Sometimes, trying to fix a problem can only make it worse.
After a case of Frank handling a hero wanting to be a cop and news of a Season 13 coming, Blue Bloods had its penultimate episode of Season 12.
Tangled Up in Blue put Jamie, Erin, and Henry in tough positions where there was no such thing as an easy fix that amped up the drama.
A dangerous drive ahead
Erin was wrapping up a dinner with some friends when she heard a man (Steve Rosen) ramble about how the neighborhood used to be in the 1990s. He asked if Erin remembered him as he had just spent 12 years in prison and if she ever wondered, “did we treat Lenny Katz unfairly?” A shaken Erin grabbed a car.
Frank was talking to Henry about some of the new rules for the cops, only for Henry to mention his doctor wanting an appointment. He felt fine but mused that the doctor asking for a second visit after a physical wasn’t a good sign as Frank agreed to drive him.
Jamie was leaving a voicemail for his friend Peter Chou, wondering who had slipped something into his food at the party at Peter’s place. He was about to pass out just as two cars came racing by him, one crashing into a pole.
Despite his condition, Jamie raced to help the driver out as the firemen and paramedics arrived. The police officer recognized Jamie, who was forced to admit he’d been drugged.
Eddie was outraged at Peter’s girlfriend spiking the party meals, but Jamie figured that wouldn’t matter. A cop with any sort of drugs in their system was already in huge trouble. He also knew that if Frank came anywhere near this case, he would lose the respect of his fellow cops.
At a hospital, Frank met Dr. Kirk O’Connor (John Shea) about Henry. O’Connor admitted that they’d caught prostate cancer in Henry.
The good news was that it was so benign that it was likely Henry would die of other causes before it became dangerous. To Kirk’s surprise, Frank figured it was better Henry not know at all rather than worry about this.
Erin told Anthony and Danny Katz had approached her again with them worried, but she wanted to brush it off. She was intrigued by how Katz didn’t claim he was innocent, simply “treated unfairly.” Anthony shared that the man was known as a weakling, even among other mobsters, but “a guy with nothing is a guy with nothing to lose.”
It was impossible for Frank not to hear about Jamie as the newspapers were about to report his heroism. He also knew Sid and Baker were trying to cover for Jamie and warned them to knock it off as he couldn’t show special treatment.
Jamie talked to Peter (James Yaegashi) about the message he’d left behind, which could prove he didn’t take the drugs on purpose. But James had erased it to cover his own involvement.
More rocky rides are expected
Katz confronted Erin once more on how she was the only person left at the D.A.’s office from his case. He rambled on “Joe Malone” and ingredients before claiming it was his wife’s perfume and left a baffled Erin behind.
Kirk defended his health to Harry, but Henry suspected there was more to the checkup even as he thought of taking a road trip.
Sid and Moore were convinced Frank was giving them a secret signal to help Jamie, but Baker knew Frank was not someone playing that game and didn’t want their help.
Frank interrupted to reveal the crash victim was suing Jamie and the department, but all he wanted was a good defense attorney. He left as Baker related to the men “told you so.”
Anthony told Erin that several members of the Fratello family flipped on Lenny to help their sentences but blamed him for crimes he didn’t seem likely to be capable of. Erin admitted that she avoided the D.A. of the time for his attitude but hated the idea he’d done this to pad his numbers.
Anthony had Erin empty her purse as it turned out Katz had been tracking her all this time.
Speaking to Internal Affairs, Jamie denied his impaired driving could have contributed to two kids drag racing. However, he was wary of how two IAB cops he knew as “pit bulls” seemed to be going soft on him and lax on the investigation.
Jamie came home to find Henry, Danny, and Erin waiting with Eddie. He didn’t want to cause trouble with Peter’s girlfriend and pointed out there was a reason Frank wasn’t there.
“There are people who think the Reagans stealth-deal,” and they couldn’t feed that belief. Danny marveled at his brother so rule-bound “he’s ready to throw the book at himself.”
Secrets, lies and health problems
Frank came home to find Henry waiting in a sour mood as Frank not asking any questions during the visit was suspicious. He’d called the office to find out about the cancer and was more upset at Frank trying to handle him than not telling him about this.
Henry admitted he was disappointed in his son and said, “you’re a good fixer, but when are you going to learn sometimes fixing isn’t what’s called for?” Frank brought up not helping Jamie with Henry pointing out that was different and that Frank had to be a supporter sometimes instead of solving problems.
Anthony and Danny argued about Erin looking bad if Katz was arrested. Danny shared Katz had gotten tougher in prison and hated just sitting and waiting. An upset Erin related that there was chatter in the underworld of Katz talking to her and was worried one of them had spread it.
At a bar, Eddie and Badillo talked to Officer Tate Jones (Brett Diggs), who had held Jamie at the scene. They didn’t blame him for doing his job but got him to admit that the racing cars might have had cameras set up to show what happened.
Frank visited Jamie to relate the chat with Henry and talked as much as he could about the case. Jamie wasn’t going to hurt Pete’s career to save his own. The last thing he wanted was for the Reagan legacy to be ruined helping him, which Frank had to admire.
Lenny found Erin in an alley as she warned him about the Fratellos and while she was sorry for what happened, she couldn’t help him. She headed off with Anthony watching as a van pulled up and some guys dragged Lenny off.
Erin and Anthony got Lenny to a diner as he’d managed to escape the guys by gouging out one’s eye. But he turned out to be the great-great-nephew of a noted member of the Fratello family, meaning Lenny was a dead man. Erin gave Lenny a chance to get the first flight out of New York, and “this makes us even.”
IAB got an e-mail of the phone message Jamie left Peter, which exonerated him. Jamie was suspicious about who had sent this while IAB showed a video from the car, which also proved Jamie wasn’t involved.
Back at his desk, Jamie was a bit surprised no one was saying anything and happily accepted Eddie leading the squad in a rendition of “Cause I Got High.”
Frank dropped by Henry as he was preparing dinner, and they made up as Henry mused he would be happy to face death without any “do-overs” or regrets.
When pressed, Frank acknowledged that he may not have pulled strings for Jamie, but he might have pointed “someone” in the right direction as Henry chuckled.
Jamie got a few more jibes from the family over dinner before it turned to a debate on medical marijuana for cops. Frank complimented Jamie that, no matter his condition, he saved someone’s life and gave him a “reward”: a framed copy of the newspaper with the headline “High Heroism.”
While some drama was there, the episode also showed the humor and heart that Blue Bloods fans come to know so well.
Blue Bloods Season 12 finale airs Friday May 6 at 10/9c on CBS.