CBS' procedural Blue Bloods has frequently portrayed Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) as a nearly perfect character, somebody who always seems to make the right decisions no matter how difficult the circumstances are. In Season 14, Episode 8, titled “Wicked Games,” Frank is finally forced to face uncomfortable truths about himself and how he comes off to those around him.

It was an uncomfortable realization for Frank, and hopefully, this will lead to more character development as the final season continues ahead. Keep reading for what happened in the latest episode of Blue Bloods and my thoughts.

Note: Spoilers ahead for Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 8

Recap

When Erin (Bridget Moynahan) first asked Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) to meet, he had no idea what he was walking into. She tells Danny that she has to make a deal with serial killer Sam Evans to close the homicide case. Erin justifies it by saying that Evans was due for release within the next few months anyway, but Danny is blindsided especially since Evans threatened to kill Baez and her daughter.

Danny goes to tell Baez, but ends up pushing it off and instead sits outside her house all night to keep watch. When Baez finds him in the morning and asks what is going on, he tells her the truth. Maria takes some time to process the news and seems angry with Danny for not telling her last night that her family could have been in danger.

He explains that he wanted her to have one more night of happiness, and reassures her by saying that's why he was standing guard outside her house. The two go to see Evans, coming just short of threatening him to stay away from them while hinting that they will be monitoring him closely.

A short time later, Evans’ mom calls the precinct. She is clearly terrified, and with her voice trembling she says that Evans might be preparing another ritual. Danny and Baez go to the house, only to find Mrs. Evans dead. They realize that Sam must have bugged the house and knew that his mom had turned him in.

With the realization that the house is wired for listening, they decide to set a trap of their own. They hope to lure Evans to Baez’s house, where they will get the drop on him and arrest or kill him.

More drama for Eddie

Eddie's (Vanessa Ray) case is somewhat interesting and unique, although it ultimately amounts to primarily drama and not much more. Eddie’s suspicions are raised when she senses a pattern of her desk sergeant, Sergeant Stone, repeatedly knocking down her arrests from felonies to misdemeanors.

At first, Janko doesn't understand why this is happening and starts to argue with the sergeant. She is quickly shut down and she decides to go over his head to Captain McNichols, who also orders her to stand down and essentially says it's none of her business.

Eddie is shocked by this, especially since this doesn't seem to be typical behavior for McNichols. It all starts to make somewhat more sense when she spots McNichols and Sergeant Stone being extra affectionate with each other. She confronts McNichols, who angrily tells her to back off and threatens to give her a rip.

Eddie doesn't back off, though. She knows something is up and suspects that the two are working together to cook the books and make it look as if less crime is occurring in their precinct. Eddie confronts McNichols again, and when the captain asks if she went to IAB she says no.

McNichols then confides to Eddie that she has been in a relationship with Sergeant Stone, but that he was deciding to cook the books on his own without her knowledge. He was doing it because he thought that it would help her career, but that doesn't make it right.

She also tells Eddie that she has ended the relationship. Eddie reassures her that she'll find the right person sooner rather than later, and the two appear to be on good terms again.

Frank faces reality

Frank's case is a bit odd, but it offers him the chance to do some real self-reflection. He believes he is accessible to the people closest to him, only to be told by multiple people in his orbit that he's intimidating and somebody they avoid going to for serious advice, guidance or just to spill out their thoughts.

Personally, I really enjoyed this storyline because we typically see Frank end up on the right side of almost every scenario. This is one of the few times where Frank had to do real introspection and face difficult truths about himself.

Of course, he handled it well and made things right in the end, and that is to be expected. But, just to see him challenge and critique himself was rare and special. There aren't too many times when Frank is truly humbled, and this was one of those occasions. It will be interesting to see how his character is portrayed the rest of the way as the series wraps up.

Jamie’s case wasn’t particularly memorable

Mob cases are often some of the most exciting on the show, but while it was cool to see Jamie and Anthony work together, the case wasn't particularly memorable. it did get to bring back Anthony's ex-wife for one more appearance, which was nice.

Review

This was another solid entry into the series. Frank had one of the best storylines he’s had in recent Blue Bloods seasons, and the investigation Danny and Baez led into Sam Evans wrapped up a lingering storyline. It was also reminiscent of some of their investigations earlier in the show. There was drama, there was tension, there was trickery, and there was action. This was a well-written and well-executed sequence. Fans can only hope that we’ll get more of these storylines during the final episodes.

Hopefully, the show gives Frank more room to explore character growth as the series winds down, and it will be interesting to see if his revelations in this episode lead him to do things differently as we get closer to the finale.