Blue Bloods season 8 episode 6 review: Art and innocence
Let’s begin here with what we saw from Danny Reagan given that it was probably the most personal in the aftermath of Linda’s death. After putting himself in harm’s way he had to find himself facing some tough questions from his son. Why keep doing this? Why not look elsewhere for a job? He wasn’t quite sure that he wanted his dad out there in the field anymore. It was understandable for him to feel that way — he didn’t want to lose another parent — and while he eventually reversed course, Danny encouraged him to continue to be honest with him. That’s what is going to make their relationship strong and stable.
Elsewhere for Danny, he had an interesting case that really made him run around in a metaphorical circle. After a famous basketball player’s death, he spent most of the episode assuming that it had something to do with the drug gang he was spending a lot of time with. As it turns out, though, it was far more personal and it was the hotel employee who brought him room service who had a personal reason to go after him from a past meeting.
Danny did the job, and most importantly, he was safe this week. There wasn’t anything more for the family to worry about.
As for Erin…
She had to recognize some of her own biases and flaws as she worked on an old case that she messed up nine years ago, the day of her divorce from Jack. She let an innocent man go to prison because she didn’t look at the evidence the right way. She eventually did find the right way to do that thanks to tracking down an old witness and getting her to change her testimony. Apparently, time really can get people to open up about some of their past mistakes. The one misfire in this case (creatively) may have been that it was almost too easy for Erin.
The story of Frank and a painting
While many within the NYPD were frustrated with the destructive actions of an angry artist forced to leave her longtime home, Frank had some sympathy for her and looked to find a way to give her some sort of peace to A) both avoid charges for what she did and B) get something in return for her old home. For Frank, this meant getting a new official portrait (one that looked straight out of the 1970’s — a celebration of the Tom Selleck of old!). His biggest problem was trying to get the artist help given that the Archdiocese, (who previously made a rather lucrative offer to her for the place) didn’t like being told now to backtrack when there were other deals now in place.
Did Frank make an enemy tonight with the church? We wouldn’t go that far, but he did put a strain on any future communications here.
CarterMatt Verdict
As we said, a very good episode that focused on the relationship between religion and law enforcement, cases that are easier than they seem, and how personal matters can influence cases in unexpected ways. If you enjoy Blue Bloods, you likely enjoyed this episode a lot.
(Photo: CBS.)