Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 17 Review: A Quiet Prelude to the Finale

Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 17, “Entitlement,” would be a perfectly average episode in any other season. As the second-to-last installment of the entire show, though, it’s a disappointment. None of the multiple storylines generate any real suspense for viewers, and while there isn’t anything terrible about the proceedings, it’s impossible not to want something more.

“Entitlement” has the majority of its plots connect to that concept in obvious ways. The Governor of New York wants Frank to use his power as police commissioner to do him a favor. The detectives investigate a “mean girl” suspected of killing her classmate at an all-girls school. And on the ground level, one of Jamie Reagan’s informants decides to take full advantage of that title. Without any big moments or major character developments, this is a fine episode but one that’s just going through the motions.

Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 17 Sees Frank Dealing With More Politics

David Zayas Returns to the Show for the First Time Since 2021

Frank Reagan’s role as police commissioner means that most of his stories involve him dealing with an outside person or organization who wants him to do something for their benefit. That’s been the case in several episodes since the Season 14 midseason premiere, and it’s true again in “Entitlement.” Governor Martin Mendez appears on Frank’s doorstep to pitch a bail reform proposal — which Frank finds out has more to do with Mendez’s wife Caitlin being arrested. Frank doesn’t want to be used by the Governor, while Henry sits him down and gives him a lecture about the “far greater good.” In the end, Frank agrees to make a call on Caitlin Mendez’s behalf when she’s gotten detained again, but warns the Governor that it will be the “final call.”

There’s not much different about this story than there has been in other recent Blue Bloods installments. And to an extent, that’s okay, because Frank’s position limits the types of plotlines that can be thrown his way. As much as fans love Tom Selleck, the police commissioner isn’t going to be out getting into chases. Plus, there’s the benefit of playing him off some other amazing actors. Audiences will recognize David Zayas from his role as Angel Batista on Dexter, but he’s been recurring on Blue Bloods for some time. “Entitlement” marks his first appearance since Season 11. It’s nice that in these final episodes, the show is finding time to bring back some of its familiar faces, such as Zayas and Stacy Keach, for one last outing. Whether or not fans agree with Frank’s ultimate decision, watching Selleck and Zayas go back and forth with each other is entertaining enough.

Season 14, Episode 17 Creates More Tension With Badillo

This Time, It’s Badillo & Jamie Who Square Off

After Luis Badillo nearly lost his job in Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 16, “The Gray Areas,” the show could’ve gone easy on him. That’s not the case, as a week later he and Jamie Reagan are at odds. The patrol officers’ plotline involves a squatter who won’t get out of an apartment, but the situation is complicated by the man being one of Jamie’s informants. Jamie thus wants Badillo and Eddie to leave Rocco alone until he cooperates, but Badillo sees that as intentionally overlooking Rocco’s behavior. One of the better scenes in the episode involves Badillo telling Jamie point-blank, “I’m not your wife.” It’s a low blow — but also a fair point, because while the Reagans usually play well with each other, he’s not in that inner circle.

The plotline is resolved when Badillo and Jamie prove (off-screen) to Jamie that Rocco is lying about who attacked him, and they thus are able to get a full confession out of the attacker about everything, rendering Rocco’s information worthless. It’s a very convenient and quick way to wrap things up, as Blue Bloods has done with a couple of subplots in the back half of Season 14. This is similar to the police recruit plot from Episode 15, “No Good Deed,” in which the situation ultimately works out for the best. But there’s still something satisfying about Rocco being caught, and particularly what Jamie has to say to him.

The ultimate high point of this story, though, is the guest appearance from iconic voice actor John DiMaggio as Vince, the man whose apartment Rocco is squatting in. DiMaggio is well known as the voice of Bender and other characters in Futurama, so it’s fantastic to get to see him in another live-action role — especially one where Bender’s catchphrase would be appropriate. The actor nails the cranky indignance of a New Yorker who’s got some other person living in his home. He doesn’t have a ton of screen time, but DiMaggio makes it all count.

Blue Bloods Utilizes ‘Mean Girl’ Sterotypes

Marisa Ramirez Stands Out as Baez Has a Moment

Danny Reagan and Maria Baez have one of their more pedestrian cases of the week in “Entitlement.” A teenager is found hanging in her dorm room at a prestigious all-girls school, but her grieving mother insists that she must have been murdered by one of the many classmates who bullied her. Audiences know most of the outcome of this story before it even starts, and there’s nothing along the way to put that into doubt. The episode only presents one serious suspect — the school’s “queen bee” Joanna Zevin — and she feels like a rejected Mean Girls character. The reveal that Gabi staged things to get revenge on Joanna and the others after her death is a plot twist, but not an effective one.

Instead, what the subplot rests on is the performance of Marisa Ramirez. When Baez and Danny interview Joanna, Baez responds immediately and emphatically to Joanna’s attitude, giving back even better than they’re getting. “Entitlement” has her later explain that to Danny by saying that she was a bully growing up. Sometimes Baez doesn’t get as much to do, so it’s a plus to give Ramirez a scene that she can really sink her teeth into, and then another scene with Donnie Wahlberg where audiences are reminded of the bond between these two longtime partners. The little moments like these and DiMaggio’s appearance are why “Entitlement” is successful.

But in the big-picture sense, it’s a letdown. There’s nothing here that leads into the series finale — either intentionally or in terms of getting viewers excited about where characters may be going. Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 17 would be fine if it had happened at midseason a couple of years ago. Knowing that it’s the penultimate hour viewers will ever spend with the Reagans, it should have more exciting stories and more character development. Anthony possibly getting a new love interest isn’t enough for a show that’s been part of the TV landscape for most of two decades.