Lena Silver, portrayed by Sonequa Martin-Green, stands as a formidable presence in the Silver family legacy and distinguishes herself from her new partner, Danny Reagan, played by Donnie Wahlberg. This distinction makes it all the more intriguing that her narrative in “Baggage Claim” mirrors a challenging experience Danny faced during his tenure with the New York City police force.

Lena is driven by an intense need to apprehend Senator Lowell, played by Gabriel Burrafato, who has committed multiple murders. These crimes were made possible due to Lena’s initial oversight as a rookie, failing to properly investigate his first killing. Senator Lowell has repeatedly exploited his power and influence to evade justice, pushing Lena to the brink of going rogue. However, Danny intervenes, urging her to maintain perspective.

“I’ve been down this road many times. We have to be smarter than him, so when we nail that son of a b****, we nail him for good. That’s what the victims deserve,” Danny advises. His insight is rooted in experience; back in Season 1 of “Blue Bloods,” Danny encountered a parallel predicament. In the episode “Privilege,” he contends with a rape suspect who attempts to dodge New York State law by invoking diplomatic immunity.

Despite the temptation to circumvent the system in “Privilege,” Danny collaborates with his sister Erin, played by Bridget Moynahan, and his father Frank, portrayed by Tom Selleck, to find a lawful solution. They ultimately succeed by applying pressure on the suspect’s family, who surrender him when their own liberties are at risk. This strategy not only brings justice but also resonates with the themes explored in “Baggage Claim,” drawing a clear parallel between the two storylines.

Though he’s tempted to cheat the system in “Privilege,” Danny teams up with sister Erin (Bridget Moynahan) and dad Frank (Tom Selleck) to find a legal way around this impasse. Eventually, they bring the perp in by applying pressure to his family members, who willingly turn him in when their own freedom is threatened. And that’s not the only “Blue Bloods” episode that “Baggage Claim” echoes. 

Danny also acts as a Jiminy Cricket-like good cop to a raging colleague during the Season 14 closer of “Blue Bloods,” “The Heart of Saturday Night.” In that episode, good guy cop Gus Vanderlip (Aidan Quinn) goes rogue when a perp he jailed walks free. Danny finds himself two steps behind a furious Gus, hoping to talk him down before he does anything rash. While Danny fails to keep the veteran cop from extracting extralegal justice in one of the saddest moments in “Blue Bloods” history, he does convince Lena to do the right thing in “Baggage Claim.”

At the end of the day, Lena ultimately ends up getting her “white whale” perp. She and Danny work together to bring him in, finally allowing Lena to breathe easy and to get past the villain who’s been haunting her for years. And she does it all without breaking the law — proving that she and Danny are a total crimefighting dream team.