When a fellow officer is ostracized for testifying against her partner, Jamie stands up and volunteers to ride with her for a week, facing the wrath of his own partner and fellow cops. Meanwhile, Erin and Danny clash when a settled case becomes a new homicide, on BLUE BLOODS
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Initial Thoughts
These are my thoughts on the second episode of season five. 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 thought-provoking theories emerge.
This episode picks up the story of what happened to Kara Walsh after the events of Custody Battle. Sadly, it shows that she has been ostracised by her fellow officers, with barely anyone believing she did the right thing. Of course, Jamie is the only exception, which initially places a strain on his friendship with Eddie, but it’s the strength of that friendship that prevents a tragedy.
Scene by Scene Breakdown
Kara’s Return
Right from the beginning, Jamie and Eddie are shown to have differing opinions on dealing with an act. Jamie advocates following the written rules, while Eddie takes a more emotional response – relying on her own sense of right and wrong.
Eddie has no time for Kara; it seems likely that this is partly due to her past experiences with a betrayal of trust. Considering Armin’s impact on Eddie’s life, it wouldn’t be surprising that it’s left Eddie with a tendency to form an aggrieved opinion of those she feels can’t be trusted. However, the main reason for her anger is that Kara caused a “good cop” to lose his job. It shows that there’s still an assumption that Cutter did nothing wrong in Custody Battle.
RMP Debate
Eddie isn’t backing down about her view of Kara; she will defend a fellow officer no matter what they do as long as they look out for other officers. Jamie is more willing to acknowledge that it can’t ever be that simple.
Eddie sounds particularly ardent here, approving of almost any behaviour by a member of the NYPD, and this was recently echoed in Redemption. Have to consider what influence their backgrounds have on their point of view; Eddie has a need to believe that the police department can provide certainty and something to trust in – which is a somewhat naïve position. While Jamie has his tragic experience with the Blue Templar providing him with a reason to know that officers can’t always be trusted to do the right thing.
Frank’s Request
Having already established that Jamie is taking steps to try and support Kara, it’s clear that he’s not just doing it because Frank asked. Frank feels incapable of resolving the situation he created, but he can trust Jamie to act on his behalf. Sharing the same wish to help Kara is a reminder that Jamie and Frank have a similar view of the world.
Bar Talk
Jamie will always follow his own path, not being swayed by popular opinion. He has a privileged position and can take his own view on the matter; due to his years of service and connections within the NYPD.
Kara talks about what her job means to her: similar to what she told Frank in Custody Battle. But the job she loves is being torn from her due to how the other officers are treating her.
Changing Partners
Jamie causes Eddie to be shocked by not warning her about requesting a different partner assignment. It seems that the way Eddie reacts here is very similar to Jamie’s reaction in Excessive Force. Eddie’s warnings to Jamie about what might happen because of his decision feel like her comments about Tara staying with Jamie in Personal Business. That, plus Eddie asking whether Jamie has a thing for Kara, does make her sound jealous. Although the nature of their storyline is different, the tone of this scene creates a link to both Partners and Excessive Force.
Unfriendly Advice
As if we hadn’t already been given an impression of what Kara was dealing with. More officers complain about Kara’s actions, stating that Cutter was a “good cop” and warning Jamie that he faces trouble just for associating with Kara.
This demonstrates the consequences for both Kara and Jamie of doing the right thing.
Missing Back-up
The other officers from the 12th precinct are shown in such a poor light during this event. They were willing to sit back while Jamie and Kara faced significant gunfire. Considering the response seen on other occasions when a 10-13 has been called, it demonstrates that no one else intended to help, as Eddie and Righetti were the only RMP to respond. They may not have seen eye to eye regarding Kara, but Eddie still has Jamie’s back when it counts.
The sequence is dramatic, with the claustrophobic setting between the shelving units and suspense as they all try to bring it to an end. Kara has her moment to demonstrate her bravery: and that it doesn’t matter what someone has said about her, she’s do everything she can to protect them.
Actions Questioned
Eddie states she’s turning down the chance for a medal; her response was vital, but you’d hope Kara was also considered for a commendation. The positive reaction to events quickly transitions to the negative response at the time of the event as Jamie actually threatens Reynolds with reporting him to 1PP.
There’s no question that Jamie and Eddie’s disagreement is behind them; Eddie has his back throughout his altercation with Reynolds. The fifth season had an aggressive start for Jamie; after the opening to Partners, he’s again getting physical to prove his point. Undoubtedly Jamie has strong feelings about an officer facing that kind of danger and being let down by their colleagues. It would be easy to transpose the emotion of what happened to Joe and the memories of being alone with Vinny when he died.
Reparation
Time for everyone to put it all behind them, with Eddie apologising to Kara and back to teasing Jamie. Eddie had to take the lead in this conversation with Kara, as it demonstrates how far Eddie’s opinion of Kara has changed.
It’s reassuring that Kara is again being accepted by her fellow officers, but it’s disappointing that Kara had to prove herself in a dangerous situation and that Jamie still had to practically shame them into it. However, they now recognise her value as an officer and provide a jug of beer as an olive branch.
Final Thoughts
Jamie and Eddie disagree, but they still end up working together at the critical moment. Eddie believes in her fellow officers because she needs something to rely on. This can make Eddie blind to inappropriate behaviour and sets her against anyone who suggests there’s wrong-doing within the NYPD. However, because of her protective nature, she can’t stand by when someone is in danger.
Family dinner shows that even though he’s angry, Jamie still has the back of his fellow officers; he doesn’t call out their dangerous games. Although, even with Jamie’s protestations, it’s hard to believe that Frank didn’t realise that officers from the 12th precinct had left Kara and Jamie in harm’s way.
It’s unclear what this story is trying to say about the NYPD. The officers at the 12th precinct, Danny, and Henry have judged Kara because of her perceived role in Cutter losing his job. So this seems to be suggesting that they feel an officer should be protected even if he possibly carried out an illegal act. Jamie is left as the only one to support Kara because she has been left on her own after Frank’s decision. Probably because of how Frank arranged Cutter’s departure from the NYPD, there’s no way for him to help her. This is a somewhat realistic consequence of Frank acting as judge and jury in Custody Battle. The reality is it’s unlikely Frank could get rid of Cutter that quickly.
Thoughts on Jamko 