Blindspot 5x11 Review: "Iunne Ennui" (Ambiguity) [Contributor: Jen]

"Iunne Ennui"

Original Airdate: July 23, 2020

Blindspot's series finale "Iunne Ennui" delivers a predictable but nostalgic walk down memory lane (pun intended). At least until the very end. Jane's story concludes with a shocking, yet frustrating, curveball which sours the last episode for this viewer.  Get comfortable because we have a lot to discuss.

WHAT I LOVED

I am changing up the format, since there is a clear delineation between good and bad for me. Let's begin with the things I enjoyed since I am a glass half full kind of girl.

Jane awakes from her zipping and surprise, surprise: her memory is intact. Patterson administered the antidote she keeps on hand. However, Jane has developed a tolerance for the cure because she's been zipped so much. I appreciate the wink and nod moment from the writers. Even they know this particular plotline has been overused.

That said, Zip is the perfect way to conclude the series because: a) it was the reason Jane lost all her memories, and b) it allows the writers to bring back a slew of guest stars. The series already established hallucinations are a symptom of Zip poisoning. Since Patterson's cure is not working, Jane hallucinates a full cast of characters from past episodes as she struggles to figure out where Ivy has placed the final Zip bombs.

Oh yeah, there are some Zip bombs the team has missed. Oops! However, they are not FBI agents anymore. The new director offers them full immunity but they can never work for a government agency again. This is an incredibly fair deal. Let's not forget that Team Blindspot has committed an innumerable amount of shady deeds. Some were flat-out criminal. So the loss of employment at the FBI is their comeuppance.

Their freedom is their reward for always putting the country first. Team Blindspot are heroes. They've done far more good than bad. Is it honestly so terrible they can no longer work for the government? Pfft. No. Their jobs destroyed their lives many times. Now they can be whatever they want without the pressure of saving New York City every week. I say it's time for the Bahamas!

Jane says: "Well, Allie and Bethany are finally back in Colorado. We could go there and work on growing our little family," to which Kurt replies: "That doesn't sound like work to me."

YES, KURT AND JANE. LIVE IN COLORADO AND GIVE ME ALL THE BABIES.

They aren't the only ones dreaming of their futures either. Rich asks Patterson to join him in a treasure hunt to find a hidden/missing device that turns lead into gold. Rich Dotcom and Patterson traveling the world solving puzzles? Yes, please give me this show.

Unfortunately, they have to stop Ivy first. Kurt insists they are the only team who has the knowledge to stop her and insists the new director put them back in the field one last time. Sigh. Kurt Weller, why do you have to be so Kurt Weller all the time? The bags were packed. Tickets were purchased. The champagne was ready. The beach awaited. Then a life in Colorado. You frustrate me, sir.

In an interesting twist, Jane's hallucinations seem to be guiding her to where Ivy has hid the bomb. I love that it is primarily all the villains Jane has stopped over the years who are helping her stop Blindspot's final villain.

Roman: Your new boss, your team... they don't know what it's like to be zipped. We do. We need to fix this. Since when do you sit on the sidelines waiting for permission? You're Alice Kruger, Remi Briggs, Jane Doe. You're the only one who can stop them. You're always the only one.

I won't go through every return guest star, but my favorite was Roman.

I've made no secret about loving his character over the years. Luke Mitchell is a gift to acting and he made innumerable contributions to Blindspot bringing Roman Briggs to life. Frankly, I'd be anxiously waiting for a spin-off if they hadn't killed him.

Reade: No matter what those other guys say, me dying wasn't your fault.

Reade and Jane were never the best of friends and he's a lot nicer to her in this hallucination than he was for most of the show. However, a lot of what Jane is stressing about these final episodes is being a force of destruction in people's lives no matter who she is. The missing piece of the Blindspot family puzzle returns to give Jane much needed reassurance.

The appearance of Reade is extremely important because up until this point Jane has only been hallucinating bad guys. It's pretty tough to trust a hallucination and homicidal maniacs. Jane's hesitation is understandable, but Reade tells her to trust her instincts.

