Episode 2 of the 14th and final season of Blue Bloods, the aptly titled “Dropping Bombs,” starts out with an explosive opening sequence of events. First, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) receives a package that seems to be from his former partner, Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito), only to find a woman’s finger and a note from the serial killer they have been chasing, Jeremy aka Dr. Walker.
There’s trouble for the other Reagans in the beginning minutes of the episode as well. Eddie finds a woman who has been arrested for drug possession with intent to sell, begging for help, stating that she has been raped. Meanwhile, Joe Hill is in a van with a CI who identifies a drug dealer. Joe reads the dealer’s stash house, where he finds Jamie working undercover and pretends to arrest him.
Mayor Chase floats the idea of a committee of police commissioners in an interview, to which Frank responds by calling it “a terrible idea.”
Note: Spoilers for this episode of Blue Bloods ahead
Recap
Back at 1PP, Garrett and Sid argue about Frank’s comment regarding the five commissioners being a terrible idea. Baker interrupts the trio to inform Frank that Chase is there to speak with him, and the mayor is in a bad mood. In a slightly humorous divergence, Garrett tells Frank to tread lightly, while Gormley tells him to just be himself.
Chase arrives angry and ready to argue about Frank’s response in the interview, which Chase views as Frank attempting to undermine his authority and leadership. The anguish and frustration on Frank’s face is clear as Chase tells Frank that he needs to just play the hand that he has been dealt and not try to change policies back to things that Frank felt were working previously.
Frank angrily accuses the mayor of not having his back, while Chase retorts that part of his job is to hold the commissioner accountable. Chase says that it is a difficult job to hold the Frank accountable, but somebody has to do it.
Eddie faces backlash from everybody at the precinct for her proactive decisions to help the woman who accused a sergeant of rape, as even her partner is frustrated that she acted without consulting him and her boss, Captain McNichols, is angry that Eddie bypassed her.
Jamie and Joe butt heads over the human trafficking case
Jamie goes back to the trafficking crew he is embedded with, where the boss notifies his members that Joe Hill is onto them, and that Hill needs to be dealt with.
Jamie discusses the intel with Gormley, who alerts Joe and calls him in to discuss. Joe refuses to back down, and in a moment of anger, Joe accuses the Jamie of not doing enough to prevent his dad’s death. At this point, Joe realizes what he said and tries to apologize. It’s too late, however, as Jamie angrily says he won’t work with Joe anymore on the case.
Later on, Jamie meets with Joe at Joe Sr.’s gravesite, where Joe tries to apologize but Jamie tells him to stop talking and listen. Jamie begins by telling Joe that the whole family attempted to talk his dad out of joining the warrant squad, but Joe insisted. Jamie says the family realized that Joe was an adult and an active cop who could make his own decisions and choose the path that he wanted.
Jamie says that every member of the family has blamed themselves at one point or another and questioned whether there was more they could’ve done to prevent Joe from getting killed. Jamie tells Joe he will not put himself in the position of questioning whether he did enough to protect Joe, and that is why he won’t be working with him on this case. That point being made, Jamie leaves before Joe can say anything.
At the end of the episode, Joe joins the family for Sunday dinner, and opens up about what Jamie told him. Joe admits that he is still sometimes struggling to unpack his father’s life and death, and that he is grateful to all of the Reagans for accepting him and welcoming him into their family.
Unfortunately, the Blue Bloods episode ends with a twist, as Joe’s CI is caught by Ruiz, who executes her with two gunshots at close range.
Review
This was a strong episode with several intriguing storylines. Eddie’s storyline addressed real problems in the police force in the struggle that women face when reporting sexual crimes. It was good that Anthony helped Badillo recognize why Paddy was right to do what she did, and it was good to see McNichols ultimately have Eddie’s back.
McNichols understood where Eddie was coming from with distrusting the boys club culture at the precinct, and you could see the relief on Eddie’s face when the captain told her that they would have to trust and support each other.
McNichols also clarifies her feelings, saying that part of the reason she reacted the way that she did is because she recognizes the boys club culture, and that she felt the need to protect her own reputation and her authority and strength as a leader.
Could Dr. Walker’s tolerance towards Danny about his lack of a love life after Linda died beer foreshadowing that Danny will finally find love before the season wraps up? It certainly sounds that way, and while it seemed likely he would end up with Baez before the season began, Jackie’s return certainly has the potential to complicate things.
I hope this isn’t the last we see of Joe Hill. It was a good way of wrapping up the storyline, but it would be awkward to see him finally come around to being part of the Reagan family, only for him to never be seen again. Also, a series following Hill may be the best hope fans have for a spin-off.
Overall, this was a strong Blue Bloods episode that did a good job of setting things in motion for the series to conclude later this fall. We’ll see how Frank’s clashes with Mayor Chase impact his feelings about staying on as commissioner, and whether Danny warms up to the idea of finding love again.