he disagrees with. He always refuses to attend the meeting, then shows up at the last minute and throws away his speech.
It happens so often that his presence at the Teamsters meeting was almost a tired TV trope. Frank's conflicting opinions about the move made me curious about what he would say.
The episode faded to black as soon as Frank finished his speech. It felt like an abrupt ending, and I wanted to know whether the cops decided against the union after Frank explained they still won't be able to strike even if they have a more powerful union behind them.
But before we got there, Frank dealt with a lot of pressure from various quarters.
Garrett is always focused on optics, and sometimes he has a point. This time, though, his insistence that it didn't look good for Frank to meet with Terry was annoying.
Frank's job isn't to show that he's on the same side as the mayor by refusing to meet with a union boss that the mayor doesn't like. His job is to lead the police department, and finding out what the Teamsters were offering is part of being an effective leader.
Garrett: You said private. A prime table at Wolfgang's is not private.
Frank: So what? I had dinner with a Teamsters boss, not a gangster.
Given that, I'm not sure why Frank resisted giving his opinion. That felt like an abdication of his responsibility to lead -- even if he couldn't tell his officers whether or not to join the union, he could give them facts to help make the decision, which is what he ultimately did.
Usually, I enjoy Frank's political scrapes, but this one was too confusing to be enjoyable.
Erin Also Faced Pressure
Erin's investigation into corruption at the horse races was far more compelling than I expected. The story wasn't really about that -- it was about trying to resist the need to pressure a witness into testifying when it meant risking his life.
Days of Our Lives' Laura Kai Chen again played a cutthroat attorney, this time a federal prosecutor who would stop at nothing to get her conviction. Shockingly, she thought Erin would be willing to work with her again when all was said and done!
Of course, Erin could have taken the high road earlier. The US Attorney threatened to replace her with someone else if she didn't pressure Voorhees into testifying, so that would have been an excellent time to walk away.
Instead, Erin went along with the US Attorney's wishes and then tried to find another way to make the case so that Voorhees wouldn't have to testify.
It was all for nothing since Voorhees was killed anyway, and that was tragic, but it could have been avoided if Erin stood up to the US Attorney in the first place.
What Was Danny's Connection to Sonny?
Danny and Erin had mob cases this week, making me wish again that Blue Bloods could cross over with Law & Order: Organized Crime. I'd love for Danny to work with Elliot Stabler on this type of case!
This one was also a throwback to the past, which has happened several times this season. These throwbacks are nice nods to history for long-time viewers that don't interfere with the story for those who didn't see the original or don't remember a particular character.
Sonny first appeared on Blue Bloods Season 12 Episode 7. This case was similar in that Danny dealt with a store owner who didn't want to talk to the cops about what had happened to him.
On that occasion, Sonny was the bad guy. He was the leader of the Born in the USA gang, but Danny saw his potential and encouraged him to turn his life around.
Danny: When I blamed you for killing the old man, I was blaming the old you, not the man you are today.
Sonny: I am only the man I am today because of you, Detective.
Since Sonny had beaten people up as part of a protection racket in the past, it was understandable that Danny didn't trust him, though there was no evidence he was involved with the current crimes.
This story could have featured more of Baez. Usually, she and Danny are on opposite sides of a case, and she tries to convince him to give someone the benefit of the doubt.
Where was their conversation about Sonny? It should have been part of this story, but it felt like something was missing because it wasn't.
The Surprise Twist in Jamie's Case
Who else was surprised that Jamie got a promotion rather than a RIP or worse for disobeying his boss' orders? It's great that his boss doesn't want a yes man, but someone has to be in charge of the unit, or there would be chaos.
Jamie has gotten in trouble before for similar behavior. He's more level-headed than his brother Danny, but when he thinks he knows what's best for a case, he can be equally stubborn.
He is usually correct, though, so it's impossible not to root for him when he's breaking the rules. He deserved that promotion, even if it probably would not have gone down that way in real life.
Your turn, Blue Bloods fanatics. Did you think this episode was worth the wait?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c. New episodes drop the next day on Paramount+/
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.
