Boston Blue has finally hit its stride… almost.
Mae’s conflict with her former employee, Sarah’s struggle over what to do after a cop handled domestic violence wrong, and Danny and Lena’s case were everything I was hoping for from this show before it premiered.
If only Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 7 hadn’t continued on the same silly path as usual with Jonah and Sean, it would have been perfect.
Lena and Danny’s Role Reversal Was the Strongest Story
When cops get tunnel vision, they’re either doggedly searching for proof… or for proof that isn’t there.
Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 7 could have gone down the route of Lena losing her objectivity because she wanted so badly to nail this senator for his previous crimes, but it didn’t.
I had wondered which way this was going to go.
For the most part, Lena and Danny had circumstantial evidence, so I didn’t trust that there wouldn’t be a plot twist in which Lena was wrong about this new case until they finally obtained physical evidence.
That would have been devastating for Lena if someone else had killed their victim.
It would have meant her old case would close, and worse, that she let her emotions get in the way of justice this time.
As powerful as that drama would have been, I didn’t mind that Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 7 didn’t go there.
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Lena and Danny’s role reversal was a lot of fun, and it was interesting for Danny to try to hold her back as she grew increasingly frustrated that he wouldn’t let her go off half-cocked.
I also give Danny a lot of credit for recognizing he was looking in the mirror and realizing how he comes across to others.
I Always Love it When Smug Criminals Get Caught
I’d have been happy with either version of this story, but the senator being guilty was especially satisfying because that guy was so damn sure he was above the law.
He dodged Lena’s calls for weeks, so she had to corner him at a gala when the best way to stay off her radar was to have his lawyer handle the situation from the beginning.
If any of these TV criminals were ever as smart as they convince themselves they are, they could trick the police; they’d be able to build a legal wall around themselves that would delay accountability for a lifetime.
But then again, we wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing them dragged off in cuffs if they did that, and this one was especially gratifying.
The Senator was particularly stupid, claiming he didn’t know who Claire was when there was surveillance video of him fighting with her.
He changed his story three times in as many minutes, yet there was nothing to hold him on … until there was.
After all that, it was doubly satisfying for him to be walked off in cuffs, though I do think in real life he’d probably have been asked to turn himself in at the station rather than going through the rigamarole of pretending only to want his cooperation with a few questions.
Which way did you want this Lena story to go?
Hit the comments with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join in.
Sarah’s Case Was the Most Blue Bloods Adjacent Yet
As always, I prefer to evaluate Boston Blue on its own merits. Expecting it to be Blue Bloods 2.0 will never be realistic.
Still, I love that sometimes they tell stories similar to Blue Bloods, yet put their own unique spin on them.
Sarah and Mae’s stories were both like that.
Sarah faced a situation Frank Reagan had many times: what should be done with a cop who broke the rules for a good reason?
In this case, a cop made the same almost fatal error that Law & Order: SVU‘s Amanda Rollins once did: threatened her sister’s abusive boyfriend instead of following protocol.
Learning this put Sarah in a tough position. She didn’t want to enable abuse, but she was right that cops can’t go around pointing their guns at civilians, regardless of the reason.
I couldn’t help wondering what Frank Reagan would do.
Honestly, I have no idea.
Frank was very strong on enforcing rules equally, but also often moved by his own moral compass.
He likely would have ordered the suspension while having Sid quietly look into the situation so they could help the abused woman the right way.
Boston Blue went in a different, but equally compelling direction by having Sarah struggle with her decision after she’d made it.
I Loved Sarah and Edwin’s Conversation
It’s about time Edwin had more than a few lines — Boston Blue underuses him so much that I couldn’t remember his name and had to look it up.
(He’s the grandfather character played by Ernie Hudson, in case anyone’s confused).
Tikkun Olam is the Jewish concept I try my best to live by, so I was thrilled that Edwin mentioned it, too.
It means “repairing the world,” and it’s easy to get caught up in thinking that means something bigger than it does, just as he suggested to Sarah.
I loved the family support in this episode in general, but Edwin and Sarah’s conversation was the best, combining humor and heart and giving Sarah a direction to go in.
How Exactly Did Mae Neutralize the Threat Against Her?
Mae’s story was, again, the kind of question Frank Reagan often grappled with, too: how do you succeed in a world that runs on optics when you care more about doing right than appearing right?
Mae’s former employee was running a dirty campaign and splashing horrible and inaccurate videos about her all over social media, which shouldn’t have given him a chance in hell of winning — but that’s never how elections work.
I loved Mae trying to stand up to him and the way the family supported her at dinner, but the story’s ending was confusing.
Mae conducted opposition research on Teddy, met with him, and informed him she wouldn’t use it, but that he should be aware others would find it and wouldn’t be as ethical.
I get what she’s trying to say, but I’m not sure why that would stop him from further bad behavior.
Bullies don’t stop when you ask nicely or try to educate them, so why would this type of threat make a difference to him?
Jonah and Sean Could Have Had A Real Story, But No
I really hate the way Boston Blue misuses Jonah and Sean, and this story was especially frustrating because it could have been so much better.
The two rookies could have proved themselves by demonstrating investigative skills.
They could have worked with the narcotics officer to obtain security footage, talked to people arrested for cocaine possession, or looked into who sells these types of stuffed leprechauns.
And yes, that would have meant being more like detectives than beat cops, so there would have been pushback from Danny (and maybe from a supervisor if one exists), but it still would have been better than 40 minutes of Eddie the Arrestee.
The bottom line is that this story was played for laughs, and it didn’t need to be.
What do you think, Boston Blue Fanatics?
Let’s hear your opinions of Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 7, no matter what they are.
Put them in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join in the conversation.
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If you liked this article, you might enjoy our coverage of other police procedurals like Chicago PD or FBI.
Boston Blue airs on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and streams on Paramount+ on Saturdays.
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