After an incident where Officer Witten’s (Lauren Patten) backup physically could not keep up with a chase, Frank must decide whether to implement a more rigorous fitness test for the NYPD. Also, Danny is hesitant to pursue a cold case after learning who the original detective was; Anthony begs Erin to stall a murder trial so he can gather more evidence; and Eddie is vexed by Jamie’s disapproval of her joining a fraternal organization, on BLUE BLOODS.
CBS Press Release
Initial Thoughts
These are my thoughts on the eighteenth episode of season 9. A lot of it is my interpretation of what is not said and may exist purely in my imagination. If you agree or disagree please let me know as I’d still love to hear from you regardless, I just ask that you’re polite. It’d be great to debate ideas and see what interesting theories emerge.
More issues for the 29th Precinct, this time it’s due to unfit officers. As it’s already been stated that Officer Witten is working under Sergeant Reagan you’d think that this could be another job-related headache for Jamie, instead, it actually leads to a more personal problem. When I first read the synopsis it was easy to understand that Jamie doesn’t approve of fraternal organisations considering the Blue Templar was that type of group and they murdered his brother, tried to kill Jamie himself, and on a more minor note were responsible for the Chevelle being off the road for seven seasons. Strangely this is only a minor point in the episode.
Scene by Scene Breakdown
In case you want to remind yourself of the scenes click on the headings for a link to the relevant clips on YouTube courtesy of Jamko4ever.
Assigning a New Partner
They both seem fairly in character during this scene; I think it’s a good indicator of how well Eddie knows Jamie that she’s prepared a statistical argument for why she should be partnered with Witten. They’re also able to have a difference of opinion without it getting heated, sadly this is a rarity in this episode.
Breakroom Conversation
So Eddie asked Jamie to think about making Witten her new partner and we can see from this scene that Jamie has made it happen. This is one of the few times in the episode that Jamie is shown to behave
I’m a bit puzzled by this conversation, although there is a major imbalance in the number of women and men within the NYPD it seems strange that Eddie was never involved in any team activities during her time at the 12th precinct. Also, Eddie has been at the 29th for longer than Witten so why is it that the probationary officer is the one educating Eddie? Or is this an indication that Eddie has isolated herself from the rest of the officers at the 2-9?
Date Night
There isn’t much setup provided for this scene but it suggests that they go out on dates after work and you can imagine that this is a regular thing (maybe once a week or fortnight they have a special date night). At least it seems it must be fairly regular considering it appears that Jamie had to work a lot later than Eddie, and she hasn’t waited for him before heading to the restaurant, as she’s sat waiting when he arrives. Oddly there’s no real greeting as Jamie arrives – a couple meeting each other for a nice meal out would normally show some sign of affection when they meet up. (But then again the focus of this scene is them both being annoyed so no room for romance)
This is a slight improvement over recent episodes in that they’re having a disagreement about the overlap between their work and personal relationships away from the precinct. It’s almost refreshing that it shows they don’t have to have every single work-related conversation at the precinct. Interesting that Eddie seems so shocked when Jamie makes the same “women’s empowerment” comment as she did – is she a little annoyed that her thinking apparently jumps to the same conclusions as he does? There doesn’t feel as though there’s much point in questioning Eddie’s reaction when Jamie is shown to be so terse before he’s even finished sitting down – there’s only one purpose to this scene, to get into the argument and it accelerates from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds.
The reasons Jamie gives for being concerned about the offer, due to the potential for people trying to take advantage of Eddie’s connections to the Reagans, initially seems valid. However, with only a few exceptions, we’ve been shown multiple times only the negative treatment that the name Reagan engenders. Frank’s feelings on the possibility of using the Reagans to get ahead are well known within the NYPD, as seen in the reaction of Angela’s husband-to-be when she invited the Reagans to their wedding in season 7’s The One That Got Away, and Garret’s comments on why bosses were reluctant to put Jamie up for promotion in season 7’s Lost Souls. The only times someone has asked something of a person with a connection to the Reagans were when Baker was invited to take a new role (in season 8’s Heavy is the Head), when Jill Carpenter asked for Jamie’s assistance as she wanted to take on a retired service number (in season 6’s Cursed), and when Tariq asked for Jamie’s help due to being stuck in what he felt was a dead-end assignment (in season 8’s Close Calls). Neither of the instances we’ve seen Jamie deal with was so bad that it would justify this reaction.
