Blue Bloods Spring Report Card: Strong Stories Among The Heartbreaking Cancelation News

Blue Bloods is not fairly completed but.

CBS’ beloved police/household drama nonetheless has eight episodes left that may air within the fall, although they’ve wrapped up the primary a part of their closing season and can quickly be completed filming the sequence finale, which can air in December 2024.

CBS will get an enormous, fats F for this cancelation information, however let’s put that apart and take a look at what labored and what did not throughout the first a part of Blue Bloods Season 14.

Earlier than we soar into it, let’s clear up some confusion. CBS is looking these closing eight episodes the second a part of Season 14 despite the fact that they ALSO referred to as Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 10 the season finale.

Tom Selleck lately acknowledged that these eight episodes are actually Season 15, and it is onerous guilty him for saying so, despite the fact that it induced extra confusion. These episodes are airing within the fall, historically the beginning of the brand new season, not a time to air leftovers from the earlier one.

The heartbreaking information about Blue Bloods’ cancelation might need been simpler to swallow if CBS had marketed these final episodes as Season 15, as then technically, CBS would have given us two brief farewell seasons as a substitute of this weirdly broken-up closing season.

That is a part of why CBS will get an F for the cancellation.

The opposite facet is that this sequence has a big, passionate fanbase that’s clamoring for it to be saved, and the cancellation information typically interferes with their enjoyment of the episodes.

Many followers took to their favourite platforms every week after the episode aired to lament the sequence’ winding down. Fan grief was so overwhelming that little dialogue of the episode’s content material passed off.

That is a disgrace as a result of Blue Bloods Season 14 had some sturdy tales, making it onerous to find out the most effective general.

Greatest Episode – Previous Is Current

Virtually each episode was a transparent winner, however “Previous Is Current” (Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 4) stood out due to its connection to the Reagan household’s deepest sorrow.

This episode revolved round Frank’s discovery {that a} cop who he wished to commend for going past the decision of responsibility was the son of the soiled one who had killed Joe Reagan.

Studying that truth modified Frank’s notion of the person. As well as, the cop in query had not disclosed his start title on his software kind as a result of he knew Frank would possible not rent him if he did.

Technically, this was trigger for termination, and Frank and the remainder of the household needed to grapple with moral points and questions of forgiving the unforgivable.

This episode featured the most effective use of Joe Hill since he was launched because the grandson Frank by no means knew he had.

Joe by no means knew his father, partially as a result of Joe Reagan died lengthy earlier than his son ever knew he was a Reagan, but he needed to weigh in on what his grandfather ought to do in regards to the son of the person accountable for that dying.

And if that heavy subject wasn’t sufficient, this episode was one of many few Season 14 episodes to function Henry Reagan in a storyline fairly than giving him a cameo look on the dinner desk.

The connection to the previous and higher use of Joe Hill made this one really feel extra like a final-season story than any of the opposite episodes this season. The episode was additionally one of many few to have an prolonged dinner desk scene.

Wins throughout!

Worst Episode – “The Coronary heart of a Saturday Night time”

Sadly, the ultimate episode of the primary half of the season (Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 10) was not as sturdy as the opposite 9.

It did not really feel like a season-ender/midseason finale, which did not assist issues. Blue Bloods does not normally finish the season on a cliffhanger, however a big improvement typically retains folks speaking over the hiatus.

This time there wasn’t.

That might have been extra forgivable if the story itself had been stronger.

There was nothing horrible, uninteresting, or silly — Blue Bloods’ worst episode is commonly increased high quality than many different exhibits’ finest episode — however there have been some weaknesses on this episode that have been onerous to miss.

Aidan Quinn is a superb actor, however his appearances on police exhibits seem like dangerous luck!

His visitor shot on Legislation & Order: SVU Season 23 Episode 6 concerned a narrative that outraged many followers, and his Blue Bloods visitor spot additionally concerned a questionable story.

On this episode, Danny teamed up with Sid to catch a rogue cop (Quinn’s character) who was holding judges and legal professionals at gunpoint as a result of he was indignant {that a} perp had been launched and had raped somebody new.

That would have been a compelling story, and it could have been, aside from that after Danny and Sid satisfied the cop to give up and arrested him, the subsequent scene confirmed the 2 good cops discussing the way to clarify why they’d let him go.

That did not make any sense in any respect, and it did not assist that the choice was made off-screen, so viewers have been left confused about what occurred.

This ending has divided followers, with some arguing that the character’s anger was justified and that he solely scared his targets, not harm them. Others really feel this was endorsing inappropriate police conduct, which Frank has tried onerous in his profession to not do.

That was one other a part of the difficulty.

Frank was concerned in a phenomenal story involving Henry’s anger when Frank could not assist a late cop’s household get 9/11 funds when their beloved one had lied about being at Floor Zero, however he should not have been so wrapped up in it that he did not know what else was occurring.

Presumably, he ordered Sid and Danny to catch this cop gone dangerous, but he had nothing to say about how the person evaded accountability for his actions. He did not even point out it at dinner.

In the meantime, Eddie and Jamie spent their anniversary working undercover at a sober residing facility.

It could have been a positive story in the event that they’d defined why Jamie was out of the blue again on the 2-9.

He’d labored undercover for Subject Intelligence over the primary half of the shortened season. He earned a promotion but was inexplicably again as sergeant on the 2-9, reporting to Captain McNichols.

