You can always count on Frank Reagan for a different perspective.
Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 18 tackled the issues surrounding other states bussing many immigrants to New York City. When most shows tackle the immigration issue, the villains are heartless bureaucrats or racist governors who don’t want brown-skinned Spanish speakers in the United States.
But Blue Bloods examined this complex issue from Frank’s point of view as a police administrator dealing with an overly idealistic mayor, providing a unique perspective. Meanwhile, Eddie and Jamie tackled another serious problem: fentanyl-related deaths.
Mayor Chase’s impracticality was so ridiculous that I could only hope no real-life mayors share his perspective. It was admirable that he wanted to help all these immigrants, but he didn’t seem to have any idea of how things work.
Chase wanted Frank to divert police from their daily beats to protect refugee tents and had little to no understanding that there are a finite number of police officers or that maintaining a police presence costs money.
Although it wasn’t directly mentioned, Chase might have been in a tough spot because of his constituents’ desires or his campaign promises.
Many advocates of reallocating police funds believe the police budget is bloated and want fewer cops on the street. If Chase ran on an anti-police platform, he’d lose his voter base if he took a more moderate stand.
Chase: The Statue of Liberty is in our backyard. We have to set the example!
Frank: Of what? Reckless wishful thinking?
Still, his ideas made no sense. He can’t expect the NYPD to put most of its officers at refugee centers AND prevent crime on the streets.
Annoyingly, Chase refused to understand the logistical and practical concerns. He kept framing the issue as one of having compassion for immigrants. In his mind, either you supported his impossible-to-enact policy, or you’re a racist who thinks immigrants have no place in New York City.
This is a huge problem in the current political climate. People seem to have lost the ability to see nuance, and many activists take this all-or-nothing view in which you either support their ideas or cruelty and prejudice.
If anything, the issue between Frank and Mayor Chase showed how complex the situation is.
Frank and the mayor both wanted to help the immigrants survive and thrive in New York, but Frank wanted his department to have the manpower and money to do it effectively, while Chase didn’t understand why Frank couldn’t make do with his severely cut budget as is.
It’s not always a case of the opposition being against humanitarian causes; it’s a difference in perspective on what’s needed to get the job done.
I’m not sure Frank’s solution was much better, though. Frank argued endlessly with the mayor, called the governor to ask for state troopers, and ultimately presented Chase with a bill for services rendered while the cameras were rolling.
None of that solved the problem. Yes, Chase was being intractable, but Frank came off as petty and unconcerned with the welfare of immigrants, even though that had nothing to do with why he opposed Chase’s policy.
I don’t know what Frank should have done, but that bill he presented seemed like a silly solution that will likely escalate his war with Mayor Chase. Garrett and Abigail tried to tell him that he needed to be careful of the optics, but in true Frank Reagan fashion, he didn’t listen.
Meanwhile, was anyone surprised that Eddie went to talk to Detective O’Leary herself moments after Jamie said he’d do it? No? Me either.
Whenever Eddie and Jamie work together, this happens. Eddie rushes to talk to someone, sabotaging Jamie’s efforts at investigating and hurting the case. Jamie’s right that it has to stop, but his constant lectures to Eddie about this aren’t getting through.
Eddie’s also annoyed that Jamie keeps pulling rank on her. Maybe it’s time for her to consider making detective. Speaking of which, wasn’t she studying to become a sergeant a few seasons back? Whatever happened with that?
Eddie’s storyline also involved Larry Manetti’s guest appearance.
Manetti played a very different character from the one he did on the 1980s version of Magnum PI. This time, he was a grieving grandfather who took the law into his own hands.
Eddie was right that Manetti’s character needed to stop being a vigilante. Retired cop or not, he had no business pulling his gun on private citizens.
While nobody got hurt during his scuffle with Marco, his behavior was alarming considering the rash of recent incidents where innocent people have been shot by gun owners who mistakenly thought their lives were in danger.
I’m not sure Eddie’s solution was quite kosher, either. Technically, Marco agreed to cut a deal with the DA’s office, but Eddie didn’t leave him much choice. He either needed to ask for those charges to be dropped or go to prison for life.
That felt like coercion, especially since Marco didn’t have an attorney present. It’s great that Eddie wanted to help a grieving grandfather, but there had to be a better way.
Danny and Baez’s case was too silly to spend much time on. It was nominally a mob story, but the whole thing felt ridiculously unimportant, and Fransesca’s guilt felt tacked on arbitrarily.
On TV, Mafia families seek revenge at the drop of a hat, but framing her father and almost getting her killed because he didn’t apologize for starting a fight at her wedding seemed over the top.
Finally, what’s the over/under on how long it takes Erin to drop out of the DA’s race?
She hasn’t seemed into it since she met that stylist, and her willingness to tank her reputation to get justice for Jack’s client sealed the deal.
I doubt Erin will leave the DA’s office altogether to work with Jack — what would happen to Anthony if she did? — but I wouldn’t be surprised if she quits her campaign by the season’s end.
What do you think, Blue Bloods fanatics? Will Erin give up her political dreams? Will Eddie ever stop interfering in cases Jamie is supposed to handle? And did Frank handle the mayor’s unreasonable demands effectively?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
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Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 PM EST / PST.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.