It's easy to forget that Blue Bloods is ending.

Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 2 felt like any other episode of the series. But Jamie and Joe's conflict led to Joe finally understanding something, and Frank's conflict with the mayor was over the future of his job.

Were these baby steps toward wrapping things up before the series finale next fall?

Joe Hill has always been an outsider because he didn't grow up with the Reagans, didn't know his father, and wasn't sure how he felt about them.

When he first came onto the scene, he didn't want a relationship with Frank Reagan or his uncles. He's slowly moved toward that, but more often than not, he's a thorn in Jamie or Danny's side on the job.

In that sense, Joe and Jamie's latest conflict wasn't any different than any other Joe Hill storyline. Joe recklessly infiltrated Jamie's hideout without checking whether Jamie was there, risking Jamie's life and the operation.

Sid: Jamie doesn't want anything to do with Joe Hill, and Joe Hill won't back down. I gotta say, thick-headed stuborn genes run in your family. No offense.
Frank: So pretend it's not my family and fix it.

• Permalink: So pretend it's not my family and fix it.

Afterward, neither of them would back down, just like always. There were only two differences between this and any other Joe Hill story: Frank stayed out of it, delegating it completely to Sid, and Joe admitted he was grateful to be part of the family.

It was a beautiful speech, but it also put a cap on Joe's storyline. He finally has found his place in the Reagan family.

I hope this isn't his last appearance! Joe appears infrequently, but it would be weird if he disappeared completely right after finally acknowledging how much it means to him that the Reagans accept him into their fold.

His confidential informant, or whoever that woman was, got shot while he was at the Sunday family dinner, so he may be back to deal with the fallout.

I'm glad Jamie's words got through to him. It had to have been hard for Joe to hear that he didn't know his father like his uncles. But Jamie was right; Joe was in no position to judge any of them, including his father, for the tragedy that befell Joe Sr.

I wasn't quite sure how we got there. Jamie told Joe to stay away from his case, and somehow, Joe accused him of not protecting his father. That was random.

It worked, but it seemed like it came out of nowhere.

Still, it led to an emotional confrontation at Joe's grave, even if the conflict did feel slightly contrived.

Not wanting the burden of a loved one's death seemed to be a theme. Walker's nosy questions during interrogation got Danny to realize he closes himself off from both Baez and Jackie so that he won't get hurt again like he did when Linda died.

I hope this isn't set up so that Danny can admit to feelings for Jackie. Their conversation about how she missed him, not this job, felt like it was headed in that direction.

If Danny has to fall hard for one of his partners, please let it be Baez! These two gel so well together, and she was the first one Walker tauntingly mentioned.

If that ever happened, it would be a little weird that Danny and Jamie ended up with their work partner. But a weirdly coincidental romance would be better than the split for the sake of drama many shows use week in and week out.

The other big theme of the night was talking to your partner.

Baez was pissed that Danny didn't tell her he was going on a mission, Badillio was upset that Eddie didn't keep him in the loop, and even Frank and Mayor Chase's conflict could have been avoided if either of them had talked to the other one rather than maligning their adversary in the press.

We never found out what was bugging Baez since Walker showed up then. But I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with Danny putting himself in danger instead of letting her know what was happening.

If Jackie hadn't been at the station or hadn't asked to tag along, Danny would have gone to meet Diaz himself. Her insistence on meeting right now made me think this was a trick.

It wasn't; it was a rescue mission because Diaz got kidnapped.

Still, Danny could have easily been ambushed. It didn't seem like an excellent idea for him to head over alone.

Danny and Baez are probably a ship that will never sail. But Baez may be infatuated with Danny or feel like Jackie is a threat to more than their working relationship.

Walker's insistence that Danny talk about his love life and Danny's subsequent admission that he doesn't want to get hurt again (even if it was partially to build rapport with Walker) suggest that Danny will find love again by the end of the series -- but could he surprise us and meet someone new?

I felt the writers were making fun of fans warring over whether Danny should be with Baez or Jackie when Walker began needling Danny about his feelings for them. Maybe they'll troll us further by putting Danny with someone else altogether.

Mayor Chase and Frank have officially reached frenemy territory (by the way, am I the only one who didn't know Mayor Chase's first name was Pete?) They acted like teenagers, blindsiding each other in interviews and then getting mad about it.

Chase's idea seemed silly. Does he know what Frank's job entails? There's no way a committee of people could make effective decisions about how to handle accusations against a rogue cop or any of the other serious issues Frank deals with daily.

The only committee Frank needs is his Dream Team -- and half the time, he doesn't listen to them, either. Anything else would make his job harder.

I didn't appreciate Chase saying that Frank wants to deflect blame for high crime rates. That's the opposite of who Frank is, and Chase should know that by now.

He's always seen Frank as this thorn in his side who makes life more difficult. He's never checked his ego enough to think about why Frank holds the positions he does.

He's not quite as bad as the mayor who forced Jack McCoy's hand on Law & Order Season 23 Episode 5, but he's almost as annoying. He never listens to anything Frank says and always complains that Frank doesn't respect him enough.

Eddie's case would have fit in on Law & Order: SVU.

She did the right thing. If she wasted time searching for McNichol and Badillo so she could inform them ahead of time, the victim would have lost critical minutes while waiting for medical treatment and filing a report.

McNichols is always a nuisance until she decides to secretly help Eddie, and this episode was no exception. Even in the locker room, her attitude aggravated me. Getting the victim help wasn't about what it made McNichols look like. The woman needed help, and every second that passed made it less likely she'd get it- and she risked losing evidence. That's it.

Too bad MicNichols never got that.

What did you think, Blue Bloods fanatics?

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Blue Bloods airs on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.