‘Boston Blue’ Episode 7 Recap – Some Lingering Issues Reappear

I’ve spent most of my coverage of Boston Blue complaining about conflict – or the lack of it, as has often been the case here. Recent outings have been better in this regard, granted, but Episode 7 highlights another, related problem, which is conflict for conflict’s sake. I’ll concede I’m putting the show in a can’t-win position here, but not all character drama was created equal, and there’s something a wee bit unconvincing about the underpinnings of the A-plot in “Baggage Claim”.

The idea is that Lena Silver has once again been confronted by her “white whale” case. Early in her career, she had suspected a state senator of killing a sex worker, but thanks to political red tape, she was never able to secure a conviction. Now, a hotel worker is found crammed into a suitcase by Sean and Jonah, and Senator Lowell (played by a guest-starring Gabriel Burrafato) is once again on the hook for it.

But now it means doing things the right way, which largely boils down to Danny having to constantly lecture Lena about how to properly work a case and not let her personal feelings get in the way. This leads to conflict between them, naturally, but it felt a bit inauthentic to me, since it’s presented as though professionalism is something one can only learn in New York. I get the idea that Danny is supposed to be the more senior and experienced detective, but Lena isn’t exactly a spring chicken. There’s no way she wouldn’t know all this.

This makes the minor arguments between Danny and Lena feel a bit artificial, but it also kills any dramatic potential in the main case, since there’s never really any doubt that Lowell is guilty. The arc of the case is more about Lena having the patience to prove it. This is fine in theory, but since you know a show like Boston Blue is never going to deny her the catharsis of finally catching Lowell red-handed and putting him away, it takes something away from the A-plot.

And the A-plot is really all there is to Boston Blue Episode 7. Sure, Sean and Jonah, Mae, and Sarah all have their own things to be getting on with, but they’re largely placeholder storylines. Sarah’s is probably the most interesting, once again putting her in a position where her professional role chafes against her sense of moral responsibility, dealing with an officer waving her gun at an abusive partner. But this feels underserved and buttoned up a bit too quickly to really make the most of it.

Meanwhile, Sean and Jonah are led on a merry chase by a pick-pocketer, which involves a drug dealer moving product hidden in a cute plushie. It’s also these two who find the suitcase containing Lowell’s latest victim, which makes for a nice visual. But these two rarely have anything all that interesting to do, and it’s weird to see Sean’s romantic story from last week completely abandoned.

You’ll also recall the big cliffhanger from last week involved Mae and corruption in her office. Her efforts to defend her own reputation in “Baggage Claim” are a bit of an outgrowth of that, but, like Sarah’s story, feel as if they don’t have enough time and space to really resonate. It would perhaps be better if Boston Blue didn’t try and cram in a subplot for every character every episode, and instead allowed the deeply personal cases more room. It would have been better on balance, I think, if we saw a lot less of Sean and Jonah this week and gave that time to Mae, or to Lena, so that her personal feelings felt more robust and her fall-out and then make-up with Danny wasn’t so truncated.

None of this is bad, don’t get me wrong. But after a couple of solid episodes, it highlights some lingering issues and worrying tendencies that I hope some more focused storylines can help to alleviate.