Saturday, March 3, 2018

Blindspot 3x13 Review: "Warning Shot" (About Control) [Contributor: Jen]


"Warning Shot"
Original Airdate: March 2, 2018

"Warning Shot" begins to tentatively delve into Avery and Jane's relationship, but I'm not entirely comfortable with the message the show is sending about adoption.


CASE OF THE WEEK



Nas is back! It's so nice that Nas is no longer Kurt Weller's girlfriend and I can just appreciate all her awesomeness without being cranky about Jeller. Nas is freelancing for Keaton at the CIA and is spearheading the interrogation of Shepherd. She discovered Crawford funded Sandstorm, which gives the series an umbrella factor with their season villains. I like it.

However, there's been a breach at the NSA — a computer virus called Nergal was stolen. Nas knows Jane has Nergal, the Mesopotamia goddess of pestilence, tattooed on her back and it's what brings her back to the FBI. The Nergal virus is the Blindspot version of Stuxnet. I actually know about Stuxnet because I just watched a documentary about it on Hulu. It's very good. I highly recommend it. We are two weeks running with the Case of the Week being anchored by technology I know stuff about. This is a record.

For those unfamiliar, Stuxnet is a computer virus the United States used to sabotage Iran's nuclear weapon facilities. Stuxnet sped up their centrifuges to the point of system overload, but the computers told the technicians everything was fine. Bye-bye, nuclear weapons. Nergal is similar, but it works remotely.

When Rich Dotcom and Patterson discover Nergal trending on some nefarious dark web platforms they find a link to a video of a ship with a timer. Nergal remote detonates the ship. The ship is a test run to show what the virus can do. Rich identifies the seller as  PopUpKid. He/she is a hacker who shows up with a virus, pulls a crazy sting, and then disappears. Her real name is Deliah Dunny and she works for the NSA.

This is a heavy Rich Dotcom episode. These episodes are always great because the character is so off-the-walls and funny. Rich manages to finagle a meet with PopUpKid, but it's at a dark web party he really wanted to go to. Rich is more of a rebellious teenager than Avery — and a funnier one at that.

The team ultimately goes head-to-head with an old enemy of Rich Dotcom's, Shohid Akhtar, at the party. Sho gets away, but Jane is able to secure the virus. Nas uses it as her way back into the NSA.


TEAM BLINDSPOT



"Warning Shot" is a big Reade/Meg episode. Meg has been offered an overseas assignment and Zapata is all over her to jump on the opportunity. It's true the assignment would be good for Meg's career, but I think Tasha is a little overly enthusiastic about getting her out of the country. I see you, girl.

Meg is undocumented, which means if she leaves the country then she can never get back in. Reade has been working the system for weeks now to get Meg legalized. The mysterious Jonathan West from the State Department — the man Reade wouldn't tell Tasha about — is who Reade's been working with to get Meg's papers. However, there's been a recent crackdown and West balks. Truthfully, this all feels like a horrible idea. Reade is going to get Meg deported.

This is basically what Meg says when she finds out Reade has been messing around with her documentation behind her back. She tells Reade this is "her thing," but Edgar argues it's "their thing." Then he pulls out the engagement ring and proposes. His original plan included Hamilton tickets and her documentation, but it didn't work out at all. So Reade just goes for it. Wise move, Edgar. That proposal plan was a high bar. Honestly, the documentation may have been easier to get than the Hamilton tickets.

So... Reade and Meg are engaged. Yeah? I'm still not invested in this relationship and because I'm always suspicious of anyone who is happy on this show, I feel like Reade is going to die. It's just a gut feeling. Hopefully I am wrong.

Tasha is pretty ticked with Reade putting his career on the line to get Meg legalized. She's going to be even more upset when she finds out he's engaged. However, Reade is not on the forefront on Tasha's mind this week. Zapata is busy pretending she didn't know Nas worked for the CIA, even though she did know. Nas kicks off another secret Zapata is keeping from the team with this:
Nas: Has Patterson found out about Project Dragonfly? 
Tasha: No. Not yet. 
Nas: When it comes out — and it will — be prepared to be very unpopular with your friends.
Well.. what the heck is Project Dragonfly?


ROMAN


I a not quite sure where Roman fits in this episode. Sometimes it's like he's on his own show. This show is often better than Blindspot.

Blake has been on the lookout for opportunities to replace the land deal Crawford lost last week. A man named Jean Paul Bruyere has exactly what Blake is looking for, but there is bad blood between the two families. So she's going to use Bruyere's son, Junior, as a way to smooth things over. This essentially means Blake has to flirt her way into Junior's exclusive poker game with a smile, red dress, and very expensive bottle of scotch.

