Friday, October 28, 2016

Blindspot 2x07 Review: "Resolves Eleven Myths" (Truth Bombs Dotcom) [Contributor: Jen]


"Resolves Eleven Myths"
Original Airdate: October 25, 2016

Kurt and Jane are searching for a sense of normalcy in "Resolves Eleven Myths." Luckily, Rich Dotcom arrives just in time to drop some truth bombs on them.

CASE OF THE WEEK


Rich Dotcom hacks his way back into Team Blindspot's lives when he breaks into Weller's apartment and holds all the FBI files hostage. There's always a catch with Rich, and this time is no different. Turns out he's being hunted by an assassin named The Acadian, who killed his boyfriend, Boston, and is now after him.

Rich's plan is to get arrested by the FBI so they are forced to take out The Acadian when the assassin comes hunting for him. "Resolves Eleven Myths" really builds the suspense as we await The Acadian's arrival and he does not disappoint when he finally shows up.

He's essentially a super ninja who also happens to excel in chemistry. He kills two FBI agents and then rigs a bomb that Patterson has to diffuse. Patterson being Patterson is able to dismantle the first bomb, but not before triggering the second. She and Weller make a run for it as it explodes. It looks like Patterson is severely injured, because Blindspot loves to send my heart level skyrocketing.

Then, The Acadian runs into Reade and Zappata and, well... kicks the every living crap out of both of them. Seriously, I felt like I was in the middle of a Jackie Chan movie or something. The Acadian takes Zappata hostage and injects her with a neurotoxin. There are three bottles, but only one contains the antidote. The other two can kill Zappata immediately. The Acadian will tell Team Blindspot which bottle is the antidote, but only after they hand over Rich.

It's at this point in the episode that I really started to stress out. I'm a big fan of everybody in the cast, so if it's all the same, I'd like everyone to survive — even Rich Dotcom. So it is Weller to the rescue! He comes up with a fairly ingenious plan to loop the security footage so it looks like Rich Dotcom is alone. Then, when The Acadian shows up, Team Blindspot will pounce. My man! See? He's not just another pretty face.

It all leads to a final showdown between Jane, Kurt, and The Acadian. The Acadian's fighting skills are far superior and Jane is really the only one who can take him. However, they are forced to kill The Acadian before getting the antidote. Luckily, Zappata was paying attention (and holding on for dear life to her series regular contract). She taps out the correct vile via Morse Code to Reade and thus, is saved.

Rich Dotcom doesn't get away this time. Team Blindspot anticipates his conniving ways. Patterson realizes Boston's death sounds a lot like Dobby's death in Harry Potter. So she tracks Rich's hacks, and they are able to apprehend both men.

Whew. What a ride.

TEAM BLINDSPOT


These are the type of Blindspot episodes I love — a streamline case of the week that allows for tight and suspenseful action with meaningful character developments. Zappata nearly dying added another level of depth to her relationship with Reade. I can't tell if they are going for "romantic" with these two or not, but at this point it doesn't matter. What matters is the emotional connection between these two characters, be it platonic or otherwise.

Zappata is afraid that Reade isn't telling her everything about Coach Jones' murder. She wants to take the knife from evidence. Reade angrily tells Zappata that she's still an addict. Instead of gambling with cards, she's gambling with his life. She gets a high from the risk. It's not about Reade at all.

Ouch. This is the danger with our loved ones — they know exactly what buttons to push to cause maximum damage. Reade, of course, apologizes to Zappata when she makes her full recovery. He was just trying to protect her by pushing her away. Zappata accepts Reade's apology but then... takes the knife from evidence.

So, is it true? Does Zappata get off on the risk and therefore keeps escalating her involvement? Yes, Zappata is addicted to the rush, but in a way that's what makes her a good FBI agent. She's almost fearless. Even brazen.

However, her primary motivating factor is to protect Reade. She knows him better than anyone and he is lying to her about something. Of course, Zappata remembers that Freddie took Reade's knife when she kicked him out of the apartment. So, perhaps my theory that Freddie killed Jones and Reade is protecting him isn't so far off the mark. Reade may not have physically killed Jones, but I don't think he made an effort to save his life either. I think that's what Reade is afraid to admit to Zappata.

