Boston Blue: Who Shows Up For Family Dinner In The Blue Bloods' Spin-Off Premiere?
Contains spoilers for "Boston Blue" Season 1, Episode 1 — "Faith and Family"
It wouldn't be a "Blue Bloods" spin-off if it didn't feature a lively family dinner. The Silver family holds a repast for Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and his sister Erin (Bridget Moynahan) at their home in "Boston Blue." It's an easy way for Danny to learn more about Lena (Sonequa Martin-Gree) and her background, as well as get a feeling for the emotional and social climate present in their home. As Danny later exclaims during the meal, the Silvers have a lot in common with the Reagans.
Once the Reagans arrive, Lena walks Danny and Erin around her family room, teaching them about the Silver's long shared history. Besides Danny, others arrive to dig in, including Lena, Erin, Lena's grandfather Reverend Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson), her mom Mae (Gloria Reuben), her stepsister Sarah (Maggie Lawson) and her half-brother Jonah (Marcus Scribner). Dinner opens with a Jewish blessing, then a Baptist one from the Reverend. After that, the Silvers start chatting about their shared pasts — and picking apart the arson case that's put Danny's son, Sean (Mika Amonsen) into a coma.
The Silver family's dinners are a lot like the Reagan's
Danny's family has long been famous for teaming up to solve problematic crimes that haunt the NYPD, and during dinner the Silvers also "talk shop," to quote an amused Reagan. Sarah says that Lena has doubts the man they collared that afternoon for the murder of tech worker Andrea Decker (Stephannie Hawkins) is the right suspect, and they discuss the importance of using old-fashioned police work in tandem with new aids like facial recognition software instead of simply letting the computer program's edicts go unquestioned. As they discuss their perp and the evidence, they begin to collectively realize that Lena's hunch is right — they might have the wrong guy.
That little bit of doubt ends up being the break Danny and his new associates have been looking for. Together, they gain a new perspective on the case, and finally begin to put the pieces together. By the end of the episode, they have the man who shot Andrea to death in custody. Even better, the Reagans have a new set of friends they can rely on.