‘Blue Bloods’ season 7, episode 16 review: Kevin Dillon debuts in ‘Hard Bargain’; Nicky’s new struggle
For everyone out there who loves Kevin Dillon, you were probably in for a treat courtesy of a high-profile guest appearance from the actor on “Blue Bloods” Friday night. It’s therefore rather unfortunate that over the course of “Hard Bargain,” what we really saw was mostly his character stumble from one place to another. He needed help, but was this the sort of help that could lead to redemption? It didn’t quite seem like it, as all attempts to lead the guy a helping hand felt at first like they went around in circles.
What we learned about Jimmy was that he drank often, paid prostitutes, and got himself in a position where he owed a ton of money. It certainly appeared as though he paid a hard bargain in order to get out of this situation alive. We do give him some credit for not bailing when Danny offered him a chance to flee to Florida. He took the road somewhat less traveled by when it comes to his standards, not that we envision that this is a character who knows a heck of a lot when it comes to the work of Robert Frost.
While we don’t know if this was a one-off appearance for Dillon on the show or if we’re going to see more of him down the line, we’re certainly hoping for the latter. He’s still got a charm to him even if he’s not playing Johnny Drama.
Nicky learns a hard lesson of her own – This whole storyline felt like the show’s way of saying “WE WANT TO FORCE MILLENNIALS INTO REALITY.” The all-caps in this situation feels necessary. Nicky was trying to get a better sense of the world for her college program, and therefore went on a ridealong with Jamie and Eddie. Unfortunately, she got herself too involved when the cops visited a domestic disturbance, and her attempt to help a woman escape from her abusive husband led to an enormous argument, one that in turn then led to violence and the couple’s son potentially facing jail time as he fought back.
The reality for Nicky is that she’s going to figure out the fine line of doing the right thing, and then also following the proper procedure. She’s a good kid who means well, and yet the most horrible stuff in the world seems to happen to her. She’s got this guilt on her (even if she was trying to help), and last season she nearly got killed! She’s been through a lot for someone her age!
Frank revisits his own past – For Frank, we were in classic “ethical dilemma” mode after an officer mistakenly tried to take down the wrong man, who just so happened to be a celebrity. These mistakes do happen, but the high-profile nature of the case opened a massive can of worms that led to a hearing where his own history of police brutality was brought out.
While compelling, this storyline had the same ending as the other two tonight: An abrupt one. That’s the biggest issue with “Hard Bargain” as a whole — while entertaining, it felt as though the show needed about ten more minutes to offer up proper resolution. While we didn’t get a “Sopranos” black screen, there was SO much more about every storyline that was necessary to understanding how some of these events will impact the characters moving forward. Grade: B-.
Photo: CBS