SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Boston Blue Season 1, Episode 2.

The second episode of Boston Blue is art imitating life. The CBS show leans heavily on the concept of partners finding their way in the world. But “Teammates” is also proof of how the series itself is still figuring out what it wants to be. How much can it maintain the Blue Bloods ethos while also being its own entity?

The theme of teammates or partners is over-emphasized across the hour. Danny Reagan and Lena Silver are learning how to work as teammates after the series premiere. Danny’s son Sean has a hard time adjusting to being partnered with his friend Jonah Silver. Lena’s sister Sarah discovers that one of the officers she has to discipline is her first partner. Boston Blue is not subtle with its theme or with the lessons that it wants to teach its characters. More cynical viewers might question the plot contrivances that happen in order to support the theme—most notably Sarah offering her ex-partner a job at the District Attorney’s Office so that she can have a soft landing. Others might appreciate a TV episode where everyone is actively trying to help each other, even if they mess it up.

The biggest hurdle that “Teammates” has to clear is explaining why Danny Reagan doesn’t go home to New York. The episode takes place three weeks after the series premiere so that Sean can be out of his coma and out of the hospital. Father and son have a heart-to-heart at the end when Danny offers to transfer to Boston to be more present for Sean, and says he consulted with the family beforehand. Blue Bloods fans can decide if that’s a convincing explanation or not. It certainly doesn’t sound great for Danny and Maria Baez to be in a long-distance relationship after finally getting together romantically (he simply says that they’ll “figure it out”), but if Boston Blue finds a way to get Marisa Ramirez for more than one scene, that might become a non-issue.

But the show has to stand on more than just its Reagan connection. Unlike its fellow spinoff Sheriff Country, Boston Blue feels like it’s sticking close to the template of Blue Bloods in many ways. The Silver family dinners are apparently going to be a recurring theme, as the Reagan family meals were on the original series. Danny and Sean talk about how much pressure Jonah is under because of his name, and compare it to being a Reagan in New York. And the banter between Lena and Danny about the differences between New York and Boston is already getting a little tired.

The best part of “Teammates” actually comes from an unexpected place: actor Carolyn McCormick, who guest stars as Winnie Malakov. Crime drama buffs will remember McCormick from her recurring role as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet on Law & Order. She played that role for over a decade, and was very underrated in it. She also had a main role in the short-lived American adaptation of Cracker. It’s great to see her here, and she gives Winnie the necessary depth for the audience to care about her as she transitions from possible suspect to near-victim.

The case of the week plot itself is a little convoluted, and viewers are likely to guess the perpetrator before Lena and Danny make the arrest. When Naomi Ballard says she didn’t want her husband Winston to come forward as a whistleblower, that’s a hint that she could be involved in his murder. From that point, it’s also no surprise that one of the police officers who was supposed to be watching the Ballard home was on the take. Those ideas are just too common in the crime genre. Yet it feels like the mystery is secondary to Boston Blue setting up Danny’s move and the combined Silver/Reagan family dynamic, so that may explain sticking with something easier to follow. “Teammates” is more like the second half of the Boston Blue premiere than a true second episode. But with the exposition out of the way, perhaps Episode 3 will get to try something new.

Boston Blue airs Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.