Blue Bloods - Samaritan

Network: CBS
Time: Fridays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynihan, Will Estes, Len Cariou

Summary: The Reagans weigh the pros and cons of vigilantism when a man with a police record takes action against a criminal who is terrorizing riders on a subway.

Review: Overall, I was very disappointed by the quality of the new shows this season.  Out of the 35 shows I planned to watch, at least 17 of them werefreshmen.  As of week three, I'm still watching seven.  Blue Bloods is one of them, but I'm not completely sold yet.

I'll start with the positives.  Blue Bloods has a phenomenal cast, and they bring their A-game to each episode.  What's more: they're given a quality script to work with.  This probably wouldn't go on my list of "best chemistry" shows, but they do alright.  I can believe that these people are a family, albeit one with a few issues to work through. 

I also found the case in "Samaritan" to be particularly interesting.  A lot of shows these days focus only on solving murders (and sometimes kidnappings).  Sometimes it's easy to forget that there are other crimes that are also heinous, but not nearly as sexy.  Though there was a murder in this episode, it's not really the main conflict.  Instead, they deal with robbery and gang violence, which occur far more frequently but are reported far less.

Now for the negatives.  To start, I hate the mystery story they developed for Jamie.  I'm bothered by the growing trend in crime shows where the first episode needs to introduce some big mystery that will unfold throughout the season/series.  Jane and Red John in The Mentalist.  Neil and Kate in White Collar.  Even Callen's unknown past in NCIS: Los Angeles.  It works in some shows (like The Mentalist and Monk).  But some shows, like this one, don't need a big complex puzzle to solve.  I haven't yet grown to care about the living characters in Blue Bloods; I certainly don't care about their dead brother.  It's enough right now to develop the characters through episode-centered stories until they're more fully formed.  I like seeing how they balance their family and their jobs (especially since most of the family is working together).  Why does it have to be more complicated than that?

That's the biggest fault I see so far.  I'd like to see Bridget Moynihan's character get a story for herself, but it's only the second episode, so there's still time for that.  I'd also like to see the side characters develop a little better.  Right now, the only one I can identify is Jamie's partner.  I know Frank has both an assistant and a girlfriend, but I don't know which is which when they come on screen (situational clues notwithstanding).  Also Danny has a family and Jamie a girlfriend, but I don't feel like we know anything about them.  Again, this will probably change as the season progresses.

I do like watching Blue Bloods, but I hope some things change and grow as it continues.  The first few episodes of a show aren't always indicative of its future, so I have faith that, given enough time, this has the potential to develop into a really enjoyable program.


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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad