#blindspot2

Season 2, Episode 20: “In Words, Drown I”

An undercover operation has Zapata breaking out of prison with an inmate with ties to Sandstorm. Patterson’s paranoia is affecting her work, and Kurt finds out that Roman killed Emma Shaw.

A good episode since it was set up well. The previous episode left us with a helluva misdirect when it ended with Zapata’s sudden arrest. We were left to assume it had something to do with her misguided attempt to protect Reade, but as it turns out, this was part of the team’s plan to get more intel on Sandstorm.

Of course, the writers didn’t give us this information right away. The episode began with Zapata being registered into the prison’s system and walking into the cell blocks for the first time. We watched worriedly as Zapata got into fights, defending a woman named Devon (played by Ronda Rousey).

The team’s plan was for Zapata to get close to Devon, who was arrested for illegally transporting weapons (for Sandstorm). Not only that, but it turns out her boyfriend is a familiar face--Parker, a member of Sandstorm who’s appeared throughout the season.

After breaking out of prison, it was pretty naive for Zapata to assume that Parker wouldn’t recognize her when she and Devon met up with him. All this leads to a shoot out where the FBI manages to successfully capture Devon and Parker.

The Truth Comes Out

With some encouragement from Roman, Jane decides to be honest with Kurt and tell him that Roman is responsible for the death of Emma Shaw. Surprisingly the fallout only included Kurt taking back his dinner invite and a tense moment between Kurt and Roman. Needless to say but Kurt feels betrayed and has seemingly dealt with his anger; but you can’t say the same for Roman.

While Jane was helping him put on a bandage, Roman had a sudden flashback of Jane injecting him, thus erasing his memory. The episodes ends with Roman trying to attack his sister with a knife.

It’s been a long time coming but the consequences of Jane lying to Roman at the very beginning of this season are finally upon us. Has Jane inadvertently created someone more dangerous than who her brother used to be? There are only a few episodes left of the season and they’re sure to set the stage for season 3 of Blindspot.

Notes

Season 2, Episode 16: “Evil Did I Dwell, Lewd I Did Live”

Nas survives the attempt on her life and, with Patterson’s help, manages to decrypt the USB drive provided by her former Sandstorm informant. For the first time, Nas’ informant wants money in exchange for information, which left him vulnerable to a sting operation. The ambush was successful and Nas’ informant was revealed to be Cade. Cade reluctantly agrees to help the FBI in exchange for his money and freedom, which brings them one step closer to crippling Shepherd and her operation.

The plot made leaps and bounds in this episode, which was a much needed improvement since the previous one was so disappointing. No drawn-out tattoo adventure this week and the B-plot between Reade and Zapata actually managed to keep me interested.

Another Mole?

Cade leverages his information and actually gets the FBI to agree to giving him millions of dollars in unmarked bills and his freedom. Unfortunately when Kurt, Jane and company act on his intel, Shepherd appeared to be one step ahead and managed to allude the team once again. But how?

Patterson caught onto her head trauma not being a symptom of PTSD but rather a side effect of Sandstorm’s scheming. She realizes that while kidnapped and unconscious, Borden and Shepherd managed to plant a tiny bug in one of her teeth.

The idea is a bit of a stretch, but it shows off how far Shepherd is willing to go for her cause. If there was a team member you would want to keep tabs on, it would definitely be Patterson, if not FBI Assistant Director Weller. Patterson informs everyone and the team sets up a trap with Cade’s assistance.

Patterson VS Borden

Using the bug to their advantage, the trap the FBI sets successfully corners 4 Sandstorm agents, but one of them manages to kill the other 3 then himself. Of course, Borden suspects the trap and tries to escape until he comes face-to-face with Patterson.

Much like his subordinates, Borden was trained to take his own life rather than being captured and he does so with a grenade.

-What does this mean for Patterson? Is this closure for her? Or does her refusal to receive anesthetic during her tooth extraction tell us something else?

Cade

With Cade’s return we find out a great deal more about him. For instance, Cade and Markos were lovers, and the reason why Cade tried to kill Jane was because he wanted revenge against Oscar. Cade seemed more cooperative knowing that Jane was the one who killed Oscar (and I’m sure the money and freedom incentive helped too).

