BLUE BLOODS: Hold Outs
Faith, prayer, justice, and biblical truth make this episode worth watching.
Should You Watch It?
This is one of the better episodes of Blue Bloods in a couple years. Its three interlocking stories—gang muggings targeting senior citizens, a retried murder case, and a police commissioner’s conflict with the mayor—are compelling and include several strong twists.
The episode also gives you more than suspense. It positively presents Jesus, prayer, Scripture study, justice, police service, and doing the right thing. The writing, direction, editing, and acting are excellent, and the characters are heroic and appealing despite their flaws.
Some foul language and references to immoral behavior keep this from being an entirely clean family choice. Older children and adults who can exercise discernment should find much to appreciate. In practical terms, this is a strong episode to watch with older children and discuss afterward.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESOfficer Jamie Reagan and his partner, Eddie, investigate a series of gang muggings targeting senior citizens in a neighborhood of apartment buildings.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Erin Reagan takes over a carjacking and murder case after a hung jury. Their father, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, faces questions about whether the newly re-elected mayor will ask him to remain police chief.
The three investigations unfold alongside one another, bringing questions of justice, service, leadership, and personal responsibility into the Reagan family’s world.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this episode is compelling from beginning to end and succeeds both as police drama and as a collection of connected stories.
The separate plots play well off one another, and their twists hold your attention. The direction and editing mix the stories superbly. The acting is excellent and extremely believable, while even the minor characters are well delineated.
The good guys are heroic and appealing despite their flaws. The episode’s strong writing and moral clarity make it one of the better installments of the series in a couple years.
The Worldview
This episode presents a strong Christian and moral worldview in a Catholic context. It treats prayer, Scripture, justice, service to others, and doing the right thing as serious obligations. A cardinal serves as a spiritual advisor, giving Frank Reagan biblical passages to study as he seeks an answer to his conflict with the mayor.
The episode also presents police work positively. A new officer speaks about protecting life and changing lives for the better, and that idea is reflected in the investigations. The stories honor paying good deeds forward, protecting other people, seeking justice, and serving faithfully.
The episode includes a politically correct comment about Sarah Palin’s ability to answer foreign-policy questions. It also contains references to immoral behavior, but these do not overturn the episode’s larger emphasis on Christian life, faith, prayer, and moral responsibility.
The episode’s longing for wisdom and the right path connects with Scripture: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God” (James 1:5).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
<span style="font-weight: 400;"> (CCC, BBB, PPP, PC, LL, V, S, M) Very strong Christian, moral worldview in a Catholic context about depending on a cardinal as a spiritual advisor, who gives the lead hero of a family of heroes passages from Scripture to study regarding a problem at work involving the mayor, with an emphasis on doing the right thing, seeking justice, and protecting and serving other people, with a very strong Pro-American view of police and police work, including positive comments about protecting life, changing lives and paying good deeds forward, plus a politically correct line about Sarah Palin not being able to answer foreign policy questions very well; 10 obscenities (mostly “d” and “h” words) and three light profanities, including a comment using “Lord knows” in a light comment that can also be taken in a positive manner; light violence includes a foot chase, gang members pull knives on senior citizens, but police are there in two instances, a car is burning as a result of arson, talk about a murder during a supposed carjacking, talk about the murdered body of a female witness having been found; no depicted sex, but an adulterous affair is revealed during the investigation of two murders, a missing prostitute is being sought as a crime witness, and a widow passionately kisses her apparent lover; no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking or drugs; and, tension between two attorneys in the District Attorney’s office, and police chief is upset about being disrespected by the mayor who’s been re-elected but has yet to come to the chief to offer him to stay on the job.</span>
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Frank seeks advice and studies Scripture before deciding how to respond to the mayor. How do you seek God’s wisdom when you face a difficult decision?
James 1:5 · Proverbs 3:5–6The new officer speaks about protecting life and changing lives. What does it mean to use authority in a way that serves others?
Mark 10:42–45 · Micah 6:8Erin continues pursuing justice after a hung jury. How can we seek justice while still treating people with honesty and mercy?
Zechariah 7:9–10 · James 2:13The episode presents prayer and Scripture study as practical, not merely ceremonial. What difference should they make in an ordinary work problem?
Psalm 119:105 · Philippians 4:6–7The Final Word
Blue Bloods: Hold Outs is compelling, well acted, and unusually clear about faith, prayer, justice, and service. Its language and references to immoral behavior call for discernment with older children, but the episode’s moral center is strong. WORTH WATCHING for older children and adults.
