‘Blue Bloods’: Family Drama Became Police Business Ahead of Part 1 Finale

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 9, “Two of a Kind.”]

Blue Bloods is one episode away from its Season 14 midseason finale, and the Friday, May 10, episode opted to end on a happy note with the Reagan family ahead of its upcoming break.

The main plot of the episode focused on Danny’s (Donnie Wahlberg) son, Sean (Andrew Terraciano), who was robbed on his college campus. Danny was shocked to find out about the burglary (the assailant stole Sean’s backpack containing his wallet and laptop) at work instead of directly from his son. Sean was scared to admit that the guy got away instead of fending him off himself like his family of cops might. Naturally, Danny wanted his son protected, so he reminded him that stolen items are better than personal injury — or worse.

Sean wanted to be a hero like his family members. When he witnessed a classmate being attacked by the same guy, Sean stepped in to help at a cost. He was slashed in the side by a box cutter and was hospitalized as a result, but the attack was thankfully a superficial wound. The biggest takeaway was that Sean saw the attacker’s face and recognized him as someone who works in the school’s dining hall.

This led to the discovery that the campus’ head of security, a former cop who gave Danny intel earlier in the episode, was running a crime ring on campus that helped former felons get work. He helped these men identify vulnerable students who would then be targeted for burglaries. Danny arrested him, and Sean got a date thanks to his courageous move. That week’s Reagan family dinner was all smiles as they lovingly teased Sean about his love life, ending the episode on a sweet note.

Elsewhere in “Two of a Kind,” Jamie (Will Estes) and Joe (Will Hochman) were caught on camera duking it out after disagreeing in a bar. Patriarch Frank (Tom Selleck) disciplined his son and grandson with threats of punitive measures at work but ultimately decided that the damage to their reputations was punishment enough. Frank showed an empathetic and intelligent understanding of when Jamie and Joe can’t seem to get along.

Joe’s father, Joseph, never knew that Paula Hill was pregnant with their child. Joe’s family connection was discovered after Joseph’s death, which meant that Joe was welcomed into the family fold through trauma. Frank understands that the grief Joe and Jamie share is part of what binds them and part of what makes them “chafe.”

The main case of the week being about a Reagan family member, plus the work drama that bled into family drama, made for a more personal episode of Blue Bloods. In next week’s midseason finale, guest star Aidan Quinn will play a fiery detective named Gus Vanderlip who’s “dangerously determined to uncover how a rapist he arrested is back on the streets. Will Frank and Danny be understanding of his anger now that they recently had to deal with deeply personal matters at work?

Blue Bloods will be back in the fall of 2024 following next week’s episode. The series finale will debut in December.

Blue Bloods, Season 14 Midseason Finale, Friday, May 17, 10/9c, CBS