Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 17 Review: Smoke and Mirrors

When it comes to Crawford, no good deed of Erin’s will ever go unpunished.

On Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 17, Erin tried to find out who was spreading rumors about Crawford, only for her boss to snap at her to stop minding her business. And when Erin completed a case file early as part of a peace offering, Crawford didn’t like that either.

Erin may not like attack ads or the mudslinging in today’s political campaigns, but if anyone deserves it, it’s Crawford. Whether or not her husband is having an affair has no bearing on whether she deserves to be the Manhattan DA, but her attitude toward Erin makes me root for Erin to crush her in the polls.

In one sense, Crawford’s irritation was understandable. Erin didn’t need to know how true the rumors were to plug any leaks.

If Anthony had confined his investigation to finding out who was speaking to the press about Crawford’s business, that might have come across better. It also would have been more relevant and not made Crawford think Erin was trying to dig up dirt to torpedo Crawford’s campaign.

Still, Crawford lost the sympathy I had for her after the press conference when she started berating Erin. It was over the top and unprofessional, and she had no business telling Erin how Erin would react to rumors about her and Jack.

Crawford handled that nosy reporter far better than she did Erin! At the press conference, she stayed calm and stood up to the reporter’s nonsense without resorting to personal insults, for the most part.

That last comment about how the reporter ought to find another job will probably become a sound byte played out of context to make Crawford look like a bully who doesn’t believe in freedom of the press. I’d rather Erin try to defend her against that kind of attack than this nonsense.

What do Crawford’s marital problems have to do with her fitness for the DA position? Would these reporters ask male candidates such inane questions?

The campaign storyline has been handled strangely from the beginning. I wasn’t sure Erin was still running; other than when she hired an image consultant, she barely mentioned her campaign.

If Anthony hadn’t tried to tell Erin that personal attacks against Crawford were good news for Erin’s campaign, I’d have assumed she dropped out and was helping Crawford win.

Erin’s sense of integrity was laudable. But Crawford was right about one thing: Erin should have asked her how to help instead of poking around her business.

However, the way Crawford handled it wasn’t great either. Crawford always ascribes the worst motives to Erin, and every time Erin tries to help her, something like this happens.

At least Erin and Crawford bonded somewhat at the end of the hour, but I was over Crawford by then. The moment that stuck out most in my mind was her comment that she didn’t need that file til next week when Erin brought her completed paperwork.

As far as Crawford is concerned, Erin can’t do anything right. Even if she does work ahead of time, it’s not good enough.

Is this a backhanded way of getting viewers to root for Erin to win the election? The sooner we eliminate Crawford and her negative attitude, the better.

Frank’s dilemma was far more compelling, though Frank’s responses shouldn’t have surprised anyone.