Past truly is present for the Regan family in the fourth episode of the 14th and final season of the CBS procedural Blue Bloods. Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) goes out of his way to help a troubled teen he had a run-in with in the past, Henry (Len Carlou) shares his life story in an interview, shady Manhattan real estate developer Mario Vangelis returns and Frank (Tom Selleck) confronts a tragedy from the family's past.
Keep reading for a recap of season 14, Episode 4 of Blue Bloods, “Past is Present.”
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 4.
Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 4 recap
Danny checks in with Trina, a teenager who is on probation after helping Danny and Baez arrest Jayden in Season 13, Episode 14. The teen appears to be doing things right only for Danny to learn that the store owner, Nate, is accusing her of quitting and theft. Danny takes a detour on a visit to a suspect in order to question Trina and finds her smoking marijuana with her friends with whom she was previously arrested. She talks back to Danny, who arrests her for marijuana possession, since she is under the age of 21.
Danny and Baez are processing a suspect when Danny gets a call and heads off to a crime scene. He finds that the deceased is Trina‘s friend Daquan and that Trina witnessed a crime. He goes to talk to her and she says that Jayden is out of prison and stabbed Daquan because he wouldn’t tell Jayden where she was.
Danny tries to comfort Trina, but she yells that he isn’t sorry and it is at least partially his fault because he promised her that Jayden would be locked away for the rest of his life, and he has instead been released.
Back at the squad, Trina receives a call from her friend Sarah‘s phone shortly after Danny and Baez learn that Jayden stole it. She suggested they meet in Central Park, but he mentioned the location in Brooklyn instead. Trina wants to go with the team, but Danny refuses. She then asks to go to the bathroom, punches her escort officer, and steals his gun.
Danny and Baez track her down in Brooklyn where she is holding Jayden at gunpoint. They arrest Jayden and Danny talks her into putting the gun down.
Anthony is targeted for assassination
Erin and Anthony are at lunch discussing an ongoing trial when Mario Vangelis arrives, appearing to want to discuss business with them and saying that he has turned over a new leaf and is no longer involved in criminal activity.
Anthony leaves to get the car as Erin asks for the check when a gunman storms the building. Erin grabs Mario and dives for cover while Anthony takes down the shooter.
After some banter between Erin and Vangelis about who the gunman was targeting, it turns out that he was actually after Anthony.
An officer’s revelation opens up old wounds for the family
Frank is meeting with 3 officers who are about to earn awards for extraordinary service when one of them hesitates while discussing the absence of her partner, Officer Mike McFadden, who had called in sick. After Frank asks, she reveals that he wasn't actually sick, but wanted to avoid meeting with Frank because his father is Sonny Malevsky, the dirty cop who killed Joe Reagan.
Officer McFadden is called into his boss’s office, only to find Frank waiting for him there. He immediately knows what this is about and that his true family history has been found. He admits to providing incomplete information on his application when answering his known names in aliases. Frank quickly calls this out as being the same as a lie. McFadden asks if he is terminated, to which Frank says that he hasn’t made a decision at this time.
Up at 1PP, the Dream Team is aligned that Frank should fire Officer McFadden, but Frank says that he hasn’t made a decision yet and that this only came about because McFadden did something on the job that deserved congratulations. Frank makes a reference to his vote not being the only one that counts, presumably, referring to his family and Joe Hill.
Frank asks at Sunday dinner, and the family is divided on what to do. He also talks to Joe, who is shocked at the revelation and doesn’t have a clear answer either.
Henry still has his wits
Jamie really needs to learn to trust Henry and stop underestimating him. Henry knew what he was getting into when he agreed to be interviewed by Alison, and he did an excellent job of explaining his perspective in a convincing manner that helped her to understand his viewpoint. This wasn’t the most interesting storyline and there was a bit too much drama added, but it’s nice to see Pops get more screen time than he has lately.
Review
This was a strong Blue Bloods episode that kept throwing curveballs at viewers and wrapped up several storylines as the show winds down its final season.
The only real weak point of the episode was the storyline involving Erin, Anthony, and Vangelis because there was minimal investigation. It was mostly banter, which worked as comic relief but didn’t really add much to the story.
It was a shock that the writers decided to bring back the Sonny Malevsky storyline, which seemed to have been concluded way back in the first season.
Danny’s storyline showed the importance of communication and how when two people don’t trust each other, they can get stuck in a vicious cycle that continues escalating. Trina lied, which made Danny suspicious and he treated her with hostility, which made Trina lie more, which made Danny more suspicious and more hostile, and on and on.
The family should have recognized that Officer McFadden was not his father, but their pain was understandable. Ultimately, the conclusion with McFadden and Detective Hill was the right way to wrap up that saga.
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