It's one of the few times we see Roman's feathers ruffled. He is clearly jealous watching Blake flirt with this sleazeball, but has to play the dutiful bodyguard vs. dutiful boyfriend. Perhaps Roman's feelings for Blake are becoming more real than he wants them to. I know I want them to. I ship it soooo much.

The poker game takes a nasty turn when Blake and Junior are headed out to the afterparty. Masked men barge and and grab both of them. Roman kills the man who attacked him by breaking his neck and chases after the van Blake is thrown into. Once again, Luke Mitchell steals the show. It's the most exciting 15 seconds of the whole episode. Roman running after Blake is hot, and I want these two to get a spin off!


KURT AND JANE


There is not a ton of movement on the Kurt and Jane front beyond smiling adorably at him after she steals back the virus. The natural assumption is they are working through their issues, which is fine I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing Jeller go a few more rounds or witness them being awkward uncomfortably around one another in the apartment though. I have a feeling the writers threw the marriage switch back on and it'll be like nothing happened — which is as aggravating as the ridiculous storyline. I'd like them to devote a little more time to unpacking this colossal mess they made. But it's so much nonsense I don't think the writers know how. So they'll skip it and focus on being a procedural with occasional happy Kurt and Jane snippets tossed in. I hope I am wrong, but be prepared if I'm not.

Jane spends most of the episode stressing over why Avery hasn't called her yet. Rich Dotcom finally tells Jane that she is the parent, not Avery. It's up to her to reach out first. YESSS! Rich as a father is kind of a frightening prospect, but he gave solid parenting advice.

Jane also approaches Nas about Shepherd. She wants Nas to ask her mother why she took Avery. Ummm, because she's batcrap crazy Jane — which is pretty much what Nas says. Although she trades "batcrap crazy" for "sociopath and narcissist." It was always about control for Shepherd, and even asking the question gives that nut ball even more of it.

Jane wonders if she could have done something to change her mind. Refusing to join her terrorist group and having your memories zipped might have been a nice start. Blindspot is on the precarious edge of forgetting Jane's own culpability in Sandstorm. Yes, I know she's a good person now, but we cannot ignore the choices she made as Remi.

How much of Remi's commitment to Sandstorm was born out of her experiences in the service and how much was born out of her mother's control? It's probably an even mix of both. To be fair. there's probably very little a teenage Jane could have done to stop her domineering and powerful mother. However, I'm not comfortable with the idea that adult Jane was powerless against Shepherd and none of her choices were her own. It's more complicated than that. I think it's more of a case of the writers deciding to give Jane a daughter in the third season and the storyline doesn't mesh well with all the pieces of her history.

I also don't think it was necessary for Shepherd to steal the baby. It's completely acceptable if a teenage Jane gave her baby up for adoption. There are many women who make that selfless choice and create many happy families from it. Sometimes a child needs more than what his/her birth parents are capable of giving. Recognizing it and wanting the best for the child is not abandonment. Avery grew up with two parents who loved her dearly. I can certainly understand why an adopted child may feel otherwise, but it doesn't make it the truth. Shepherd stealing the baby makes it seem like Jane would have been the bad guy if she gave the baby up. So the writers transfer the blame to her batcrap crazy mother. It's potentially sending a bad message about birth parents and adoption that I'm not comfortable with.

Jane eventually puts her big girl pants on and reaches out to Avery. They meet for coffee. It's super awkward, but at least it's a beginning. As for Kurt, he gets a phone call from Nas. Avery's father was very involved in Crawford's shady business practice. My hope is Blindspot doesn't tear down Avery's relationship with her adoptive parents in an effort to build her relationships with Kurt and Jane up. It's not necessary and sends another poor message, but time will tell.

Stray Thoughts:

  • Jane was jealous of Nas! Maybe that little fling wasn't such a hot idea, Mrs. Weller. At least Kurt is as loyal as a Golden Retriever. She has nothing to worry about there.
  • Deliah Dunny is a great name.
  • When other villains say you are in love, Roman, it means you are in love. Television law.
  • Roman should be shirtless all the time.
  • I'm stealing Rich's nicknames: "Tat squad" and "Assistant Director Eeyore" were so on point that I was howling.
  • Nas took out a gun man by flipping over a desk in a designer gown and heels. It was awesome.
  • I am fuming about the promo. There will be no killing of Patterson, show. I will not have it.

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