Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Blindspot 1x04 "Bone May Rot" (The Important Connection) [Contributor: Jen]


"Bone May Rot"
Original Airdate: October 12, 2015

In "Bone May Rot," Jane's tattoos lead the team to the CDC and they begin to unravel another terrorist threat. Stopping the threat is easy part. It's Jane's identity that grows more complicated every episode. As Blindspot continues to weave the complicated web of "Who is Jane Doe?" the viewers are left with only one constant in the series: Kurt and Jane and their relationship.

CASE OF THE WEEK


This week on Blindspot, our scrappy FBI team has to stop (drum roll please) the spread of an infectious disease. Great. This is one freezer I wanted no part of (*shudder*). Of course, there are missing vials at the CDC and of course Jane's tattoos correspond to the missing vials. This is Blindspot, after all! The blacklight tattoos –– on her face –– were a nice touch. And apparently, these tattoos can only be exposed by the CDC's special ultraviolet light. So, no, it looks like we won't be seeing glow-in-the-dark-face tattoos anymore after this point. Not much can distract me from Jaimie Alexander's beauty, but glow-in-the-dark-face tattoos were testing my limits.

A CDC employee wants to save the world from the threat of overpopulation –– thin the herd, so to speak. The –– obviously –– logical solution is to unleash ten deadly diseases around the world. Interestingly enough, none of the infectious diseases spread beyond the nine targeted cities. There's a flaw in the science somewhere. I'm certainly no expert, but plagues typically don't stick to designated zip codes.

The CDC worker (who is legitimately crazy, in case we haven't established that already), has one more city to infect. Through some good ol' fashioned detective work (sorry tattoos), Team Blindspot discover that the target is the Manhattan cruise terminal. Once there, they find a suitcase containing the weaponized form of the virus. Unfortunately, the CDC HazMat team gets stuck in traffic. Not even the threat of infectious disease can defeat the indomitable brick wall that is New York City traffic, I suppose.

So, Team Blindspot has to MacGyver a HazMat cover for the suitcase. They literally even use the term "MacGyver," which makes the whole thing more awesome. Using a couple of mops, brooms, cones, a clear plastic sheet, and always-life-saving duct tape, the team stops the spread of the virus. I half expected them to say "ta-da!" after they completed their Odyssey of the Mind project.

And as it turns out, there isn't one crazy CDC worker, but two! Weller gets into a fist fight complete with dueling HazMat suits. Not even Kurt Weller can pull off a HazMat suit fist fight. He looks ridiculous. Luckily for Weller, Jane shows up and saves his butt by taking on the perp herself. Brava, Jane.

TEAM BLINDSPOT


Reade finally qualifies why Jane concerns him and the answer is not only surprising, but it makes a lot of sense. It's not Jane who worries him. It's Kurt and how he behaves around Jane. The team is dependent on Kurt and his split-second decision-making. When Jane is around, Kurt is distracted. He's not the leader that Reade depends on, and it frightens him.

This is... fair. Reade acknowledges that none of this is specifically Jane's fault –– but a distracted Weller could be problematic for the team. Perhaps Kurt as a boy didn't know what love was, but Kurt as a man certainly does. The mere presence of Jane and the emotional avalanche she is causing within Kurt is understandable. Distraction is a natural outgrowth of that and those emotions, and it's good Reade is cognizant of the real danger that could occur. Still, Weller has managed to stop four terrorist attacks with Jane by his side. So, personally, I think he's adjusting just fine.

Mayfair and Carter–– who works for the CIA –– have another one-on-one meeting. Carter insists Mayfair hand over Jane, so he can question her. Mayfair responds with a resounding "no." The more I get to know Bethany Mayfair, the more I like her. While I think her involvement in Project Daylight is nefarious, her intentions towards Jane are not. At least so far. She seems protective of Jane, especially when it comes to Carter.

KURT AND JANE


Remember how I said it was great that Blindspot confirmed Jane Doe was Taylor Shaw? Remember how I said it was nice they aren't jerking the audience around?

Blindspot is totally jerking the audience around.

