Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 1 Review: Keeping the Faith

It’s a rapidly changing world, and everyone’s feeling the pressure.

Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 1 gave us the cops’ perspective on the modern world’s increased cynicism and high crime rates. This is nothing new for this series, but this time was different.

Frank took his friend, the Archbishop, on a walking tour of the city to get a civilian’s perspective, but he mainly learned that everyone- himself included- had little faith in human beings to do the right thing.

It’s hard to say where Frank goes from here. His walking tour was a nice homage to Teddy Roosevelt, but how can he improve things for his cops and the citizens they protect now that he’s realized that the world is scarier and more cynical than ever before?

The sergeant at the precinct, ignoring the biker gangs, summed things up succinctly when he explained that the cops don’t want to shoot civilians or be shot at themselves.

On the one hand, it’s essential for cops not to use their weapons as their first line of defense. On the other, these cops’ fears were causing them to allow a biker gang to intimidate them right outside their own precinct.

Frank needs to try to brainstorm solutions with his team. Police cowering away from enforcing laws, especially outside their own house, is a poor precedent to set.

Jamie: What’s the point of arresting anyone if they’re just going to go back out on the street to commit more crimes? This place is becoming a revolving door for these criminals!
Erin: I expect this of Danny, not of you.
Jamie: Why? Because I’m the quiet one who stands idly by and says nothing while the justice system is falling apart? Maybe I don’t want to be the quiet one anymore.

This situation was analogous to the one that got Jamie shot: bail reform.

In reality, studies have shown that re-arrest and crime rates are no higher under new bail laws than before, but on Blue Bloods, violent criminals are constantly being released, only to commit new and worse crimes.

Jamie’s frustration was understandable. The perp was set free on a ridiculous technicality, only to turn around and almost shoot Eddie. Later, of course, that same perp would kill his own wife and shoot Jamie.

Jamie: What’s the point of arresting anyone if they’re just going to go back out on the street to commit more crimes? This place is becoming a revolving door for these criminals!
Erin: I expect this of Danny, not of you.
Jamie: Why? Because I’m the quiet one who stands idly by and says nothing while the justice system is falling apart? Maybe I don’t want to be the quiet one anymore.

Erin’s insistence that she could do nothing because it wasn’t her case wasn’t cutting it. Maybe she couldn’t do much, but she came off as not caring about the havoc the perp was continuing to wreak.

I loved Jamie declaring he was tired of being quiet about things that mattered, too. I’m right with him on that journey, and I hope he continues to stand up for what he believes in despite this incident.

Jamie’s shooting was one of the most dramatic subplots the series has had in a while. I knew Will Estes wasn’t leaving the series. Still, everyone’s fear for Jamie was raw and realistic, and Eddie’s panicked performance was so compelling I didn’t care that it used that stupid trope of someone running into the operating room to cry over the patient.

Eddie’s reasons for wanting Jamie to stay at the 2-9 were solid,  but he’s right: they can’t work together for their whole careers.

Eddie: I don’t want to leave the 2-9.
Jamie: I know. Which is why I will put in for a transfer.
Eddie: I don’t want that. I want to work wherever you work.
Jamie: We can’t work together our whole careers

There will always be some captain or commander insisting they change it up, and working together has made it harder for Jamie to gain the respect of the cops under his command.

He’s had to repeatedly prove that he doesn’t give his wife favorable treatment, and the couple has had issues with Eddie feeling micromanaged or that Jamie questions her professional judgment.

For all of these reasons, it’s beyond time for one of them to move on from the 2-9.

Eddie is still Jamie’s emergency contact and will be notified quickly if anything happens. She wasn’t with him when he was shot this time, so that argument doesn’t quite hold water.

This is likely to be a difficult adjustment for her, but it’ll be good for their careers and marriage.

Baez: I’m not worried about childcare or sleepless nights. I’m worried about when she’s older. How am I ever going to let her of anywhere without me in this world, especially knowing what we know?
Danny: By then we’ll have a 24 hour detail on her and we’ll put chips in her phone to track where she is.

Baez also feels like the world is dangerous; she’s already worried about granting her infant independence when the child becomes a preteen or older.

I’m curious whether this will be a theme throughout the season. This first episode certainly set the tone of cops dealing with change in an uncertain world!

Interestingly, the case of the hour connected everybody; this was different than the usual four or five separate stories we usually get.

Anthony often works with Danny to find a witness or a suspect, usually to comic effect. The guys didn’t have time to tease each other for once, which felt odd.

It was a strange coincidence that the guy Jamie arrested, and the DA’s office put back on the streets was also the top suspect in Danny’s case, but it worked.

What the heck is going on with Erin and Jack?

He was pushing hard for that lunch, so it was apparent he wanted one-on-one time with Erin. He’s made it clear several times before that he would love to reconcile with her; why was she surprised that he didn’t want to distance himself from her while she’s running for governor?

The media may be obsessed with candidates’ private lives, but I think the bigger issue is that Jack has a reputation as a sleazy lawyer.

Gossip about him and Erin reconciling won’t make a big impression. But if Erin’s opponent suggests she’s going to reward corruption because of the company she keeps, that could sink her campaign.

I was glad for another Joe Hill appearance, and this one was especially moving.

Joe wasn’t part of the family when his father died, so he doesn’t know firsthand the grief and pain they all carry. That made his upset over Jamie’s shooting and his conversation with Danny about Joe Sr.’s death much more poignant.

Danny, especially, is a trooper, having weathered both his brother’s and his wife’s deaths in recent years.

Your turn, Blue Bloods fanatics. Hit that big blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your thoughts about the season premiere.

Don’t forget you can watch Blue Bloods online if you need a refresher.

Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 PM EST / PST

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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.

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