'Blue Bloods': Gold Star for Donnie Wahlberg's Performance

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If you missed this week's episode of "Blue Bloods," "Silver Star," don't worry, you only missed the best episode yet.When a veteran of the Iraq war (Aaron Dean Eisenberg) is left dead in an alley for hours, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) goes into marine mode and demands respect for his fellow fallen soldier. Seeing as how the murdered soldier is an ex-marine, Danny does everything in his power to find the killers and bring them to justice.
For the first time, "Blue Bloods" has given us the opportunity to see the murder as it happens, as well as the culprits so there was no mystery as to who killed the victim. This could have been so that the viewer was more focused on Danny's passion in catching the men who killed the marine. While we are all aware that Danny served time in the Iraq war, no details as to what he went through or the things he witnessed have ever been given, until now.
A conversation between Danny and his wife, Linda (Amy Carlson), was especially emotional when he reveals that a 19-year-old boy lost his life taking Danny's place one night. Danny has been dealing with survivor's guilt since then, and has tried to live his life appreciating what he has.
Wahlberg's performance throughout the episode was intense and such a delight to watch. It is obvious that the actor put in a lot of effort towards making this a stand-out performance. In fact, the night before it aired, Wahlberg wrote on his Twitter page, "["Blue Bloods" episodes] all mean a lot to me... This one does especially. Hopefully to you, too." This was one episode not to miss.
Frank (Tom Selleck) had his own set of problems when a story about him ran in a newspaper, making him out to be a "glory hound." The obvious person to have the story run was the only one with an interest in keeping Frank away from running for mayor; the mayor himself (Bruce Altman).
In an interesting side note, the opening song was a cover of Alice in Chains' "Down in a Hole." With the recent death of an Alice in Chains founding member, bassist Mike Starr, one has to wonder if it's a coincidence or if someone involved with "Blue Bloods" had the song put in at the last minute to honor Starr.
"Blue Bloods" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. E.T. on CBS.

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