Recap / Blue Bloods S 5 E 2 Forgive And Forget

• The Atoner: Damon Williams is a former gang member who, years ago, shot an innocent girl, Isabelle Green, during a gang shooting. For this he ended up in juvenile detention, but during this time he reformed, graduated from high school and college, and, once he got out, began working with at-risk youth to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did. He himself admits to be aware that he has done a terrible thing for which he will never deserve forgiveness, but he genuinely claims that he's trying the best he can to at least stop other people from suffering what Isabelle went through.
• Karma Houdini: Four times.
  • Damon Williams is ultimately not prosecuted for the death of Isabelle Green, despite the fact that her death was caused by the gunshot wounds he caused, because on the one hand it is still, as Erin says, a long shot to prove that it was Damon's fault alone that the girl died, given that eight years have passed, but also the DA's office has decided not to press charges because it has been proven that Damon has actually reformed, so sending him to prison might do more harm than good.
  • Marcus Green, Isabelle's father, shoots Damon once he finds out that the latter won't be persecuted for Isabelle's death, but Damon, thanks to Erin's gentle urging, decides to not press charges and declares to not have seen who shot him.
  • Det. Scanlon, who is given a chance to retire without being fired for drinking on the job.
  • Officer Reynolds, who refuses to help Jamie and Walsh when they get into a shootout with some heavily armed criminals. Jamie pins him to the wall and gives him the much-needed "The Reason You Suck" Speech, but it's still far less than what would have happened if a superior officer had found out that Reynolds had refused to help a fellow officer.
  • Let's add extra about Danny, who spends the first half of the episode trying to push Erin to press charges against Damon and then blaming her when she (along with the DA himself) decides not to go along with his request. Basically, Danny spends the entire episode trying, and failing, to provoke first Damon and then Erin, and ultimately plays no role in Marcus Green not being sent to prison. Although he's shocked when Damon listens to Erin and declares that he did not see his attacker, showing a possible Jerkass Realization moment, Danny's screentime in the episode ends there, without Erin or anyone else calling him out on his behavior.
• Police Are Useless: In a rare example for this show, Danny perfectly fits this trope, as he fails to do anything, in this episode, other than provoke, berate and complain about Damon Williams' case. Everything good that happens, in that story, only comes from Erin.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Three times, initially. Later, all the three times is averted.
  • Basically everyone apart from Jamie and Frank think that what officer Kara Walsh did, testifying against her partner (who killed a man for futile reasons), is something that permantely marks her as a rat.
  • Danny and Marcus Green thinks this about the latter's daughter death, against her shooter, Damon Williams.
  • Frank initial behaviour against his friend, Det. Scanlon, for drinking on the job.