11×04 Redemption

Frank must decide whether the department can accommodate a request to remain in the field from Detective Allison Mulaney (Ali Stroker), a lauded cop who is wheelchair-bound after being wounded in the line of duty. Also, Erin is conflicted by the weight of her authority in the sentencing of a man guilty of vehicular homicide, Danny and Baez pursue a rideshare rapist and Jamie and Eddie team up to aid a fellow officer when his partner is shot on the job, on BLUE BLOODS.

CBS Press Release

Initial Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the fourth episode of season 11. 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.

The first episode of 2021 and the first joint Jamie and Eddie storyline of season 11; it could almost be one that they would have had while they were still partners. The obvious notable exceptions would be that they worked on the case while at home and that Jamie was getting called ‘sir’ in several scenes. It may not have progressed their relationship, but it did provide a good demonstration that their stories can have some meaning without becoming routine. Could also say that it made a nice change that the incident didn’t leave Jamie feeling guilt-ridden (instead it was Flores who grabbed that role).

Scene by Scene Breakdown

In case you want to remind yourself of any of the scenes, click on the headings for a link to the relevant clips on YouTube.

Breakfast Burrito

We know Eddie loves burritos, so it isn’t surprising that she’d be willing to suffer for them. (I’m sure there will be many fans thinking about morning sickness as soon as Eddie makes any reference to feeling unwell. Especially as this episode would originally have aired immediately after Family Secrets). This provides a brief element of fun before we switch to the situation of an injured officer.

Strange to think that their conversation in the RMP was filmed on the last day of filming in March.

Officer in Distress

Interesting to see a scene like this, when Jamie or Eddie have been involved in a shooting it typically skips this bit. In those instances, we’re present for the drama of the attack. Whereas this scene is needed to give us, or rather Eddie, a visible connection to the incident.

The Aftermath

Jamie is being firm, showing he’s as affected by the shooting as everyone else but maintaining his professionalism as the boss. This is followed by the most emotional response we see from Flores, he seems somewhat resigned to the situation after this point. It does give Jame a valid reason to send him home (and set him up for what happens later).

Shooter Stopped

Timing is everything. This scene leaves us with a few questions. Was Flores supposed to have been hanging around the area for a chance to bump into Gordon’s attacker? This attack seems to have been the same spot as where Gordon was shot (not sure if this is intentional or if it’s due to working with a limited number of locations. Most of this episode was completed in March, but these exterior scenes were filmed after production resumed in October). If it is supposed to be the same area, then maybe it’s easier to see Flores’s presence as a coincidence.
This is the mystery that leads to the main point of the storyline; considering how it ended you’re ultimately left wondering who was responsible for this shooting. Do we assume that it was just someone the victim knew, and the reason he was shot with Gordon’s gun was that he had it on him?

IAB Involved

Officer shootings always tend to be something that Jamie and Eddie have opposing views on; although it’s important to recognise that there is no argument here, they’re just voicing their opinions. Jamie will always say that they can’t take the law into their own hands, but he will also always treat a 10-13 as the most important call. Eddie’s belief in having the back of her fellow officers above all else can lead to the potential for vengeance, but there have been times like Back in the Day where she has put the needs of an investigation ahead of a 10-13. Have to think that her views on this have changed since that time, her experiences with Jamie would understandably alter her perspective.

IAB Issues

Following the previous episode, we know Jamie is perfectly capable of reporting himself, so it’s not surprising he’s following protocol regarding this investigation. The main problem is Flores’s attitude… Jamie is following the rules, but he’s not ignoring his instincts. He’s relying on his own sense of Flores when he says that he doesn’t think Flores is guilty.

Short Hospital Visit

It’s a quick and frustrating conversation. Flores sounds like he’s admitting responsibility, although it’s not really clear what he feels responsible for. Jamie can sense that Flores’s guilt over his partner’s injury is weighing him down.
Flores says that allowing his partner to be injured means he failed in his duties; can’t help but wonder what Jamie might have felt regarding his partners. We know Jamie will carry the burden of blame if someone is injured as a result of his actions, but there was never anything to suggest he felt he could have done something to prevent Vinny or Eddie’s shootings (although as we learn later, there is a significant difference with this incident).

Reagan Family Dinner

Compared with this scene, everything else kind of fades into the background. It feels that they’re having so much fun. This is a scene which involves everyone, and it bounces along so well. It reminds me of the meatless burger scene in Fog of War, but it’s most reminiscent of the dinner in season 2’s Moonlighting, especially as they make fun of Jamie. Jamie probably wishes he wasn’t quite so observant and regrets commenting on Sean’s mood with how it turns out. It’s also sweet in that Eddie’s the one to ask Sean about his girlfriend, and her reactions to all of the stories were brilliant. What we learn from this is that Erin has the gossip on everyone, and it’s best not to get on her bad side.

The enjoyment of the scene makes it easier to ignore some of the inconsistencies of their stories. For example, it’s previously been said that Jamie was with Sydney while at law school, and Danny and Linda started dating while they were teenagers. Have to wonder how old Danny was supposed to be when he ended up in Chicago.

Couch Cops

This is so domestic, and even if it isn’t the slightest bit romantic, it’s still interesting to get these different views of what their home life is like. It feels different to see them working on something as a team while at home. Usually, when there’s been any hint of a work-related conversation within their home, it’s been with them on opposing sides (like in Friends in High Places). Based on what they’re wearing, we’re given the impression that they started working on this as soon as they got home from family dinner. 

Again this seems to be following the same pattern as we’ve already seen in Triumph Over Trauma and Atonement; it’s Jamie who spots the details that allow them to solve the issue. I enjoy seeing Jamie being the one to take the lead and as the ‘hero’ character he’s most likely to be shown to have the answer, and it makes a pleasant change from so many episodes where Jamie was at fault. At least this time Jamie has got Eddie working with him (probably a wise move after his observational skills got him into trouble at family dinner).

The Truth

The fact that his partner had woken up probably helped a lot in getting Flores to admit the truth, the amount of guilt he was carrying had drastically reduced. It all comes down to dumb luck and bad timing, but Jamie and Eddie help Flores in the same way as they helped Addison in Fog of War. One problem I do have with Flores using the IAB investigation to assuage his guilt, this probably meant there was delay before they started looking for the real killer.

Final Thoughts

This was a good storyline, even if it does rely on some notable gaps in the two incidents to drive the story. It’s a little odd in that it hints at the purely emotional reaction of guilt, but those emotions seem to be kept at a distance. The most emotive moment is Eddie feeling that cops should be able to hunt down anyone who shoots their colleagues. It makes sense that it isn’t emotionally driven if we keep in mind that this was intended to follow Family Secrets. It’s not quite a palate cleanser, but it could have seemed too intense if we had two emotional storylines back-to-back. Hopefully, we’ll start to see a change in the stories now that we’ve cleared the last hurdle from the truncated season 10.

What’s positive is that even if they disagreed on the appropriate response to the attack, they definitely shared common ground for the rest of the story. There wasn’t a sense that Jamie wanted to shoot whoever was responsible for Vinny’s death, even if Jamie did briefly become jaded. Instead, the focus was on working together to make sure they got to the truth for Flores. Eddie and Jamie have both been through instances of their partner being in danger. Whatever else happened in My Aim is True for a few minutes Eddie probably believed that Jamie had been shot. As an audience, our awareness of these past events will always give us a greater sense of emotional connection to these stories. Knowing the history of these characters, we can imagine how their experiences will affect them.