13×02 Ghosted

Danny and Baez investigate after a vicious attack leaves their mutual friend, Maggie Gibson (Callie Thorne), hospitalized. Also, Frank and the Dream Team debate the appropriate memorial protocol for a former police commissioner with a questionable professional legacy; Jamie begs Erin to release a perp who can lead him to a powerful criminal; and Eddie’s car is vandalized by her partner Badillo’s (Ian Quinlan) ex-girlfriend, on BLUE BLOODS

Paramount Press Release

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Initial Thoughts

These are my thoughts on the third episode of season thirteen. 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.

So this episode was a little like Behind the Smile. Most of the connection between Eddie and Jamie was due to Eddie’s story, with the Chevelle’s inclusion and the many references she made to her husband. The scene with both of them, in addition to family dinner, could equally have been left out. So if nothing else, it’s showing there’s a conscious choice to give them at least a moment or two. Although we’d all like to see more interaction, it’s likely to ebb and flow across the season. But even though the cost here was only a short scene between them, the payoff was that both had sizeable independent stories. Anything that highlights the value provided by these two characters will always be a good thing.

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Scene by Scene Breakdown

Herring & Pretzel [Eddie]

Showing Jamie isn’t far from Eddie’s thoughts: we enter a conversation between her and Badillo about the Chevelle. What appears to be random chit-chat gains greater significance later.

They assist the pretzel vendor and arrest the drunk guy, Ashton, who can be considered Mr Red Herring.

An Offer [Jamie]

It’s a simple introduction to what Jamie’s new role means; working deals so he can take advantage of potential tips. This scene starts Jamie’s first investigation as part of the Intelligence division, even though it doesn’t seem as clandestine as we were expecting after last week’s episode. But it shows us some of the options Jamie now has available to him.

Quick Release

It may only last a few minutes, but this shows that they are putting effort into creating chances for Eddie and Jamie to interact away from family dinner. It isn’t romantic or a big relationship scene, but it allows them to interact and share their happiness. Jamie and Eddie’s discussion in this scene wasn’t necessary for either plot, but it provides them with a point of contact.

Although Jamie provides a few details on why he’ll end up in Erin’s office, that could equally have been a line of dialogue in the scene at the DA’s office. It’s been a conscious choice to create this moment for them within the episode.

Shattering Discovery [Eddie]

Volunteered [Jamie]

Jamie sounds so astonished that Erin’s agreed; obviously, he’s so used to getting turned down. Even if he now seems to be using a slightly different strategy by referring to her DA campaign. Erin’s decision appears to be mainly due to Anthony siding with Jamie over her, and Anthony swiftly feels the consequence of his actions.

With Erin running for DA, what might change when she wins? Will it be only a minor adjustment with Jamie and Danny popping in to ask the DA for favours? Or will this door not be as open as it has in the past, and Anthony will be the person they bother?

The Start of the Trail [Jamie]

Not as Expected [Eddie]

At least since Past Tense, a camera has been installed, considering the previous attack on the Chevelle’s windshield was in the same spot. Eddie and Badillo pull up the video footage expecting confirmation that it was the guy they’d arrested, only to find that it’s a woman. Of course, it isn’t a random woman, but one that Badillo knows and went out with on “a couple of dates”.

‘Carl’ the Guard [Jamie]

With Anthony suggesting that Jamie’s entire demeanour screams cop, anyone would think Jamie had never spent any time undercover. Despite Anthony saying his experience means he knows what to expect, Jamie still has to explain that they are stuck watching Sheree commit a crime until she leads them to their suspect.

The situation suddenly becomes complicated, and Anthony proves his value with a distraction. The humour is heightened with that final line from the guard after Jamie and Anthony have departed.

10 Months!? [Eddie]

Eddie discovers that Badillo has downplayed the extent of his relationship with Diane. The only reason for him to minimise what happened was that he knew he’d messed up. Diane may say she wanted to hear from Badillo, but she isn’t listening during this scene. Diane believes Eddie is her replacement, even when she mentions her husband.

