I've been complaining about Boston Blue's lack of meaningful conflict. But I'm starting to wonder if perhaps what was missing was depth. There's no reason a procedural can't have that. The weekly cases have worked well enough, and they've usually offered a passing comment in the direction of a wider issue or character dilemma. However, the show's tendency to resolve everything in the most happy and risk-averse way possible was frustrating. Episode 8, "In the Name of the Father, And of the Son," is a nice reminder that the cases of the week can really inform character dynamics by resonating on a deeper level.
This is the first episode where I really felt like things were going wrong in a meaningful way. We've had a little bit of this before, but not quite in this way, and the most recent episode found itself slipping back into bad habits. But there's all sorts going on here, and very little of it is good. It won't be a case of just sweeping it all under the carpet; every character, every subplot, is rippling with genuine sentiment, and the whole show is so much better as a result. I'd comfortably call it the best outing of the season thus far.
Given the title, you'd think the entire hour would revolve around Danny's relationship with Sean, and to be fair, there is a bit of that reflected in the investigation of a young father's murder. But it's more than that. The themes of family and parenting are everywhere, as are those of truth and consequence. It sometimes comes from unexpected directions, looping back to subplots from previous episodes. There's an emotional contour here that simply hasn't been present in previous episodes, even some of the better ones.
Of course, Danny dwells on his responsibilities to Sean. But it's tinged with the specific concern of being a father to a cop, someone constantly in danger in the line of duty, and someone who is also, as here, potentially embroiled in a departmental scandal. Sean and Jonah are on the hook for arresting a well-respected fire chief who was drunk and got physical with them. The brass want the whole matter to go away since the fire chief is going through a messy divorce, but Sarah doesn't think that's just, and she's right. But her refusal to back down puts Sean and Jonah in the firing line.
Sarah is also grappling with her own personal issues. As implied in previous episodes, she's struggling to navigate a relationship with her step-daughter, a rebellious teenage girl who is going through that phase of testing the boundaries. Her unwillingness to be the bad cop at home is straining her dynamic with her boyfriend, who seems to be relishing the idea of being an over-the-top disciplinarian. It's later revealed that he had a problem with alcohol addiction in his youth, and is fearful of his daughter going down the same path. You don't need me to tell you how this reflects on Sarah's approach to dealing with the fire chief problem, especially when it's revealed he was known as the firehouse drunk long before his divorce.
Boston Blue Episode 8 is strikingly gratifying in its seamless integration of various threads. This is particularly evident in the murder subplot, where Edwin is introduced, ostensibly to coerce the suspect into confession through religious appeals. However, this process inadvertently unveils a deeply disturbing family secret - Mae's mother didn't perish in a car accident; she took her own life. Edwin has kept this secret for years, perpetuating Mae's belief in a random tragedy. At some point, he'll have to confront her with this truth. Or will he? Regardless, this new revelation recalibrates numerous scenes within this episode and the season as a whole. And Ernie Hudson delivers a truly exceptional performance.
It's not as if Mae is devoid of her own secrets. She still hasn't revealed to Lena and Jonah about the mole in her office, which, as you recall, could potentially result in their father's killer walking free if all his previous cases are dismissed. As usual, "In the Name of the Father, And of the Son" resolves several subplots in pure plot terms, but the emotional repercussions are not so easily reconciled. The consequences will inevitably catch up with them sooner rather than later, and at this juncture, that's precisely what Boston Blue needs.