Based on some tests Patterson ran on Jane's tooth, she was born in Africa. Both the DNA and enamel tests are accurate. The DNA tests mean Jane is Taylor Shaw. The enamel test means she is not. Both can't be true. I swear, we're going to need a Venn Diagram for this show.

Sigh. So, we're back to square one. Remember the blissful seven days when we knew Jane was Taylor Shaw? Good times.

It was a frustrating end to a moving episode. Kurt fills in the backstory on Taylor Shaw for Jane and for the audience: her mother is dead and Taylor is an only child. So, Kurt is the only connection she has. The reason Weller carries such intense guilt over Taylor's abduction is because he was babysitting her on the night she went missing. Her mother was at work and when Kurt checked on Taylor, she was gone. There was no forced entry. No open windows or doors. She just vanished. Jane has memory flashes of a shadowed figure –– presumably a man –– leading her out of the bedroom of the house.

Then, the bomb drops. The only suspect in the case was Kurt's father. He's serving a prison sentence for Taylor's kidnapping. Weller cannot speak of what his father is suspected of doing to Taylor because it is unspeakable. The few words he does manage paint a very clear, and horrifying, picture.
In another emotional scene, Jane remarks she's only focused on what Taylor Shaw means to her. She feels guilty for not thinking about what finding Taylor Shaw means to Kurt. While she's only been living with this for a few weeks, Kurt has been living with it for twenty-five years. It is another example of Jane's instinctual selflessness and good heart. Jane always thinks of others first and when she doesn't, she beats herself up for it.

As Jane reads a newspaper article on Taylor's disappearance, Weller reminisces about the photo. It was taken by a creek he fished with both is father and Taylor. He even smiles. The connective thread between his memories of Taylor and Jane's memory loss is a strong one.

For the record though, this zigzag doesn't do much to deter my belief that Jane is Taylor. Perhaps, she was born in Africa and we're entering The Face on a Milk Carton or Finding Carter territory. Time will tell.

Regardless of Jane's identity, she was sent to Weller for a reason and their connection is real. There is an underlining current of electricity between these two characters because they are slowly bringing each other back to life. As we wind along the mysterious road of Jane's identity, the connection between Kurt and Weller is the one course Blindspot refuses to veer from.

Stray Thoughts:
  • Zapata has a gambling problem. This will lead nowhere good.
  • I think Patterson is safe. Her boyfriend, however, is toast. Should have just left the files alone buddy. You just got yourself killed.
  • Not only did Jane not receive any novocain for her lost tooth, it eradicated her identity once again. Worst lost tooth ever.
  • There is nothing duct tape cannot do.
  • Do I need to be concerned about overpopulation? Is that a thing? Thanks Blindspot. I was extremely happy in my ignorance.

4 comments:

  1. I think that Reader has a point. I mean, as much of a great boss and better split-second decision-maker Weller is, since she was found she has been the key to save/solve the case of the week.

    She has managed to save Weller's life in most of the episodes: Estatue of Liberty, the blackout hospital and the guy at the Manhattan cruise terminal, and she just crashed the car of the drone pilot stopping him.

    I think that's what Reader is most concerned about.

    PS: nice thought about a disease staying in a determined zip code. How nice of the disease, not to spread themselves too much?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don,t know if you're aware of it, but each episode title (which make no sense ) is actually an anagram. The actual titles are as follows:

    1x01 Woe has Joined = Who is Jane Doe
    1x02 A Stray Howl = Taylor Shaw
    1x03 Eight Slim Grins = The Missing Girl
    1x04 Bone May Rot = Or Maybe Not

    The writers made it a game for the viewers to try to figure out what each nonsensical episode title means. The following are my guesses for upcoming episodes:

    1x05 Split The Law = Will the Past
    1x06 Cede Your Soul? = Cloud Our Eyes
    1x07 Sent on Tour = Trust No One
    1x08 Persecute Envoys = Suspect Everyone
    1x09 Authentic Flirt = ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH!!!! I totally didn't know that. That's awesome. Thank you for telling me!

      Delete
    2. 1x09 - "Authentic Flirt" = LIFT THE CURTAIN

      1x10 - "Evil Handmade Instrument" = AND UNVEIL THE MASTERMIND

      Delete