KURT AND JANE


SO. MANY. FEELS. It's almost like Martin Gero knows the Nas and Weller make-out sessions cause our skin to crawl and blood to boil, so he tosses us extra Jeller goodies to make up for it. We open the "Resolves Eleven Myths" with Kurt and Jane happily cooking and kissing in their apartment together. Hello! What fun world is this and can we stay? Then, Jane's brother Roman knocks on the door. Kurt and Roman hug like old friends and the three enjoy a nice, quiet dinner party. Jane has everything she wants.

That is, until Remi shows up and kicks the crap out of Jane as she says, "This doesn't belong to you." Watching Jane's two selves slug it out is spectacular because it's some amazing stuntwork. It reminds me of an episode of Arrow when Oliver Queen fought The Arrow. There's a speed and brutality to it that makes it one of Blindspot's best stunts.

Later in the episode, Jane tries to move on with the handsome Water Guy, but she realizes there's so much about her life she can never share with another person. Her attempt at "normal" simply isn't possible.

The dream is simply a manifestation of the voice that lives inside Jane's mind — Remi's voice. No matter how much Jane tries to claw her way out of her old world and build herself a new one, Remi is there, waiting, to tell her she can't do it. Whatever peaceful or happy life Jane envisions for herself isn't real. It's a world, and a place, Jane doesn't belong. It's a world, and a place, that doesn't belong to Jane.

When you are told you can't have something, one of two things happen: you either give up, or you fight harder for it. When Jane heard Remi's voice on her "normal" date with Water Guy, she listened and gave up. She bailed on the date.

However, when The Acadian sent Kurt crashing through a glass and nearly knocked Jane out, she heard Remi's voice again. Only this time, Jane didn't back down. It ignited a fire in her that made Jane fight even harder for Kurt. Jane decided, in that moment, Kurt Weller does belong to her and she will do anything to protect him. There's a fierceness and ferocity to Jane's fighting after that and The Acadian is put on the defense for the first time. Together, Kurt and Jane are able to stop him.

Jane Doe is someone of tremendous will. When Jane puts her mind to something, she can do almost anything. It doesn't matter what the "normal" picture looks like. What matters is who Jane wants "normal" with — and that person is Kurt Weller. He's someone worth fighting for. Kurt Weller is someone worth living for. Perhaps, just as importantly, Jane wants to belong to someone. She wants to belong to Kurt and vice versa.

The reason I so dearly love Rich Dotcom episodes is because Rich is basically me: "Kurt is clearly still in love you with you. You don't see this? You don't see this? He's just confused, Jane!"

I yell this every week at Kurt and Jane. For real.

I rather enjoyed how Rich picked up on the weird energy and assigned blame to Nas. Rich isn't wrong. Nas has upset the equilibrium of the team, primarily because she's moving Kurt and Jane like chess pieces around a board. She's been their intermediary for weeks and now that she's sleeping with Kurt, she really has sandwiched herself between them. When Kurt and Jane are off balance, then the whole team is. Rich Dotcom — Captain of the Jeller ship — understands this.

Kurt confronts Nas about listening in on their private conversations with Dr. Borden. To prove her trustworthiness, Nas tells Weller about "Omaha." It's a no-restrictions surveillance program run by the NSA. Weller seems satisfied with this piece of juicy intel and sleeps with Nas. Again.

Really Kurt. REALLY? There is a MOLE. She's been spying and lying for weeks. Nas just hands over classified intel to you and everything is cool? Ugh. I know Nas isn't the mole, because that would just be too convenient for me, but that doesn't mean Kurt has to jump right back into bed with the woman. Aren't you supposed to be having trust issues, Weller? This feels like Oscar and the favorite tea all over again.

The bottom line is, Kurt is attempting "normal" with Nas. He feels like she understands him and the job. They share a connection... blah blah blah. I hate to break it to you buddy, but Nas is Jane 2.0. She's Jane Lite. Nothing is going to be as good as the original, Weller. It doesn't matter what the "normal" picture looks like. What matters is who Kurt wants "normal" with — and that person is Jane. Nas is just a symptom of Kurt's confusion. 

Rich Dotcom gets it. It'd be super great if Kurt and Jane started getting it too.

