Unwritten Rules

The whole Reagan family got involved in this one story. A young female officer, wife and mother, dies when she's shot pursuing a suspect. As it happens it's Will Estes who is the first on the scene to respond.

It's also Donnie Wahlberg who captures the shooter. But it's Bridget Moynahan who lets him go because she feels the ID of an elderly witness won't stand up. Every cop in the city feels the widower's pain and anger which they take out on the NY County DA's office in certain ways.

And of course it's Commissioner Tom Selleck who has to deal with the whole tragic mess and keep peace in his own family.

The Reagans always come together, but this episode put a strain on family ties.

This episode once again points up the differences between detective Danny Reagan and lawyer Erin. An officer is shot in the first five minutes of the story. When she dies, the entire force is out to get her killer. After Danny uses questionable methods to get an eyewitness I Don the shooter, Erin doesn't believe she has enough of a case to prosecute the man, so he is released. This causes a LOT of controversy, both in the workplace and within the Reagan family. Watching this show, I have come to realize that Erin's job is one of the hardest in the family, as it often puts her in conflict with other members, Danny in particular. In this story, it was especially satisfying to watch the two of them realize that they both wanted the same thing, and then to watch them work together to achieve that end. Frank, as Commissioner, works to maintain a sense of duty within the police force, and makes a special request of Jamie because of his lawyer education. Jamie has a fine moment while carrying out that request, in addition to meeting a new partner. There is a moment just before the end that brings all the Reagans together and gives a sense of closure to the viewer. All in all, this is a big part of why I continue to watch the show. One of the things that marks this episode is special, for me, is that there is only one storyline throughout. Usually, there are two stories, sometimes even three, but not this time.