This was a minor level that solely wanted a line of dialogue to elucidate, however because it remained a thriller, the dearth of rationalization was distracting.

Character With the Greatest Storylines – Jamie

Jamie spent half the season working undercover.

The multi-episode arc about his try and convey down a intercourse trafficking ring was compelling, particularly when the massive fish he was attempting to catch threatened to lure a bunch of trafficked ladies in a burning van to cowl his tracks.

Jamie was prepared to danger every little thing to avoid wasting these ladies’s lives, which is among the causes he is all the time been my favourite. Jamie cares quite a bit in regards to the folks he serves and can go to extremes to guard them.

In earlier seasons, there have been some shifting psychological well being tales involving Jamie understanding suspects with psychological well being points and stopping different cops from capturing them after they did not adjust to orders.

This story supplied him the flexibility to do one thing comparable.

The one weak spot on this story is that Eddie is underused.

She talked about on the dinner desk that she was anxious whereas Jamie was away however needed to settle for the hazard as a part of being married to a cop.

Nevertheless, she did not have every other tales associated to her want to deal with Jamie being on a harmful undercover task.

It was additionally foolish that Jamie might attend a Sunday dinner in the course of the task, however that is a ridiculous TV trope that exhibits involving undercover missions typically use.

(Ask Legislation & Order: Organized Crime’s Elliot Stabler, who’s perpetually coming dwelling after a day of working undercover.)

Character With The Worst Storyline(s) – Frank

One of many core features of Blue Bloods’ premise is Frank’s conflicts with the Dream Staff and the mayor.

Normally, he desires to do one thing unpopular as a result of he believes it is proper, frightening Garrett’s ire as a result of the optics are horrible or aggravating the mayor.

Frank solely clashed with Mayor Chase as soon as this season, which is okay. I do not just like the overdone Frank vs. the Mayor tales.

What wasn’t positive was that his conflicts with the Dream Staff have been typically foolish.

The worst was in all probability Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 7, wherein a complete third of the episode was dedicated to Frank attempting to cease Sid from having a boxing match with a youthful cop that irritated him.

The normally optics-averse Frank was anxious about how it could search for Sid to get within the ring, whereas Henry thought Frank ought to depart it alone.

Absolutely, the police commissioner had higher issues to fret about!

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 6 was even sillier. Frank helped Garrett’s neighbor after the girl’s automotive was impounded and she or he could not get to work.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 8 was barely higher.

Frank handled harm emotions as a result of Abigail requested Sid and Garrett to assist her husband get a job however did not ask Frank.

This was no less than a extra critical battle, particularly with Frank feeling that Abigail had used her place in his workplace to get her husband a job.

Nevertheless, half the episode was dedicated to everybody telling Frank he was intimidating, which was ridiculous and, in Abigail’s case, contradictory.

Frank is usually a grumpy curmudgeon, however Abigail has by no means been afraid of him.

Had been we alleged to overlook that Abigail spent many of the season earlier than this episode standing as much as Frnak when she thought he was making the mistaken resolution?

Most Improved – Erin

Erin Reagan has by no means been my favourite character. She typically comes throughout as overly judgmental and annoying.

When she butts heads with Frank, it all the time feels prefer it’s as a result of she has his stubbornness and willpower to comply with her worth system with out his capacity to assume issues by means of.

Erin has had some extra attention-grabbing tales which have proven a softer facet.

Though some viewers objected to her try and make amends to a center schooler who was indignant that her brother was in jail, the story confirmed Erin’s dedication to justice.

Blue Bloods approaches social justice tales from a unique angle, displaying the cops’ perspective whereas leaving room for viewers to disagree, and plenty of of Erin’s tales match that invoice this season.

Erin appeared to have been rewritten as an legal professional who went into this discipline for the best causes and took it onerous at any time when she discovered she had perpetuated injustice as a substitute of getting victims what they deserved.

Her willpower to get a public defender who had a battle of curiosity off an harmless man’s case on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 9 was among the finest of the season and one of many few occasions Blue Bloods has supplied a tragic ending as a critique of the system’s imperfections.

Most Inconsistent – Joe Hill

Joe Hill was everywhere.

When he and Jamie cross paths on an undercover task, he’s his common annoying self, however by the top of the story, he expresses gratitude for his reference to the Reagans.

But he and Jamie obtained right into a fistfight on Episode 9 as a result of Joe did not need to be related to the Reagans and thought Jamie was an excessive amount of of a goody-two-shoes due to what household he got here from.

That fistfight was contrived nonsense that did not match Jamie’s character both (even when it did lastly give Frank one thing worthwhile to do!).

So far as Joe went, it felt just like the writers had forgotten what had come earlier than.

If Joe goes to be within the present, he must cease stepping into circles and discover another storyline apart from being ambivalent about being a Reagan.

Miscellaneous Ideas

Danny explored the world of relationship, nevertheless it did not go anyplace (but!). Sean wished to take care of having been mugged by himself fairly than contain Danny. These plot factors could possibly be arrange for a compelling closing story for Danny involving him coping with his soon-to-be-empty nest.

Sean is a woefully underused character these days. He and Henry competed for who might have the fewest traces per episode.

The household dinner scenes weren’t a sufficiently big a part of the present. This is perhaps a part of CBS’s try to save cash, nevertheless it was nonetheless a disappointment. In previous years, the dinner scenes have been typically a part of the principle story fairly than a two-minute epilogue on the finish of every episode.