I’m still not over Blue Bloods’ cancelation.
I haven’t deleted the series finale from my DVR and have watched bits and pieces of it over again, and can safely say it was one of the best episodes in a season full of them.
Our Blue Bloods Season 14 report card considers that this farewell season didn’t feel like a show going off the air—and that the final episode should have been a season finale, not a series finale.
While a few episodes had a sillier premise than I would like (I’m rarely a fan of Danny partnering up with a random guest star who annoys the hell out of him), every episode offered solid stories and the family values that made Blue Bloods such a wonderful series.
Even the worst episode of Blue Bloods Season 14 was some of the best that television has to offer. How many shows can say that?
Best Episode – “From Bad To Worse”
Maybe it was because knowing the series was almost over made me appreciate each new episode more, but the second half of Blue Bloods Season 14 seemed to be even higher quality than usual, making it almost impossible to choose one episode that stood out more than the rest.
Both the season opener and the series finale were brilliant, and I also almost chose “No Good Deed” because I enjoyed Danny and Joe Hill finally becoming a formidable team.
I ultimately went with “From Bad To Worse” (Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 13) for several reasons. Henry’s story, among other things, scored high marks on our Blue Bloods Season 14 report card.
While Jamie will always be my favorite character, Henry is a close second, and he’s been severely misused during the final season.
For the most part, Henry only appeared at the dinner table, and even in the finale his entire role was an advice-giver.
Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 13 was the final episode to give Henry a starring role, and it was a strong one.
The defense had called Henry as a witness in a case that Erin was prosecuting, and she was hurt that her grandfather hadn’t told her he would be working against her.
Erin had to recuse herself from the case since she couldn’t cross-examine her grandfather, which frustrated her. Ultimately, Henry came through, using his time on the stand to decimate the defense’s case instead of supporting it.
While there were some problems with this premise — witness lists are provided to opposing counsel in advance, and the defense would hopefully vet its witnesses better — this episode still gets high marks on the Blue Bloods Season 14 report card because Henry and Erin’s conflict was such a great example of what makes Blue Bloods special.
It’s usually Frank that Erin butts heads with when their job duties put them on opposite sides of an issue, while Henry tries to convince the two to stop being so stubborn and treat each other like the family they are.
This time, Erin had a problem with Henry, and his triumph when he pulled one over on both the defense and his granddaughter was well-earned.
Henry also stood up to Erin in several scenes, making it clear once again he was not a feeble old man who didn’t know what was going on.
Additionally, this episode featured Mira Sorvino as a new fire commissioner, and she had great chemistry with Tom Selleck. If there had been a Season 15, I’d like to think there would have been a lot more of her.
Worst Episode – “Two Of A Kind”
I get that Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 9 had a purpose, but I didn’t like the Joe/Jamie story.
They were both probably tipsy when they got into that fistfight (not that that’s an excuse), but Frank was right that the two of them fighting reflected badly on the NYPD.
Worse, Jamie’s behavior was out of character.
While he has a temper and can get physical when it gets the better of him, he’s usually far more level-headed than that, and I didn’t buy that he’d get into a schoolyard-like brawl with his nephew.
Even though this episode gets low marks on the Blue Bloods Season 14 report card, it isn’t a bad episode, and it DID have a point.
It wasn’t clear then, but this was the beginning of the end of Joe Hill’s four-year storyline about his ambivalence toward his Reagan heritage.
Joe didn’t get along with his uncles, especially Jamie, and it wasn’t really about work, although his tendency to ignore instructions put their cases and their safety at risk.
For Jamie and Danny, Joe’s presence was a constant reminder that their brother, Joe’s father, was dead, and that was hard for them to deal with, but after “Two Of A Kind,” that all began to change and Joe ended up being integrated into the family by the end of the series.
Best Storyline: Jamie And Eddie Fostering A Traumatized Child
Again, there were many storylines to choose from, and it was hard to narrow it down to the best because they were all so good.
But I loved Jamie and Eddie’s story with Amelia on Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 11.
I have a special interest in children who don’t speak because of trauma (which is why I’m also all over Found Season 2).
Amelia didn’t talk almost the entire time she stayed with Jamie and Eddie, and her first words were “thank you” when her grandmother came to get her.
This emotional storyline was written realistically and with respect rather than relying on the usual tropes about traumatized children, which helps it get high marks on our Blue Bloods season 14 report card.
Amelia was so sweet that I hoped Jamie and Eddie would adopt her.
That didn’t happen, not even after her grandmother let her father kidnap her twice, but it did lead to Jamie and Eddie expecting a baby of their own, so there’s that.
Worst Storyline: Danny Works With An Obnoxious Brit
Danny’s misadventure with a British intelligence agent is typical of what Blue Bloods does once a season, where Danny has to work with a guest star, and their mutual hatred turns into mutual respect by the end.
If this weren’t the farewell season, Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 12 wouldn’t have irritated me nearly as much.
Some people loved it for its lighthearted touch and the humor in Danny’s interactions with the obnoxious agent from the other side of the pond.
However, this wasted one of the last eight episodes. Baez was sidelined, as she often is during these types of episodes, so that was an hour of time we spent with the Brit instead of a beloved character.
Plus, the Brit did the stereotypical thing of acting superior and looking down on Danny, which was annoying.
Honorable Mention: Badillo’s Death
Badillo’s death gets high marks on our Blue Bloods Season 14 report card because this story was so strong.
Cops die on TV all the time (and, sadly, in real life.) Four days after Badillo’s death, FBI Season 7 Episode 8 opened its midseason finale with several cops being shot to death by a perp.
However, on shows like FBI, a cop’s death is often (not always!) a plot point. The FBI agents spring into action to catch the cop killer before they hurt anyone else, but that’s it.
Blue Bloods has never done things that way, and Badillo’s death was no exception.
Badillo was not my favorite character when he first began. He had an attitude toward the Reagans, and he annoyed me as much as he did Eddie.
However, Blue Bloods Season 14 did a lot to humanize him in what seemed like standalone episodes.
Some questioned the wisdom of having stories such as Badillo smoking pot and then refusing to go to rehab because he had to spend time with the son of his late partner when the series was ending soon.
Although these types of stories were solid, they felt like filler when there was so little time left to set up things for the finale.
However, scenes featuring Badillo were secretly set up for the finale.
The fishing scene sticks in my mind because it foreshadows Badillo’s death while also establishing his relationship with this child, leading to the emotional moment during the funeral when the cops give the little boy Badillo’s cop hat.
Over to you, Blue Bloods fanatics.
What did you think of the final season? (besides the fact that it shouldn’t be final, obviously…)
Vote in the poll below to grade the season, and then hit the comments with your thoughts.
All 14 seasons of Blue Bloods are streaming on Paramount+
Watch Blue Bloods Online