Declining the Offer
This is horrible, Eddie is following through on what Jamie asked/ordered but the explanation she gives is clearly false. Eddie is as lousy at lying as Jamie was in Two-Faced. Sadly Eddie is denying who she is to justify her action – no wonder Witten doesn’t believe her, no-one who has ever met Eddie would think she’s not a joiner.
I do like Witten though, she is honest and willing to take on what she sees as someone having a problem with her. It’s just a shame that she’s being used to generate conflict between Jamie and Eddie.
At the Laundromat
This scene provides another glimpse of what the domestic side of their life is now like. There’s also a brief hint of how Jamie relies on Eddie’s views to help him deal with problems amongst the officers as he commits to tackling the issue of Witten being blamed for Leary’s issues. (That’s about the best I can do in taking anything positive from this scene)
When a couple has an argument it isn’t neat and tidy, it can ebb and flow, and the smallest thing can spark off a new round. Judging by the looks Eddie is throwing Jamie’s way at the start of the scene she’s been sitting on her annoyance ever since the date. It seems strange that they haven’t spoken about it at all; do they actually talk to each other when at home or has the apartment been designated a safe space so they never argue there? Considering what they’re doing during the scene we’re left to presume that they’ve gathered their laundry at the apartment, gone to the laundromat, put their stuff into the machines, waited for it to be washed and then dried before starting to prepare to take it home. It’s when they’re getting ready to leave that the argument starts so it seems they were doing everything else in silence. Normally something triggers an argument even if it’s completely unrelated, like putting the wrong socks together to make a pair, but this is another scene that just launches into the Witten argument again. Eddie has gotten herself really hyped about the issue of being told what she can and can’t do, which is absolutely right, but she tackles that by throwing out some rather ludicrous examples. It almost sounds as though Jamie has been forcing her to attend family dinner against her will. Also, the rather crazy suggestion that Jamie would force her to give up work after they’re married – the first time there’s really been any conversation relating to their life as a married couple and it’s dumb. (This makes it seem that when Eddie gets upset and angry she gets irrational and that’s not something we’ve seen Eddie do before, despite the number of arguments they had in the past) This is not a scene that was ever going to resolve the argument, it just perpetuates it.
Pre-Dinner Heart to Heart
It feels a little like we lost a scene before this one as it seems that something must have happened to drive Eddie to be sitting on the stairs (and also for Danny to be the one that joins her). Again I’m left slightly puzzled but this time it’s regarding why Danny suggests it’s a superstition for Jamie. It sounds like he’s referring to Jamie’s general distrust of fraternal organisations but it would make more sense in relation to Jamie’s feeling that Officer Witten is a trouble magnet, as that actually would be based on the idea that someone who ends up in problematic situations is more likely to be the source of the issues. Superstition just seems like the wrong word in association with a distrust of organisations, it seems more likely that Jamie would be suspicious of them. What’s frustrating is that it’s Danny providing this explanation and that it basically sits in isolation from the rest of the episode, skip this scene and you’d never have the slightest idea that there’s any connection to Joe’s death – it’s not even hinted at in either the scenes that proceed it or follow it. The other annoyance is that Danny is here as the hero figure; Eddie is almost in damsel-in-distress territory, unable to do anything about the problem, and Jamie is busy being the bad guy (at this point he could’ve been investigating options for moustaches he could twirl) so it’s Danny to the rescue…
Despite the complaints about the plotting and set-up, this is a lovely scene, it’s the first time we’ve had an opportunity to see these two interact one-on-one. It’s wonderful to watch for so many reasons – I love that Danny shows he does actually have a good understanding of how his brother thinks (there are times you do have to wonder). It’s also a reminder that Danny and Linda had many arguments over the years, Jamie and Eddie are not alone in being shown disagreeing.
