'Blue Bloods' Tackles 'Me Too' With Sexual Assault Story

Blue Bloods took on the subject of how police officers handle sexual harassment and assault cases, [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Blue Bloods took on the subject of how police officers handle sexual harassment and assault cases, a topical subject in light of the #MeToo movement. Fans at home noticed how timely the story was.

In "Meet The New Boss," Bebe Neuwirth's Kelly Paterson returned to give Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) a difficult case to think about. Paula Thompson, a young attorney in her office, was sexually assaulted on a blind date, and SVU investigating Detective Anthony Palmer treated her like she was the suspect and not the victim. Frank wanted her to be caution about the case, but Kelly said Palmer asked Paula why she went back to this guy's apartment and if she acted provocatively.

Frank then said he agreed with Kelly that being treated like they were asking for it was adding insult to injury. Kelly did not assume Frank would feel that way. He agreed to look into it, but was disappointed that Kelly waited until the very end of the conversation that Paula plans to sue the police.

After talking with Palmer, Frank believed he did it by the book. Kelly was really angry about that, and suggested it was wrong for the case to be handled by a male detective. Even Baker (Abigail Hawk) backed up Kelly, noting there are statistics that a female victim is more open to a female detective.

Fans were happy to see Baker come in to push Frank to keep working on the case.

Baker agrees to go "undercover" by telling Palmer a boyfriend assaulted her. Palmer tells her a jury is unlikely to convict someone she had consensual sex with in the past. Baker got everything she needed, proving firsthand how Palmer treats suspects.

Based on Baker's findings, Frank agrees to have Palmer transferred to another division and will sent an apology to Paula. Kelly is happy with the result.

After Kelly left, Frank told Baker he is creating a panel to make changes to assess special victims protocols and wants Baker to sit on it. As Baker left, Frank commended her for her detective work.

Erin (Bridget Moynahan) also took on a case centering on domestic assault. She tried to find out why one of the assistant district attorneys did not pursue charges against a boyfriend who assaulted a woman. The attorney said Erin's predecessor Monica did not want to prosecute the serial abuser. So, she took it upon herself to find out why Monica did what she did. Erin later learns it was all internal politics, and Monica did not want to shake the tree.

Next, Erin chose to investigate the suspect, Billy Conroy. He insisted she did not hit his girlfriend Karen. Erin said she can get the girlfriend to testify, so she offers Conroy a plea deal. He declines and leaves. Suddenly, Erin's boss shows up and it is clear that Conroy has connections.

After the Reagen family dinner, Frank gave Erin a lesson on the politics of her job. He surprisingly told her not to push the case if it means she gets demoted.

"It's one thing to win a job. It's another thing and a much harder thing to keep it," Frank reminded her.

Erin decided to do something else: she told Sam (Aasif Mandvi), who agreed to look into it. This might not be good for the office's future, but he agreed that personal connections should not have an impact on office decision-making.

Photo credit: CBS

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