12×04 Good Intentions

Jamie and Eddie experience marital tension when Eddie allows her newly released ex-convict father, Armin (Michael Cullen), to live with them. Also, Danny and Baez go out of their way to help a desperate out-of-town man (Dave Quay) find his missing sister; Anthony enlists Erin’s help when new evidence arises in a closed case from his previous police career; and Frank goes head to head with Archbishop Kearns (Stacy Keach) when a local priest calling for the NYPD to be defunded causes friction between the force and the church, on the CBS Original series BLUE BLOODS

CBS Press Release

Initial Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the fifth episode of season twelve. 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 was a story that not only met but exceeded all my expectations. The writer was previously responsible for season 9’s Identity and season 5’s Loose Lips: so I was hopeful for a kiss and a demonstration of protectiveness, and this episode definitely delivered that. Jamie’s attitude to Armin was different than before, traditionally Jamie has had to encourage Eddie to have any form of relationship with her father, but now with Armin so close, Jamie was taking a more protective role. Eddie was more willing to give Armin a chance even though she initially admitted it was against her better judgement. Together these elements created a near-perfect story.

Scene by Scene Breakdown

Dad in Holding

Armin actually says, “what are the odds?” and it seems an unlikely coincidence that Armin happened to get arrested within the confines of the 29th precinct while Eddie was at work. There’s no doubt he was in trouble, and maybe he’s recognised that he didn’t have the right to expect help with everything he’s done in the past. However, it still feels like he was manipulating the situation and Eddie, rather than admitting he was in danger…

Eddie’s reaction after Armin is taken away shows how she struggles with her dad’s criminal reputation. She doesn’t deal well with the attention that is paid by other officers. In Careful What You Wish For, Eddie told Jamie that only she could refer to Armin as a crook; that suggests she struggles with knowing that others see him that way.

Taking Dad Home

So because Armin ‘happened’ to end up at Eddie and Jamie’s precinct, Eddie used their address for Armin’s arraignment ticket, which means he suddenly has somewhere to stay. This feels similar to how Armin behaved when he wanted to attend their wedding, or what Eddie thought he was trying to do; using Eddie to escape a situation.

Armin’s description of the issues he had at the halfway house is given as a minor detail. It’s barely worth paying attention to at the time, but nothing is as it seems when Armin is around.

Surprise Guest

It’s one of those moments where you have to question how time is supposed to work in the world of the Reagans. It would appear that Jamie’s shift was after Eddie’s, so he should have been at the precinct before she left, or there was an 8-hour gap between their shifts which would have been enough time for him to be told that they had a visitor. Of course, setting it up to happen this way means we get a more open conversation than if at least one of them was on duty at the precinct.

So how often does Jamie end up sleeping on the couch? Also, anyone wondering whether they had a second bedroom hidden away has apparently had that question answered.

Morning Warning

It’s so unusual to see Jamie treat anyone this way, but it says so much about how Jamie reacts to someone who upsets Eddie. If Eddie is going to be so open with Armin, Jamie’s making sure he has her back. Jamie has little respect for Armin, but Jamie walks away after making his point; this suggests Jamie was trying to restrain himself in what was said. Again Jamie leaves no doubt he has a problem with Armin because of the effect he has on Eddie.

Jamie referring to Eddie as an angel is an interesting choice of word, considering Armin always used to call Eddie his angel when he was getting her to do something for him. It seems like Jamie is reclaiming that word from how Armin had tainted it; Jamie knows how special Eddie is and wants to make sure Armin realises it. While Armin only called Eddie his angel when he wanted help with a lie, Jamie knows Eddie is “an absolute angel”.

Preparing for Dinner

This might be as close as I get to my wish for Jamie to be responsible for the family dinner, but I’ll take it for now. It’s only a minor part of the scene, but it’s such a gratifying idea that Jamie and Eddie are preparing the Sunday roast together, and he has a specific task in preparing the marinade.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to have Armin start discussing the possibility of attending dinner, especially when Jamie seemed to be trying to put as much space as possible between them. Eddie might have been getting a little desperate to create common ground between the two men in her life instead of so much friction. After Armin walked away, Jamie’s expression showed he knew he was adding to Eddie’s difficulties, but he wasn’t ready to let down his guard when it came to Armin.