We didn’t find out anything more about Sandstorm, but we did get some more insight on Remy and Roman’s relationship. Roman was on Remy’s leash. As a foot soldier, Cade didn’t know much about Sandstorm’s grand plan. Remy wasn’t happy with Roman when he almost shared details about the mysterious Phase 2 with Cade, and Cade wasn’t afraid of calling Roman out on his obedience.

It would have been nice for Cade to join in on the FBI’s crusade to stop Shepherd, but unfortunately, Blindspot can’t have guests for the more than a couple of episodes (unless they’re Rich Dotcom).

Random Drug Screening

Zapata is finally part of Reade’s adventure with cocaine. When the two are chosen randomly for the FBI’s drug screening, Reade tells his best friend about his new habit.

Although Reade tested negative, his story takes an interesting turn when Zapata visits Kurt at home, when Reade refused to tell him. Will Kurt react like Reade’s boss or reach out like his friend?

Season 2, Episode 22: “Lepers Repel”

Sandstorm’s endgame is revealed. With Kurt and the COGS safely hidden away, Shepherd intends to use a stealth glider launched from a satellite to collide with a nuclear stockpile in Washington, DC, thus eliminating the current heads of the United States Government.

Considering the quality and intensity of the penultimate episode, the Blindspot Season 2 finale was a disappointment. I really wanted to enjoy it, but there were elements that stopped me from doing so. Perhaps because a good portion of the action involved characters watching screens for long periods of time; whether it be for using drones to search for nuclear material, or using spacecrafts to intercept Sandstorm’s satellite. It was easy to lose tensity when we’re essentially watching characters stand around and wait. 

We were treated to brief moments of hand-to-hand combat and shoot-outs, but this finale felt like it was doing Blindspot a disservice. It almost seemed like stopping Shepherd and Sandstorm was easy. And it looks like going forward, the series is entering a soft reboot of the premise.

Disappointing finale aside, season 2 had significant changes for our favorite FBI team, and the new characters added to the fantastic dynamic that Blindspot is capable of.

Character Commentary

Jane Doe / Alice Kruger / Remi

This season gave us the answers we were pining for since the very beginning of the series. We learned how and why Jane came to be and we got better insight into who Remi was. But unfortunately there wasn’t much growth for Jane throughout the season. We watched as she acted as a double agent for the FBI and Sandstorm and play the role of concerned sister when she met Roman.

Jane’s gone through quite the emotional journey, but she only seemed to have one emotion throughout the entire season. She was constantly troubled. Even when she was dating someone, she always seemed stressed out. Perhaps that is just a symptom of the Tragedy of Alice Kruger. As the set up of the next season proves, Jane is fated to be a plot device, more than a character.

Kurt Weller

Kurt might have gone through the most eventful journey this season, and constantly had his character tested. Between taking on the role of Assistant Director of the NYO, his relationship with Nas Kamal, preparing to become a father, and learning his connection to Shepherd; Kurt has gone through a lot.

With the epilogue, revealing that he and Jane get married and break up sometime within the next two years, I hope the drama surrounding Kurt doesn’t only involve Jane.

Edgar Reade & Tasha Zapata

Reade and Zapata were having their own adventures this entire season but for some reason, it barely affected the main plot of the series. Although the beginning stressed about whether or not Reade was a victim of Coach Jones, the confirmation that he was didn’t seem that significant.

Zapata’s conniving nature continued throughout, and it seems safe to presume that she enters a career with the CIA after the events of the finale. With the characters seemingly parting ways after successfully taking down Shepherd and Sandstorm, how do they reunite?

Dr. Robert Borden / Nigel Thornton

Patterson’s tragic love life continues this season with the reveal of Dr. Borden as Sandstorm’s mole. I thought this was a great reveal. To have someone who’s been around since the very beginning, a traitor? Well played. But looking back, it felt like his character died too early. It felt like Parker filled in the role that Borden should have played towards the end, because it seemed like Borden was capable of so much more evil. As viewers, we deserved to have him face the other characters other than just Patterson.

Nas Kamal

Nas was a great addition to the team. Being part of the NSA automatically gave her character a conniving nature, but her relationship with Kurt and her efforts fighting along side the FBI redeemed whatever wrongs she committed. It’s a shame her character seemed to have an early exit, because other than he brief appearance in the finale, we deserved to see her do much more.