Reagan Family Dinner

A lot was happening in this episode, and this dinner scene was a good demonstration covering grace and four different topics of conversation: Sean’s odd comment, Henry’s views on Connors, Jamie’s case, and tales of past heartbreak. (That’s at least the third of these table conversations that Frank’s managed to end with a bittersweet reference to Mary)
Occasionally, one of my gripes about dinner scenes has been that the shot would be of Eddie and Erin rather than Jamie and Eddie. It may not seem like much, but it’s much easier to see any interaction between Jamie and Eddie when they’re both visible. There have been episodes where despite being sat next to each other, they never appeared within the same frame. Here, the camera frequently showed them with their elbows pressed together. On its own, this isn’t a significant demonstration of their relationship. But as one of many visual cues, it adds depth to our sense of them as a couple rather than two people who occupy vaguely the same space.

A lot was happening in this episode, and this dinner scene was a good demonstration covering grace and four different topics of conversation: Sean’s odd comment, Henry’s views on Connors, Jamie’s case, and tales of past heartbreak. (That’s at least the third of these table conversations that Frank’s managed to end with a bittersweet reference to Mary)

A Plan [Eddie]

Eddie’s had her own experience of being ghosted with both Josh in The One That Got Away and the infamous Barry in The Brave. At least in neither of those cases were the relationships so long-lasting that Eddie would have been thinking about making long-term plans with them. No one can forget how it had bothered Eddie when she didn’t know why Barry wasn’t responding to her (and how it delighted Jamie when she finally found out), nor how frustrated she was when she could guess why Josh wasn’t contacting her. 

Forgiven [Eddie]

I appreciate the explanation that the past few years had led Diane to reach her breaking point. Although it wasn’t that extreme for many of us, recent years have taken a toll. It partly feels as though Eddie was willing to forgive Diane because she has been pinning her hopes on someone like Badillo, while Eddie knows how special her relationship is. You can afford to feel magnanimous when you know you have something the other person is seeking.

One of those occasions where you can’t be sure whether Eddie was purposely placing her hands on the table, so her wedding and engagement rings were in full view to keep reminding Diane that she’s happily married.

Chase [Jamie]

It’s unclear what the trigger is for Sheree to take flight, but with what we learn later, it’s likely she had just been biding her time and always knew they were following her. Sheree was merely waiting for the right time to make her getaway. There is a slight sense of déjà vu between this chase and the one during In Too Deep. But this is more energetic, especially with Jamie performing a bit of parkour to leap over a bystander.

The Janko Lesson [Eddie]

Of course, Eddie ends their conversation by mentioning Jamie and that he knows how to treat women.

Caught [Jamie]

Having lost Sheree, Jamie’s probably taken a step back to think through the events. Planning must have gone into Sheree making a run for it and being able to meet a car for a fast getaway. There’s no explanation of what steps Jamie went through, whether he had any evidence or was playing a hunch. But it’s clear that this was Jamie’s lead, and Anthony’s there to provide support.

A Cookie [Jamie]

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Final Thoughts

Ghosted was the first opportunity this season for them to have stories where they saw an investigation through from beginning to end. After two episodes where their relationship was at the forefront of the stories, it’s understandable that for this one, it settles into the background, but importantly, it doesn’t disappear. Of course, they were apart for much of the episode because most of the Reagans were largely absent; between them, Jamie and Eddie appeared in over half of the scenes. (Plus, it would be a challenge to show them at home when the set for Jamie and Eddie’s apartment was doing double duty as Baez’s home for this episode)

Together Jamie and Eddie’s stories made up over half of this episode; how often has that been possible? Hopefully, this season will see some experimentation between relationship-heavy, work-heavy, and a blend of work and relationship. We also have to hope that the latter can exist with less reliance on a conflict between Jamie and Eddie. Although there’s no desire to see every episode take this approach, if this is the minimum amount of interaction we can expect during season 13, it’s still much better than many episodes in seasons 10 through 12. (Of course, we still need to see what happens when one of the actors takes the week off, so far Jamie and Eddie have appeared in more scenes in the first three episodes of season 13 than they did in the first four episodes of season 12)

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It was clear there was a choice for this episode to include an aspect of their relationship rather than leaving it out. While we would all hope to see more of their relationship regularly, a shift back and forth between relationship-focused stories and separate work-focused storylines could work in maintaining a good balance. Now we wait to see what the next episode will bring.