Reagan Family Dinner

Although Henry is more worried about Frank being called out by the Archbishop, Jamie’s take away from the sermon relates to his prime concern, Armin’s betrayal of Eddie and how much that has hurt her. Eddie was giving Armin the benefit of the doubt, but she still showed caution, only saying she was hopeful that Armin had changed. In contrast, Jamie was saying allegedly, so treating it more like a work situation.

Throughout this scene, the interaction we see between Jamie and Eddie proves they don’t need to be speaking to create a sense of connection within their relationship. It would help so much if this kind of non-verbal dialogue was used in more episodes. So there is still a hint of their relationship even when they have separate storylines.

Missing Armin

Once Armin appears to have moved out of their home, Jamie is ready to admit that he hasn’t been kind to Armin. This suggests that Jamie’s main issue is the increased risk of Armin upsetting Eddie while he’s staying with them. It takes a greater level of trust to share your home with someone.

Jamie’s suspicions about Armin at least provide evidence of what’s happened to him. Even if his prejudice meant he initially missed the unpleasant nature of Armin’s departure.

Search…

Again, Jamie’s suspicions provided critical evidence. It meant Eddie found out who had taken her dad, and with a bit of detective work, identified where Armin might have been taken.

Will Estes has compared Jamie and Eddie to Mulder and Scully, so there is something slightly amusing about the torchlight search in that it feels visually similar to The X-Files. However, that isn’t to say it takes anything away from the sense of action. It’s now such a rare opportunity to see Jamie and Eddie working as a team like this, and it makes sure we’re reminded of every part of what makes their relationship work so well.

and Rescue

Although we don’t know what might have happened to Armin, nothing good follows being forced into the trunk of a car. While Eddie’s just happy to look after Armin, Jamie shows the sense of relief that it didn’t end badly.

Making Up

Lena obviously wasn’t the first option for Armin when it came to finding somewhere to stay, but it’s a positive note for Eddie that her mother is willing to support her father.

Jamie apologised, but Eddie clearly wasn’t concerned about it, he’d made it clear all along why he was treating Armin that way, and it wasn’t as though he didn’t have a good reason. With that ending, there’s no doubt that they’re definitely celebrating having their apartment to themselves again!

Final Thoughts

Although establishing a more positive relationship with her dad is better for Eddie, it’s impossible to ignore what appeared to be his natural inclination to avoid telling the truth. Because Eddie was now letting her guard down around Armin, Jamie felt he had to make sure Armin knew what a gift he was being given – that he shouldn’t take Eddie for granted. In the past, Jamie pushed Eddie to regain a relationship with her father because he felt that would help her restore her ability to trust others. Having seen how Armin has let Eddie down more recently, Jamie is now guarding against Eddie suffering further pain.

Jamie was treating Armin differently in this episode, and that’s likely to be because there’s a big difference between encouraging someone to maintain a relationship at a distance and then suddenly finding that person is living with you. Also, the last time we saw Armin was in Identity, where he used Jamie to contact Eddie, only to hurt her again. Jamie would have probably blamed himself for how upset Eddie was afterwards, and so finding Armin making himself at home would make Jamie particularly cautious about what the impact might be. Jamie placed a degree of trust in Armin, and it ended badly.

This was one of the best stories for Jamie and Eddie as a couple since the end of season 10. There are a few reasons for this; one is the story itself, and another is the way it was directed. This episode allowed us to see Jamie and Eddie interact; when they shared a scene, it wasn’t just a series of individual shots; instead, they were onscreen together. That meant we could enjoy all the small gestures that give depth to the emotions. The story was successful mainly because their relationship wasn’t the focus. Making the relationship the central point of a storyline means it becomes the source of the drama – it is diminished by the harsh glare of the spotlight. A story like this allows us to see the softer side as the relationship is limned in a gentler glow delivered by the main issue. As I’ve said in previous posts, their relationship should be woven into stories, so we can see different aspects of it, rather than falling so often into the black hole of conflict. This episode demonstrates what is possible even if it’s easier with a family-based plot, now we can only hope we see a few more like this before the end of this season.