Reagan Family Dinner
This scene provides an opportunity for everyone to comment on Frank’s storyline but it feels as though there were a lot of possibilities left unexplored. Eddie and Jamie briefly chip in with their views but as they’re the only two currently working patrol you’d expect them to have a lot more to say (especially as the officer who triggered it all works in their precinct). One thing I struggle with is the all or nothing approach to the health standards. If you’re introducing a new requirement you’d think existing personnel would get a pass on the initial tests even if the results are negative, ideally being provided with an opportunity to do something about it. (There was a negative reaction to how this storyline was handled)
It seems strange that there appears to be no subtext for Jamie and Eddie whilst sat next to each other at the table. It could be that this is a sign that Eddie is letting the argument go to a certain extent following her conversation with Danny. With Eddie not making any pointed comments in Jamie’s direction, unlike in Blackout and Milestones, Jamie could be taking advantage of the reprieve and not doing anything to provoke her.
Reconciliation at the 2-9
Again Eddie said she wanted to do something, this time playing on the softball team, and with Jamie finally acknowledging his mistake it’s going to happen. So they make up but in doing so they’re back to having a personal conversation at the precinct – it’s an odd choice that when they have three scenes about this subject the two which are antagonistic are in the domestic setting but the happier one is at work… This does nothing to persuade the viewer that they’re actually in a happy relationship when away from work. Also, did Danny wait until Jamie was on his way into work to call him and talk to him about the situation? (I’m just trying to work through the likely timeline following family dinner and it’s the only reason I can think why Jamie wouldn’t have spoken to Eddie before being at the precinct).
The script and interaction within the scene don’t really give an opportunity for additional meaning or subtext. It’s only once Eddie’s walked away that we’re given a lingering a shot of Jamie looking after her – at this stage, it’s difficult to tell what he’s feeling because having been reduced to an antagonist for most of the episode this scene is too cursory to return him to a fully functioning character. Jamie’s comments don’t actually make a lot of sense, he says he’ll now make an effort to preface his views with “if I were you” while he’d seemed perfectly capable of at least prefacing his statements with “I think” during their diner conversation in Blackout. So has the character regressed to allow this to be the lesson that is learnt?
I think the main issue I have with this scene is that it doesn’t carry enough positive emotional weight to counterbalance the negative emotions that were on display throughout the rest of the episode. In Blackout you were given a clear sense of how worried Jamie had been about Eddie’s safety and in Milestones Jamie’s speech left no doubt about how important Eddie was to him. Here there’s nothing of significant substance during the conversation itself and it is that final shot of Jamie which is left to try to convey something of what he feels.
Final Thoughts
As you’ve probably already guessed I have real problems with this episode. I’m not sure what the production team’s aim was but after several episodes with minimal acknowledgement of Jamie and Eddie’s relationship this episode manages to provide some glimpses of them in settings away from work and the family. This is in the form of a date and the very domestic laundromat but it does it in a way that gives an unrelentingly negative impression of their life together. They’ve only been a couple for eighteen episodes and we’ve already had three versions of Jamie says something to upset Eddie, they’re at odds for most of the episode and reconcile in their final scene. I expect that there will be occasional arguments in the future but I really hope they don’t continue to follow this formula.
The biggest issue I have with this episode is that Danny’s comments are the only time we’re given any insight into what Jamie might be thinking. We see a lot of why Eddie wants to join the group and why she’s excited as she talks to Witten. Jamie just comes off as unreasonable; knowing his history we can assume he’s being driven by the loss of Joe and Vinny, he knows how easy it is for a member of the NYPD to die in the line of duty but that never comes across in any of Jamie’s scenes. Jamie has been set up as the antagonist in this storyline which doesn’t feel like a good choice when it’s centred around a couple still in the early stages of their relationship. While conflict provides an opportunity to explore different aspects of a relationship it doesn’t really work if you’re then only shown one side of it – we learn nothing new about the relationship, we just see a lot of unhappiness. At least when Danny and Linda had an argument both characters were provided with the opportunity to explain their positions and didn’t rely on someone else speaking for them. The problems with this episode aren’t down to a single person – the production team as a whole will have agreed that this is what they wanted to achieve and I’m left wondering why?
Thoughts on Jamko 