Stray Thoughts:
  • "This is like when they brought in the second Aunt Viv. Remember that? That was messed up." I spit out my Coke when Rich said that. Super accurate. Super hilarious.
  • Patterson giving Jane relationship advice is the cutest. Also... I guess they are back to being friends that give relationship advice? I feel like we missed a conversation here Blindspot, but okay.
  • "Did you two have sex? Was it bad?" Never change, Rich Dotcom; and come back often.
  • The mole let Roman know Jane's loyalties are with the FBI. Gulp. That's not good. It'll make turning him all the trickier.
  • I'm really afraid the mole is Dr. Borden. We're running out of suspects here, people. It has to be someone we care about, otherwise this plot point falls flat on its face.

8 comments:

  1. See, for me, this was the episode that swung me back to the belief that Nas may actually be the mole. She's going super-hard after Kurt for seemingly personal reasons that don't quite jive with her character to date. (I mean, I get it - Kurt's hot, but still...)

    I also don't think it's too easy for the show to go that route because of the killing bunnies metaphor they're running on. Jane has a bunny in Roman and if Nas becomes a bunny for Kurt (whereas right now she's just a super-inconvenient blind spot), we're looking at an epic showdown and major emotional fallout that will require Jeller unity to overcome. In particular, I suspect Jane will catch Nas and have to open Kurt's eyes to her true motivations.

    The sad part is that I don't see Jane getting to live in a world with both Kurt and Roman, a la her dream. I don't think it's possible. Roman carries the burden of memory that she lacks and I don't think she'll be able to bring him over to her side. She can have Kurt OR Roman, but not both, because one will have to triumph over the other if they're going to successfully subvert Sandstorm.

    Meanwhile, as we wait for all of this to play out, is it too much to ask the folks over at NBC to come up with a show featuring Rich and Boston? Pretty please? I would watch the heck out of that every single day: "You made me Dobby?!?!"

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  2. Your review is always "right-on"! I agree with all the points you address, totally. As a diehard Jeller fanatic (like you, no?), I pray that Jane and Weller consummate their love sooner now rather than later, or the Jeller fandom may not see their hopes and dreams for Jeller come to fruition - ever! A glance at the show's current tv poll ratings are not encouraging at all. The low numbers are most likely due to many Jeller fans choosing to leave the show. (The Jeller fan base is a large portion of the show's viewing audience.) Even wonderful Jeller vignettes (like the dream "dinner party" sequence) may not be enough to recapture the hearts of Jeller fandom at this point. Too little too late. The Allie pregnancy and Nas with Weller sex thing has dealt a significant blow to many rooting for the Jeller ship to finally arrive. So they move on to watch another series. If the showrunner's intent is to ultimately bring Jane and Kurt together as a loving couple, it may be too late to save Blindspot by then. Sadly, the show's cancellation could very well be the final story arc.

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    1. I agree with you, the ratings is not good.

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  3. Great review as always. I think most of this episode was debating if people change. Rich didn't change, Zapata still living on the edge, Reade trying to shoulder it alone, Jane, ever faithful and fearless, and Patterson still taking time to be kind. Who has changed? I think if you think about it that just leaves Weller. He may be the glue that tries to hold everyone together, but in Jane's very words, he is doing it to himself. The mole had to be in that meeting where Jane was confronted about the chip. That info was leaked to Roman. I vote Nas who is playing both sides. As for Jeller, "the course of true love never did run smooth". I just for once thought that Blindspot might have come up with a different scenario. Yay Jeller.

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  4. I wish Rich.Com was part of the team every week. As Jen states, he verbalizes the Jeller point of view and I did a happy dance on his Kurt and Jane assessment. I zipped through Naz and Weller again (note to the writers: please put a lid on Weller's sexcapades unless it's Jane. I'm getting tired of the fast forward button). Good episode, great review.

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    1. yes I agree hahahaha( I'm getting tired of the fast forward button)

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  5. I've never seen anything more lack chemistry than Nas and Kurt. How long do we have to put up with this?

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  6. Love your review! Patterson and Jane's conversation was the best: "I remember my first date. It took him forever to stop crying."
    Nas is still the worst and Nas and Kurt is the absolute worst, ever. Unfortunately, Nas is the one who actually came up with the plan to loop the security footage, not Kurt, so she's not totally useless.
    Literally all I could think about when Nas used her hand in her super secret office to unlock her access to safe, was a scene where Jane has to fight her and shove her hand in there to get into the safe - it has to happen.

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