Shepherd / Ellen Briggs

Shepherd was a fantastic villain. Sandstorm’s Phase 2 was worth every bit of the hype and she was even willing to sacrifice herself at the end to complete her mission. What worries me about the next season is the new villain not being able to live up to the bar she set. Shepherd had a deep-seeded connection to both Kurt and Jane, and it’s hard to imagine a future antagonist having a comparable impact, but here’s hoping I get proven wrong.

Roman / Ian Kruger

Roman was another great addition to this series. Revealing that Jane has a brother who’s incredibly dangerous added a whole new dynamic to the show. It’s a shame that erasing his memory only resulted in it wearing off and returning to who he once was. I was excited for a whole new character to come about; scorned by a sister and mother he had forgotten; a new Roman, much like who Jane is compared to Remi. That said, I’m interested to see who he becomes in season 3, considering the way Jane referred to him in the finale’s epilogue.

Season 3 - New Tattoos?

It seems whoever engineered Jane’s tattoos and gathered the intel on various crimes is still out there, and is sending Jane a message 2 years after taking down Shepherd. Although I don’t look forward to a soft reboot of the series, with focus returning to a weekly tattoo adventure, it’s hard to imagine any other direction to go in.

Here’s hoping they can improve on the mistakes they made in season 1, and make the adventures more than just the Terrorist Threat of the Week.

Season 2, Episode 21: “Mom”

Roman returns to his cell at the FBI after learning the truth about his amnesia and attacking Jane. Parker finally gives up information on a Sandstorm facility, while FBI Director Pellington decides to go public with Sandstorm and Shepherd. Reade announces his transfer but rejoins the team when Sandstorm begins Phase 2: Invading the FBI New York Office.

Blindspot’s penultimate episode for its second season was a great reminder of how intense the series can be. This was an action-packed episode that managed its dramatic elements extremely well; not just for our main cast, but for the supporting roles as well.

In exchange for protecting an apparently pregnant Devon, Parker gives Kurt the location of a server warehouse that stores all of Sandstorm’s intel. When Jane and Kurt arrive with a tactical unit, they’re shocked to learn that inside the warehouse was an exact replica of the FBI’s New York Office--a training ground to prepare an attack.

With Parker captured by the FBI, Shepherd decided to accelerate Sandstorm’s plan of attack. Since communications were down, Kurt wasn’t able to warn the NYO that Sandstorm was invading. This immediately put Shepherd face-to-face with Director Pellington, while the forces of the FBI and Sandstorm pointed their guns at each other in the familiar office space. This showdown was easily my favorite part of the episode.

Up until now we’ve only seen Director Pellington as an authority figure, breathing down Kurt’s back, but in this episode we watched a hero fall. He did not waver in the face of terrorism, and whole-heartedly believed that everyone in that room would uphold the values and duties of the FBI. Patterson managed to lock down the room they were in, but Shepherd was killing employees one by one to bargain for their escape. Unfortunately, Kurt’s administrative assistant couldn’t stomach the death of her colleagues and gave Shepherd access, rendering Director Pellington useless.

Although we had elements of drama between Jane and Kurt (as usual) and Reade and Zapata (what else is new?), an interaction we were treated to was the reunion of Shepherd and Roman. Earlier in the episode they established that Roman’s amnesia could be wearing off, since he received fewer doses of ZIP than Jane (why is this only being shared now?).

Upon seeing his mother again, Roman flashbacked to being forced into killing Jane, and when refusing, Shepherd trying to kill him. His memories seem to be returning to him at a faster rate, which might explain why he rejoined Shepherd instead of staying at his cell at the FBI and remaining loyal to Jane.

I was hoping that Roman would have changed after everything that had happened since his memory was erased, but instead he’s reverting back to who he once was. Why is it only now that they’re establishing that his amnesia can wear off, since they spent so much time stressing about him becoming a different person? 

Thanks to Borden, Sandstorm was able to help create a plan to invade the FBI NYO and create a means of escape. But it seems Sandstorm’s plan was more extensive than initially thought. Patterson discovered that this was a coordinated attack, with six other federal buildings being invaded simultaneously. Although the NYO remained intact, Sandstorm was able to destroy two other federal buildings.

