As there was no new episode on Friday; after Times Like These, I felt I had to revisit this episode.
When Danny resorts to asking his incarcerated archenemy, Victor Lugo (Nick Cordero), for help locating a dangerous criminal who escaped from prison, Lugo refuses to assist unless he’s allowed to accompany them on the pursuit. Also, Frank subtly tries to convince Jamie to take the sergeant’s test, and Erin’s plan to go on a date with her ex-husband causes friction between her and Anthony, on BLUE BLOODS
CBS Press Release
Initial Thoughts
These are my thoughts on the twentieth episode of season eight. 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.
The story is surprisingly successful at creating a connection between Jamie and Eddie despite never appearing on screen together. They refer to each other in their scenes, although always as “my partner”, rather than by name. It’s a story about Jamie’s future; however, it’s mainly told from Frank’s perspective. Which reflects the shadow Frank casts on Jamie’s career. It was Jamie’s decision to join the NYPD, but his day-to-day life within the NYPD is frequently impacted due to being Frank’s son. After so many years of justifying Jamie being stuck in the same role, this episode is part of the arc that laid the groundwork for all the changes we’d see at the start of season 9.
Scene by Scene Breakdown
The Gun Range
This is one of those scenes that remind you of what is about to be lost. Frank and Jamie are so similar; they can just enjoy spending time together. Unfortunately for Jamie, Frank has an ulterior motive. Frank’s actions cause a rift that won’t be resolved until the end of Playing with Fire. It wouldn’t necessarily have been an issue, but it’s Frank’s other actions that take it further.
What does Jamie infer from Frank leaving the envelope in his bag? What does it say that Frank appears to not think it necessary to talk about it? Does it come across as a demand that ‘You are doing this’? There’s no opportunity for discussion.
By the Fire
The story moves from one father and son moment to another. This is funny because it shows no matter how old Frank is, his responses become just as ambiguous as a kid’s when he doesn’t want to admit to his dad that he didn’t do something he was supposed to.
It seems surprising that there’s a situation where Frank doesn’t feel he can speak openly to Jamie, but it’s also an acknowledgement by Frank that he’s going against what Jamie wants. (What is it about the sergeant’s test that causes people to avoid talking to Jamie?)
Visiting the PC
Eddie’s first (and so far only) visit to Frank’s office. The moment with the salute is something we’ve seen Frank address with other family members, most memorably Joe, as the family don’t need to salute him. Of course, it signalled a different tone in Playing with Fire.
Although Eddie had been Jamie’s partner for nearly 5 years, she definitely still saw Frank as a distant figure; he’s the boss. Similar to how they spoke in Friendship, Love, and Loyalty: there’s an attempt at distancing as they both refer to Jamie as Eddie’s partner. However, this is when Frank starts to overstep, talking to Eddie rather than directly to Jamie. He had to know that Eddie would tell Jamie, especially as she takes the time to explain that she doesn’t want to betray his trust. But Eddie realises she has a way to answer Frank’s question without revealing anything Jamie has said to her, by simply saying she’d been given Jamie’s application.
Visit from Dad
Jamie wastes no time showing that he’s annoyed with Frank, making a pointed comment about the sergeant’s test and his partner. Frank has put a lot of effort into avoiding talking to Jamie; Frank avoided talking to him about the envelope and then asked Eddie what Jamie was planning. Frank gets angry at Jamie because he won’t do what Frank wants. But Jamie is a Reagan which means he can be just as stubborn as the rest of the family. That Frank gets so frustrated seems unusual; part of this could be because Frank feels guilty. The way he carries out his role as PC has meant that Jamie was immediately prevented from ever becoming a detective. Because of Frank, Jamie’s career options within the NYPD are limited. But Jamie isn’t making it easy for Frank to fix that, and it’s got to be worse when he knows Jamie’s capable of so much more.
One of the problems is that as Frank and Jamie are so alike, Frank struggles to understand why Jamie disagrees with him. We’ve been told that Frank also suffered problems while Henry was the commissioner, but Jamie is the one whose career has been dictated by that family connection. So Jamie had made his own choice about where his future lay and didn’t appreciate Frank trying to force him away from his decision. Being a Reagan has determined Jamie’s career, only for him to be told he’s not fulfilling the role a Reagan should have.
Reagan Family Dinner
The first thing to consider with this scene is how much of Jamie’s late arrival was about underlining the tension between him and Frank, and how much was it about setting up the situation for Eddie’s arrival in My Aim is True? Jamie’s late arrival in the season finale plays off of this scene, especially with Henry stating the rule that they can’t start eating until everyone is present.
For the purposes of this episode, was it just that Jamie had been busy that caused him to be late? Or was his annoyance with Frank a factor? Likely, Jamie had already changed his mind by this point, so he wasn’t simply helping Eddie to revise, but this is where he was now shutting Frank out. Frank entered his home and wouldn’t respect his decision. Although Jamie’s comment about helping his partner study was a bit pointed, there’s nothing else in the way he speaks that suggest it was anything other than him losing track of time. Jamie had always gone along with his family’s wishes for his future, so this is about him choosing to do things the way he wants to. In Shadow of a Doubt, Danny had commented that ‘That kid’s so set on going his own way, he won’t even take a step for fear that someone else may have walked there before him’.
Final Thoughts
We know Jamie changed his mind and took the exam, and in Milestones, he said, “I don’t think I ever would have taken that sergeant’s exam if it wasn’t for you”. Can only assume that Eddie asked him why he was against taking it. So rather than dismissing it because he felt like it was an order, Eddie made Jamie address what he really wanted. It can be challenging to understand what’s motivating Jamie’s decisions; he’s a character that’s rarely allowed to say what he’s thinking. We can make assumptions about how he went from being frustrated about being stuck in Insult to Injury to being happy where he’s at in Lost Souls. Maybe he reconciled himself to the idea that promotion to detective wasn’t an option for him, so he decided to put all his passion into the job he had and didn’t want to give that up. Jamie was making the best of the hand that life had dealt him, only to have his father say he wasn’t doing enough. Also, we can’t be sure whether riding with Eddie every day is supposed to have played a part in his thinking, but it probably would have been high in the pro column even though he was still encouraging her to pursue her own promotion.
Although there’s still a professional distance between Frank and Eddie, he’s trying to break that down and treat her as he would any member of the family. Eddie’s visit to 1PP was convenient, but it says something about what Frank understands about their relationship; he sees Eddie as able to provide him insight into what Jamie is thinking. Eddie’s brief appearance also serves to show the contrast between her and Jamie’s outlook. Eddie’s not sure where she wants to end up, but she recognises it’s worth keeping her options open, whereas Jamie seems to be dismissing his already limited options.
Although Times Like These caused me to revisit this episode, nothing in Your Six explains how the show handled Eddie’s latest attempt at the sergeant’s test. Here, we’re told that Jamie gave Eddie his application, that he was helping her to revise for it, so it’s understandable that he would still be keen on the idea of Eddie becoming a sergeant. It can be frustrating that there are times where there isn’t a lot of thought beyond the story that’s told in a particular episode and the effect they’re trying to create. Occasionally, it would be appreciated if a bit more attention was paid to continuity, especially on those occasions when the situation is used to create conflict. Unfortunately, the element of consistency between the two episodes is that taking the sergeant’s exam causes communication and relationship problems.
Thoughts on Jamko 