‘Blue Bloods’: ‘The Sopranos’ Star Michael Imperioli Returns to Butt Heads With Tom Selleck

On this week’s episode of Blue Bloods, fans were in for quite the surprise as The Sopranos star Michael Imperlioni made a rare appearance on the show. He played New York Attorney General Robert Lewis, who was not happy with Tom Selleck‘s Commissioner Frank Reagan. The two found themselves on the opposite side of a thorny issue involving freedom of the press. This was Imperioli’s first appearance on the show in 2016.

At the beginning of “More Than Meets the Eye,” Jamie (Will Estes) arrested a YouTube journalist who filmed him and Eddie (Vanessa Ray) takedown a shoplifter. Frank approved of charging the journalist, but Lewis definitely did not. He came storming into Frank’s office, frustrated with the commissioner’s decision. He later had the charges against the journalist dropped, and reminded Frank that this made his office look bad. Frank believed the journalist’s activities put his officers in danger, but Lewis said this could just make sure the officers do not do anything wrong. Even after the journalist was seen at another crime, but Lewis said that as long as the journalist was not directly involved in the crime, she had the right to be there. “Remind yourself whose side you’re on,” Frank told Lewis in one scene.

This issue was a major topic at the family dinner. Jamie and the other men at the table wanted to subpoena the journalist’s phone, but Erin (Bridget Moynahan) did not approve of it. Frank argued that giving journalists unfettered access to crime scenes just made the police look worse because journalists only want to focus on the negative. Erin and even Eddie (Vanessa Ray) pointed out that this is not always the case. Erin said it was illegal to get a subpoena just because the journalist didn’t like police officers. Eddie and Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) just decided they will stop going by Erin’s office.

Next, Erin told Frank that Danny and Eddie are going to her office too often for help. This led Frank to ask Erin how she felt about being overlooked for the D.A.’s job. It was the first time they really discussed this issue. Erin didn’t really know how to feel, so Frank suggested that maybe D.A. Kimberly Crawford (Roslyn Ruff) was trying to prove herself to Erin. The next day at Erin’s office, Erin and Crawford worked together to convince a drive-by shooting witness to testify against the suspect who killed her boyfriend.

Jamie did get a subpoena for the journalist’s phone to help get a criminal behind bars because she only posted the video on social media, not in a traditional media outlet. After that, Lewis stormed into Frank’s office again. Frank told Lewis there was full transparency for everyone during the arrest. Frank played some mind games with Lewis to see if his office wants just as much transparency.

It turns out the journalist called Lewis immediately after she was released earlier. Frank found some evidence to suggest that Lewis was having an affair with the journalist. “I don’t like it either Robert, but I didn’t pick the fight,” Frank said. Lewis agreed to give the commissioner’s office full control over press passes if Lewis’ personal life didn’t leak. The episode ended with Jamie and Danny apologizing to Erin for always annoying her. New episodes of Blue Bloods air Fridays at 10 p.m. on CBS.

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