The Truman Protocol

An initiative to house and protect deputies across all federal agencies in the face of a devastating attack that would eliminate the current federal leaders. With Sandstorm’s attack, COGS (Continuity of Government Subcommittee) decided that if another attack occurred, all the gathered deputies would succeed the current United States Government.

With such high-ranking leadership gathered in one place, Kurt realizes provoking this protocol was all part of Sandstorm’s plan.

Season 2, Episode 19: “Regard a Mere Mad Rager”

One of Jane’s tattoos uncovers a lead to “The Truman Protocol,” which was referenced by Shepherd’s mentor. Kurt and Jane go undercover, competing to obtain classified documents from hackers, while Reade attempts to get back into the FBI. In Bangkok, Shepherd’s preparations for Phase 2 are disrupted.

A quiet episode for our favorite FBI team. Although most of their obstacles revolved around hacking and solving puzzles, the adventures centered on Jane and Kurt instead of Patterson. It managed to be an episode where Kurt and Jane didn’t have to rely on guns. Their biggest challenge: an escape room, where they had to admit some truths to each other.

The episode opened where it left off from the previous one: with Shepherd in Bangkok, securing dangerous chemicals for Phase 2. I expected an episode following the villain in her element, exercising her power, but instead we received an excellent B-plot, showing off how cunning Shepherd can be in a disadvantaged situation.

I would have liked an episode that solely focused on Shepherd, but given that the main story wasn’t too over-the-top, her adventure was a perfectly good fit. Although we haven’t been given enough to believe in her crusade, we got to watch her in action and witness her ferocity.

Reade is on a road to redemption to return to the FBI, but Dr. Karen Sun suggests that it might not be the right decision. Although things are beginning to look up for him, Zapata’s attempt to steal evidence for him finally reaches its consequences.

The evolution of Reade and Zapata’s adventures this season has taken a drastic turn. We were lead to believe that Reade might not be part of the team, but it seems Zapata’s career is in jeopardy. Can the team survive another loss?

Season 2, Episode 18: “Senile Lines”

Matthew Weitz returns and leads the depositions for Kurt Weller and his team, accusing them of aiding and abetting Sandstorm’s terrorism. Meanwhile a tattoo-case has the FBI looking into a non-profit organization with mysterious ties to foster homes. With help from Roman, the FBI goes in search for missing foster children after one of the children is found dead. Reade faces his demons.

I didn’t much care for this episode as it began, but that changed as soon as the mystery behind this tattoo adventure became clear. The reason why Jane’s tattoo alluded to a non-profit organization was because it used foster children to test experimental drugs, which lead to the death of a child living in one of their foster homes.

It would have been easy to brush off this tattoo-case, since as a fan, you would likely want to focus more on the investigation against Kurt and the team. But once again, Blindspot shows off how it can handle serious cases that involves crime against children; I’m referring, of course, to the Coach Jones case, which sparked Reade’s troubles this season.

I also have to commend this episode for managing to properly weave in a role for Roman. Though it is terribly unrealistic to have a known terrorist under house arrest, in the custody of an FBI associate(?), having Roman on this particular case and using his empathy for orphaned children was clearly an asset. Although he could never gain the level of trust the FBI has for Jane, it’s good that they’re giving Roman more to do.

Character Commentary 

Edgar Reade

After hitting rock-bottom in the previous episode, Reade wakes up in a hospital room he shares with an army veteran named Travis, played by Garrett Dillahunt. Their interaction was cliché as you could get, as Reade initially refused to open up, but it was nice to watch him finally get over his stubbornness.

Reade has been spiraling for most of this season and it now looks like he’s on the road to recovery--which begs the question: What’s on the tape? Is Blindspot willing to go that dark and reveal that he was indeed molested as a child? Looks like we’ll have to wait for our answer in the next episode.

Nas Kamal

The depositions were well constructed and made a lot of good points that could incriminate Kurt Weller and his team. This made it all the more admirable for Nas to take the blame for the FBI’s missteps in their crusade to take down Sandstorm.

It’s unclear whether or not this is the last we’ll see of Nas in the near future, but she was a great addition to the team and an interesting character. Her evolving role in the season was great watch; starting as a mysterious, conniving new member, to Kurt’s new love-interest, and eventually a trusted friend. It’ll be hard to let go of this character but perhaps the team dynamic will tap into something we might be missing from Season 1, with Reade’s eventual return.