‘Blue Bloods’ season 6 finale review: An (almost) resignation and a change of pace

There were several different ways that “Blue Bloods” could have gone with their season 6 finale on Friday night. When you think about it, they could have gone the more violent route with an action-oriented episode, but we get that on the majority of other shows that are out there. Meanwhile, they could have gone for something with more of a cliffhanger, but why? This is a show that has a devoted following, and we’re willing to wager that the majority of people who watched this week will continue to in the fall. That’s the thing with cliffhangers; they are overused.

To us, what we really appreciated about “Blowback” is that it was very Frank-centric, and discussed primarily the nature and ethics of the different branches of New York government. When an officer was not indicted over the shooting of a teenager, at first the Mayor responded with outrage that mirrored the public. Poole probably felt the pressure to react harshly, and he did.

However, upon further review Poole started to realize that his comments were a mistake. The teen who was shot did so after he was warned multiple times by the officer not to approach him with a knife. Meanwhile, when the officer was later shot, it was an act of malicious violence. Poole blamed himself for the incident, and contemplated handed in his resignation papers. We almost expected it, given that it’s been remarkable that “Blue Bloods” has continued to do episodes of this show at all given how much a part of “Arrow” he is.

Yet, it didn’t happen as Frank helped convince him to stay, and also for him to stand united in some ways with the department. He showed a human side, something that Frank did at first with his own conversations with Erin. This was a quiet finale compared to elsewhere on TV, but that’s what really made it great. It felt grounded, realistic, and the characters acted within themselves. This may even be one of the best finales that “Blue Bloods” has done over the years.

Now, the long wait until season 7 begins. Episode Grade: A-.

(Photo: CBS.)