11×06 The New Normal

The Reagans confront hard choices on the job when Frank deals with a police captain who’s losing his grip over his precinct, and Danny faces backlash from the Baez and Internal Affairs over a tough call he made in the field. Also, Jamie and Eddie are shown the ropes of field crisis management when a social worker is assigned to them for a ride-a-long, and Erin weighs the consequences of a dangerous criminal’s release under new bail laws, on BLUE BLOODS.

CBS Press Release

Initial Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the sixth 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.

A significant look at a current social issue, one that was highlighted in last year’s calls for police reform. Namely, the suggestion that the police response can make some situations worse. This storyline examines this issue showing that there’s no single answer, and without it feeling heavy-handed. Fundamentally it’s still driven by the character interactions and allows something of Jamie and Eddie’s relationship to be shown. There’s a chance to see the different ways they know one another, and that even if their views don’t always precisely align, they still have a common goal.

Scene be 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.

A New Assignment

This is a light and fun scene, as Eddie is enjoying teasing Jamie. There are no concerns, and they’re relaxed being husband and wife while with Witten. This openness is so enjoyable. Eddie’s not so subtly reminding Jamie how well she knows him, that he can’t really hide anything from her. Like in Triumph Over Trauma, where she could tell something was worrying him with just one look. On this occasion, it isn’t anything serious; just a matter of getting Jamie to confess that they weren’t the first choice for the assignment. (Although, have to wonder whether this is ever due to avoiding showing favouritism).

We have to assume that Jamie and Eddie are generally working the same tours and no-one worries about Eddie having to report to a different sergeant any more. (With the current circumstances they’re working under the preferred option is likely to be anything that means they need fewer people on set)

Enthusiastic but Green

This demonstrates the differences between Eddie and Witten’s cautious outlook and the enthusiasm of Claire. It establishes that Claire has limited real-world experience, and it doesn’t really set an expectation that the trial will be successful.

First Test

Meeting Donald provides a great example of a situation where standard police practices could cause the worst outcome. Can’t help but think that this is a technique the mother should have been taught, she appears to be the primary carer so this seems like something that would be useful for her to know.

Aside from the social commentary about the police responding to certain types of situations, what’s notable here is that they actually specify the type of condition Donald has. In the past, it wouldn’t be unusual for a show to imply a disability but avoid identifying what it was (which would then allow for a lot of dramatic licence). For example, in season 8’s The Brave, Billy is simply said to be developmentally disabled.

Lunchtime Discussion

This conversation works to summarise points from last year’s debates. Those points that are specifically regarding the ability of the police to respond to calls about vulnerable people. It seems to do it quite sensitively by not blaming police behaviour, but rather the very tools they need to fulfil their primary duty.

Differing Views Before Dinner

Jamie isn’t the Reagan who would typically be against this type of work, so it does seem a little strange that he’s so suspicious of the project. It’s a surprise as, in season 6’s With Friends Like These, it was Jamie who advocated for a different approach, so he was responsible for Frank forming an advisory group. In that episode, and in season 8’s The Brave, Jamie was the only police officer against approaching a vulnerable person with an armed response, so Jamie knows that there are issues with the standard response. One possible reason Jamie would be suspicious is that the initiative is from outside of the police department, perhaps he’d be more on board if it was led by the NYPD. However, this slight continuity flaw is understandable as it allows Jamie and Eddie to take different viewpoints and creates the opportunity to present a discussion. What’s really good about this scene is that this isn’t a transparent set up for debating a current social topic. It works as a character moment, with Jamie trying to watch a game on TV before fully committing to the conversation; and then his use of “I love you” as a defence technique although that doesn’t prevent a pillow attack.

It’s so sweet to see them holding hands, although it would be appreciated if we could see more, we have to remember the difficult conditions the cast and crew are working under. It’s understandable if they’ve decided to show extra restraint at this time; there are risks to filming, as seen with a positive test keeping an actor from their family.

Reagan Family Dinner

Based on Jamie’s comment about Sean’s plan not to go to college, it feels likely that Jamie has been talking to Sean about his future and maybe trying to talk through his options. This might be the best explanation for why Jamie shared the story about Eddie’s education. Can imagine that Sean feels like he doesn’t have a lot of experience to draw on. There are the super-smart members of the family and those who didn’t go to college at all. They appear to be extreme examples of the options open to him. It could be that Jamie felt sharing a bit of Eddie’s history would make Sean realise that it’s not so cut and dry. This can also be seen as confirmation that Eddie is a full member of the Reagan family there’s no such thing as privacy.

That Eddie didn’t finish college is an intriguing new detail. Eddie has previously spoken about majoring in art history but didn’t suggest that she hadn’t completed her course. The continuity change makes sense as there aren’t many characters at the table who could have this experience written into their history. With what we know of Eddie’s life, it would make complete sense that she felt the need to leave college early. In season 8’s Pick Your Poison, Eddie’s experience with Chip could have left her in a position where she couldn’t continue. That’s before taking into account the Armin-related issues. With 56% of US college students not completing their degree, it’s realistic that not everyone at the table finished college. It wouldn’t be surprising if Eddie’s parents didn’t provide her with the support she needed to get through and complete. (Although, have to assume she was at college at least 2 years to get the required 60 college credits to join the NYPD)

Risky Revisit

A welcome reminder of how well Jamie and Eddie worked as a team while on patrol. This was reminiscent of the incident at the beginning of season 6’s Down the Rabbit Hole, with a few glances they were able to agree on a course of action where one provided a distraction so the other could act. Eddie’s approach to distracting Donald seems to be based on what she’s learnt from Claire. 

Poor Claire was quite affected by the incident, but she was set up for a shock with her lack of real experience, as shown during her introduction.

Admin at the Apartment

Eddie’s belief in Jamie really shows here. For Eddie, there’s no doubt that Jamie’s report will be able to sway the city council’s decision and keep support for the programme. It’s sweet that she’s making sure Jamie reflects his own contribution when he says he’s stating that she did a good job,

Final Thoughts

Recently I’ve taken notice of how Ian Biederman is using the family dinner scenes. The additional scenes set before and after dinner add so much to that section of the episode and are so enjoyable. Many of his episodes include moments providing a better idea of how the Reagans spend their time on a Sunday. This helps emphasise the role that Sunday dinner plays in bringing the family together and allowing them some room to discuss anything weighing on their mind.

To facilitate those conversations in this episode, both Jamie and Eddie have small changes made to what we previously knew about them. It can be frustrating that character continuity is so fluid in this show, but the changes work for the scenes in this particular episode. Of course, we may see them change again depending on the requirements of a future episode. However, the change to Eddie’s history does ring true for what we know about her.

This storyline is successful in telling the story and interweaving relationship moments for Jamie and Eddie. The conversation in the sunroom is fairly weighty, but it’s still used to show the fun side of their relationship as well as their love for each other. Jamie knows he’s pushing it with Eddie when saying “I love you” to get out of trouble, but it wouldn’t be so successful if it wasn’t clear how much he truly means it. Eddie’s expression at the end of this scene and at the end of the apartment scene is one of complete contentment. We’d be quite content if we could have many more episodes that were this successful in portraying their relationship.