Continuing the theme of looking back at times where Jamie and Eddie have been in different situations, this week it’s from a different angle with a recap of the undercover assignments they’ve been on. At a minimum, it’s a chance to place them in a completely different position, perhaps with a bit of fun due to the visual impact of their undercover guise. But working undercover can also bring an extra level of tension as they are placed in a potentially dangerous environment. Especially as they’re frequently isolated, so they’re reliant on their own skills. There isn’t one type of undercover role, sometimes they’re positioned to gain critical information, or they can be a decoy target taking the place of a potential victim. Lately, Eddie’s undercover assignments have been in co-operation with the DA’s office, plus of course, Jamie worked on Joe’s ATF assignment.
The Sanfino Arc
It might have been slightly implausible that someone could safely swap between an undercover assignment with a crime family and still be on patrol in the same city. The risk of being spotted would be high. However, the long-term storyline brought higher stakes and ensured that Jamie faced significant danger.
04×05 – Lost and Found
Eddie was barely out of the academy when they had their first undercover assignment together. It definitely didn’t turn out as expected, but Jamie, in the guise of a lawyer, and his girlfriend Eddie did what they could to help Grady.
05×18 – Bad Company
Eddie’s most significant undercover role. It benefits from a long build-up that emphasised the risks and the preparation required, leading towards a true sense of peril once she met with the gang.
06×09 – Hold Outs
The story provides a chance for some fun with very different looks for both Jamie and Eddie. The opening provides the shock and surprise of who the elderly couple were with a subtler disguise later on.
07×10 – Unbearable Loss
Jamie has taken the position of bait, and like in Hold Outs, there’s no setup as we’re just presented with Jamie acting very un-Jamie like. Again there’s the sense of danger; backup is nearby, but the question remains of whether they’re close enough.
08×01 – Cutting Losses
It only lasts a few seconds, but it was a chance to play with Jamie and Eddie acting like a couple. It remains a tease of what might have been as Kevin Wade had suggested that among the season 8 storylines, “For Jamie and Eddie, I think it will be either detectives or perhaps an undercover operation that we play out over a number of episodes, kind of a long sting”.
09×04 – Blackout
It lasts only a relatively short time, and Eddie had a team providing backup, but she was left in real danger. This was because the detective was prepared for the attack to be an easy way to prove the full extent of the crime committed.
10×02 – Naughty or Nice
This time it was Jamie in serious trouble despite having a backup team. Although on this occasion, it wasn’t intentional that Jamie was left to deal with the danger. Being the bait led to several tense minutes as Jamie literally fought for his life.
10×05 – The Price You Pay
The build-up implied a far longer assignment but still provided another opportunity for a very different look for Eddie, while Eddie’s false identity allowed some reflection on her past. Ultimately the cover was all but abandoned as Eddie confronted the suspect, and even though backup was nearby, Eddie still had to fight alone.
11×13 – Fallen Heroes
Eddie’s cover was blown within a couple of minutes, but it wasn’t really the point of the story.
11×15 – The End
We’re only shown a couple of moments where Jamie uses a cover to maintain his role as a handler for Joe, first as Joe’s brother Jimmy and then as the mechanic. While Jamie wasn’t the one in danger, every word he spoke carried risk for Joe.
For some of these stories, the compelling character elements stem from the choices they make or facing the consequences of their actions. But they can also be a source of fun and excitement, seeing these characters being placed in a different situation from the norm. Before Jamie and Eddie became a couple, it was a way of playing with the idea of acting as though they were. We’ve had occasions where one of them has been the guardian angel for the other. Could there ever be a situation where Sgt Reagan and Officer Janko could be on an undercover assignment together? It feels like that would be prevented by the same need to no longer be partners, but maybe it could give them the excuse to dress up in something fancy… What’s clear is there is no single type of undercover story that can be told. Hopefully, season 12 will bring a new take and freshly challenge Eddie and Jamie.
Thoughts on Jamko 
The undercover stories were pretty good because most of them touched on the professional as well as work areas of their lives. In some the danger was high, others not too much. The one that fell flat in my opinion was 10×05 the mysterious cult leader. This needed to carryover into another episode at least. The cult leader character needed a bit more work and Eddie’s wig needed to go but I guess the writers were looking for a certain mid western, unsure naive’ look. However it did show that Erin/Anthony have confidence in Eddie.
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Exactly. I think Eddie’s look in 10×5 would’ve been collaborative between the writer, director, wardrobe, hair and the actor. I’ve assumed they were going for someone who looked as though they’d be into ‘New Age’ ideas.
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