‘Blue Bloods’ Season 13 Episode 6: Joe Hill Victim-Blamed a Drugged Man, Fans Are Not Happy
Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 6 included a character arc for Joe Hill. However, not all of the fans were entirely on board with how he evolved over the course of the narrative. Some Blue Bloods fans explained how Joe victim-blamed a man after a woman drugged him in a bar. As a result, they were absolutely appalled that the show allowed the story to even go there.
‘Blue Bloods’ sees Joe Hill verbally attack ADA Davis
Blue Bloods Season 13 Episode 6 picks up in a courtroom where the defense attorney wants to dismiss the case because ADA Davis didn’t show up. As a result, Joe Hill (Will Hochman) is fuming, texting Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan). She tasks Anthony Abetemarco (Steve Schirripa) with finding ADA to get him into court.
Joe and Anthony head to Davis’ apartment, where they find him asleep on his couch. Joe proceeds to pour water over his head and shouts at him as he wakes up. However, Davis explains that he didn’t have anything to drink for the past year, yet he doesn’t remember a thing from the previous night other than going on a date with a woman named Monique. Surveillance footage proves that she spiked his drink, which is when Joe blames Davis. Meanwhile, Anthony disagrees with him placing the blame on Davis.
‘Blue Bloods’ fans are angry with Joe Hill for victim blaming
A Blue Bloods fan took to Reddit to share their disappointment in how Joe “casually” victim-blamed Davis. They recognized that his dealings were “shady,” but they called out Joe for reacting in a way that placed blame on Davis for the drugging. The original poster said that it’s a double standard because the show would never write that about a female character.
Further, they wrote that Joe angered them throughout the episode, but that this moment was especially “uncalled for.” They noted that this only “increases stigma about males’ being victims of crimes.” Davis was a double-crosser, but they emphasized that they’re pointing out this specific scene, in particular.
Many other Redditors came to the original poster’s defense, agreeing that Joe’s anger “got the best of him.” Another user entirely agreed with the post, saying, “Glad that I wasn’t the only one that caught that! I paused the TV and sat for two minutes wondering if he’d really said that. Not his finest moment.”
Other fans believe that it was the point of the episode
Other Blue Bloods fans recognized that Joe was in the wrong, but claimed that it was part of the character’s arc in the episode. He isn’t meant to be likable here, as the narrative demonstrates what a jerk he can be. Meanwhile, another Redditor said it was a realistic scene because it showed the character’s judgmental side.
Additionally, one of the top-rated comments wrote about how Joe wasn’t the only Blue Bloods character to get exposed over the course of the episode. For example, they noted that Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) had a temper tantrum, but if the higher-ranking officer wasn’t his younger brother, it wouldn’t have worked out so well for him.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
