Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 9 Delivers a Shockingly Intense Midseason Finale and Finally Ends Its Worst Subplot

Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0

4.8

Anyone else need a minute to catch their breath?

Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 9 offered the most intense follow-up to the crooked-ADA story possible… leading to a cliffhanger I never expected.

It sucks that this is it until the end of February, especially since the show has struggled to find its footing and FINALLY hit its stride.

Jonah and Sean’s Goofy Stories Are Over, And I Couldn’t Be Happier

If you’re tired of me complaining about the ridiculous rookie stories that are almost always comic relief, I have good news: it seems like that era of Boston Blue is over for good.

I’m not just talking about the cliffhanger, which was shocking despite Jonah having gone off the rails for most of Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 9.

This serious story marks the most significant rift between the rookies, with Jonah sending Sean into the deli so he could beat up the suspect who killed his dad, and Sean telling him afterwards that partners tell each other what they’re up to.

Jonah is in big trouble now, but even if that last confrontation hadn’t gone the way it did, he created a conflict that would be hard for him and Sean to bounce back from.

It’s about time, too — high drama beats ridiculous hijinks any day of the week, especially for a show that is trying to show cops realistically.

Jonah’s Story Finally Gave Edwin Something Important to Do

It’s only in the past few weeks that Ernie Hudson’s grandfather character has had a real story, and many of his best scenes were part of this midseason finale.

Our passion for TV will hopefully carry us all through the midseason hiatus.
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I loved his talk with Jonah at the gravesite.

Edwin’s God talk might not have stuck, but I was surprised that Jonah was still so consumed by rage after Edwin helped him express the pain beneath his behavior.

I would have thought that getting some of that grief out would have tempered Jonah’s rage somewhat, but it didn’t appear to make a difference.

Jonah’s Disappearing Act Was Tense As Hell

I didn’t expect him to go rogue to the extent that he did. Maybe it’s because I write thrillers and watch Days of Our Lives, but when Jonah was missing, and his phone was off, my first thought was that someone did something to him.

I was disappointed that that wasn’t the case, though we don’t know exactly what happened, only that Jonah tailed the suspect to some random location and ended up shooting him.

Leaving out the actual confrontation was a brilliant move on Boston Blue’s part.

Since We Don’t Know What Really Happened, There Is Almost Certainly a Twist

We don’t know how the confrontation went down, so it’s possible (though not probable) that this was a clean shoot.

Additionally, we don’t really know why Jonah was there.

Do you think Jonah’s shooting the man who killed his dad is as straightforward as it appears?
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Sure, he stalked the guy before and even punched him, leading to an all-out brawl — but that was before he talked to Edwin.

I doubt Jonah’s grief and remorse at the graveyard were phony, so it’s possible that this final confrontation wasn’t anything like it seemed.

It’s easy to fill in the gaps in this story with the idea that Jonah was again randomly stalking this guy, but what if that’s just what the writers want us to think?

We know the suspect was a member of the Red Saints and didn’t like being confronted by Jonah in front of his fellow gang members.

So could he have dropped a false tip or otherwise lured Jonah to the area and then set up an ambush that forced Jonah to shoot to kill?

I doubt this scenario is going to end with Jonah stripped of his badge and awaiting trial for killing his father’s alleged killer, so that type of ambush makes the most sense.

Whatever the truth is, it has to come out during the rest of Boston Blue Season 1, and I’m here for that.

The mystery surrounding this entire scenario is far from over, too.

We still don’t know what’s up with that shady attorney (though I’m guessing he’s Red Saint affiliated) or the real reason Ben was killed in the first place.

Despite Everything, Mae Was Right to Expose the Corrupt ADA

Regardless of Jonah’s opinion, this didn’t seem like a difficult moral decision.

A corrupt ADA is going to ensnare innocent people in his net sooner or later, and requires removal as soon as the problematic behavior comes to light.

I did wonder if the fact that the ADA was problematic would mean that he handled all his cases incorrectly.

It would have taken a lot more time to examine each case closely than to throw them all out, so it made sense that the judge would err on the side of “unfair to the defendant.” Plus, without that decision, there would have been no story.

Meanwhile, Danny’s renunciation of his NYPD badge is a big deal — one that shows why the first season of Boston Blue should have aired alongside the last season of Blue Bloods.

Although Danny would still have been able to work with Lena without fully transferring to the Boston PD, he wasn’t able to be the lead detective — but as far as the Reagans are concerned, this change closes the door on him ever coming back to New York full-time.

That deserves a whole scene with his family’s reaction, but unfortunately, we can’t get that now that Blue Bloods is off the air.

The Hour Delivers Little Blue Bloods Touches

Still, we did get the first Jack mention since Boston Blue began, and we don’t know what the show has up its sleeve for when it returns — could there be some more cameo appearances coming?

What did you think of the Boston Blue midseason finale?

Hit the comments with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this article with anyone you’d like to join the conversation.

Vote in our poll below to rank Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 9.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Whitney Evans’ thoughts on watching Boston Blue as someone who never watched Blue Bloods. You can also check out all of our Boston Blue reviews for the season so far.

Boston Blue will return to CBS with all new episodes on February 27, 2026, at 10/9c. The first half of Boston Blue Season 1 is available to stream on Paramount+

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