For many years, the CBS procedural Blue Bloods has been one of the premier shows on television, dominating its Friday night time slot.

Before the start of the fourteenth season, it was announced that Blue Bloods would be coming to a conclusion. Given the continued strong ratings, it was widely assumed that the show was canceled due to its massive budget, and that is likely true. However, part way through the season, it appears the showrunners may finally be running out of steam.

Season 14, Episode 6 is titled “Shadowland” and this episode might be the weakest in the entire series. All of the stories had their issues, but Frank’s story was particularly confusing and boring.

Let’s take a closer look at why this episode was forgettable and what this could mean for the rest of the series.

Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 6 recap

The Reagan family at Sunday Dinner from Blue Bloods on CBS

Erin’s case this week centers around a teenager she put away many years ago. Erin had prosecuted a young boy named Eli and he was given a lengthy sentence. Eli’s younger sister Akeelah challenges Erin for her role in convicting and imprisoning the brother, who looked out for her. This was a complex case for many reasons, including that Eli’s sentencing took place before major criminal justice reforms and he had a conservative judge overseeing his case that was known for giving harsh sentences.

Erin was ultimately able to get Eli out of prison on a technicality, but it just feels like this storyline totally missed a golden opportunity to make a real statement. This storyline could have explored the different roles officers and prosecutors have, and how police officers make arrests, but there is another whole aspect of the criminal justice system. It could have explored how the criminal justice system can be improved without making cops bear the brunt of the blame for all of society’s problems.

Frank’s storyline is confusing and boring

Towards the beginning of the episode, Garrett asks Frank to do a favor that is largely out of character for him. A woman who earns her living as a delivery driver had her car impounded as evidence, and even though she didn’t do anything wrong, this is harming her ability to make a living.

Garrett brings this case to Frank’s attention because he views it as an easy opportunity to score public relations points with the public, despite it not being Frank’s nature to deal with situations like this and make exceptions.

Danny’s case was just depressing and didn’t keep viewers engaged

Danny and Baez investigate the tragic murder of a young autistic child. Ava’s family was clearly under a lot of stress, and it seems that Christina was doing all she could given the circumstances. Many of their neighbors had issues with the family, and it is unclear how much they knew about Ava‘s condition. Christina explains that she made the decision to enroll Ava in a school for children with special needs, which was a good step towards helping give her daughter the best chance possible at a good life.

This week's episode touched on a number of different topics, and so far none of the cases stood out as particularly compelling. Eddie’s case this week might have been the most interesting, although it certainly took a unique turn.

Blue Bloods is a show that has never shied away from touchy or controversial subjects, and it doesn’t change in this episode. Some viewers might have an issue with this storyline, seeing it as an episode that focuses on the hardships officers and their families face as a way to increase sympathy and support for law enforcement. However, it did take a well-known issue, and address it from a different angle, which could serve a purpose.

There was some shock value in the way the story strongly hinted that the admissions office was discriminating against minorities, but it turns out that they are discriminating against the children of police officers.

Review

Overall, this wasn’t one of the better episodes of Blue Bloods. None of the cases were truly memorable, and while they all dressed thorny topics, none of them did so in a particularly compelling or thought-provoking manner.

Erin’s case had the most potential as it addressed the injustices of the criminal justice system. However, her solution seemed to come too easily, and it isn’t largely reflected in reality.

The show portrayed Erin as a righteous crusader, fighting to find a technicality in right or wrong. In reality, too many times, young people convicted of minor offenses are locked away and forgotten about. This storyline seemed to be a bit too feel-good given the realities that we see in this country.

If the writers were aiming to make a statement about how prosecutors should behave, and what a better version of our criminal justice system might look like, this storyline could’ve packed a stronger punch, and been more impactful to readers. As it was written, though, it appears too much like treating an open artery with a Band-Aid.

There were plenty of ways to do this without making the police look bad, either. This was a perfect chance for the showrunners to make a statement about how cops have the job of arresting people, but the prosecutors and the justice system hold responsibility for what happens after that.

This was a golden opportunity. The show could’ve done so much more with this storyline, and it seems to be a wasted opportunity.

Frank’s storyline wasn’t that memorable either. It was confusing for him to handle the situation differently, there’s no real certainty about why Garrett felt the need to rehabilitate his boss's image and Frank seems oddly accusatory towards Garrett throughout the episode.

The bottom line

It is clear that Blue Bloods is running out of steam in Season 14. Rarely have the writers given viewers such dull storylines, and it’s shocking that they fumbled their opportunity so poorly regarding Erin’s case.

It seems painfully clear that they are just running out of interesting stories to tell, or losing their touch for putting together storylines that are actually cohesive and compelling.

Many fans find it unfortunate that the show is coming to an end, but if Blue Bloods Season 14 is going to limp to the finish line like this, perhaps it’s better to wrap it up than go on being a shell of its former self.