Being a cop isn’t easy. That’s abundantly clear when you watch any single episode of “Blue Bloods.” The Reagan family, who all work in law enforcement in various capacities, all have to make tough decisions day in and day out. Sometimes, those decisions are a matter of life and death. In other instances, they’re merely attempting to navigate the treacherous waters of being in a family where everyone’s tasked with protecting the public good.
Every so often, a member of the team receives validation by arresting a criminal. After putting in a ton of legwork, a Reagan (or someone who works with the Reagans) will nab the bad guy and put them behind bars. They’ve captured their perp more often than not, and they can rest easy knowing they’ve done a job well done. But sometimes, an arrest isn’t necessarily a moment for validation. Sometimes, it can be absolutely heartwrenching, which was the case for what was arguably the best and more emotionally devastating arrest of Season 9 of “Blue Bloods.”
Maya Thomas’ arrest hit Eddie hard
Many arrests have taken place throughout the run of “Blue Bloods.” Criminals have been captured, and the Reagans have been validated for their bravery and commitment to service. Normally, it’s hard to feel bad for anyone who gets arrested, but in Season 9’s “Two-Faced,” there was no sense of joy in the arrest. That’s because it had to do with one of the NYPD’s own, with Maya Thomas (Yasha Thompson), getting placed in handcuffs.
In the episode, a crook mentions how an officer is taking money away from crime scenes for their own personal benefit. Eddie (Vanessa Ray) brings this to Jamie’s (Will Estes) attention, who tells her IAB will handle it. IAB definitely takes care of the matter because one day, during roll call, Jamie arrests Maya, who was Eddie’s partner for several episodes. It’s a shocking development but one that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone watching the episode, seeing how Maya mentioned earlier how she had money problems.
It’s the best arrest of the season due to how different it feels. There’s no sense of joy or camaraderie. The cadets continue looking forward stone-faced as one of their own is taken away. And Eddie actually confronts Jamie because he didn’t tell her they were investigating Maya for the thefts. It’s a tense arrest that’s rare to come by on “Blue Bloods,” which is why in terms of storytelling, it’s the best one to occur during Season 9.