The hallucinations aren't all doom and gloom either. The Blindspot writers have some fun with it as Jane sees four couples getting married.

Source: twelvethirteens

Roman/Blake, Patterson/David, and Reade/Zapata fulfill my wistful desire for happier endings for these couples. (Also, hello Martin Gero! He's officiating Patterson and David's wedding.) But what the heck? Tasha and Patterson? Did I miss a ship all these years? You guys gotta tell me this stuff. 

The Zip is poisoning Jane and it will kill her if she doesn't get a higher dose of Patterson's antidote. It is when she hallucinates Borden that Jane makes a critical, and potentially deadly, decision. She needs the hallucinations to find Ivy's bomb location, so she stops taking the antidote.

Jane's hallucination with Borden dives into the philosophical questions Blindspot has examined the past five years. This is an aspect of the show I've always enjoyed. What is the essence of morality? What makes someone good or bad? Borden debates with Jane over who the real terrorist is — the United States or Sandstorm.

Borden: The U.S. government almost killed you in an unlawful drone attack. I saved you — a decision which ended up getting my wife killed. We both agreed something drastic needed to be done, that real change needed to be made.

Jane: You mean vengeance carried out.

Borden: That was never the central tenet. People got hurt, yes. But that was merely a byproduct. Our methods were severe, but our goals were just.

Uhh... hold up. I reject the notion that real change can only be brought about by violence. I also believe Borden is rewriting history here. Sandstorm's violence was not merely a byproduct. Sandstorm made the violence, death, and destruction happen. You cannot argue that violence is the only method for real change and then pretend the violent consequences just happen. Roman said: "There are no bad guys, no good guys. Just different perspectives."

Were there corrupt people at the FBI and other government agencies? You bet. Did a bunch of people have to die so the corrupt would lose their jobs? No. There are plenty of other ways to fix that problem that doesn't require violence. Sandstorm doesn't get to subvert the rule of the people by blowing up the democratically elected administration with a rocket and replace it with people Shepherd hand picked. So how about we don't rationalize terrorism, Borden? Cool? Cool.

Crawford: How many people have you killed in the name of justice? A badge doesn't make your actions moral. It just makes them legal.

All right, I concede that's a really good line. And Hank Crawford is right: wearing a badge doesn't magically make someone a moral person. These government agencies hold a great deal of power and require rigorous oversight. We should always question those in power because people are imperfect. They make mistakes. Even worse — evil finds its way into jobs with authority all the time and those people use their authority to do evil things to others.

Borden said: "We need to stop demonizing our adversaries. If we listen to them perhaps we can learn from them." However, we don't have to do bad things to stop bad people. This is where Borden and I agree. The demonization needs to stop. Talking and, in particular listening, is one of the best ways to enact change. Sandstorm had a valid point. There was corruption in the government. They simply went about solving it the wrong way. People often choose violence when they feel unheard. It doesn't make the violence okay, but the path is clear for how to avoid it. We need to hear people even if we disagree with them.

We can also achieve justice by toeing a moral line and following the laws and ideals of this country. Simply because so many in the United States fail to uphold our laws and ideals doesn't mean they are without merit and we should stop pursuing them. In fact, those beliefs are the best way to fight the very evil that tries to destroy them.

This is essentially the argument characters like Team Blindspot make. They are all great examples of human imperfection. They've made mistakes. They've lied and done shady (and sometimes criminal things). However, they hold themselves to a higher standard and strive to be better. They try to make amends. They fight to be worthy of the badge they carry. Team Blindspot helped more people than they hurt. They want to save lives. Simply because people are inherently flawed doesn't mean we have to  to the lowest common denominator of morality.

Team Blindspot is a stark contrast to the villains Blindspot has portrayed for a reason. Neither side is entirely good or bad. This show lives in a moral grey, but intent matters. Actions matter. Accountability matters. The rest is for God to decide.

Maybe the writers agree with my argument. Maybe they don't. Blindspot has always left plenty of room for viewer interpretation when it came to the philosophical questions. Will there be people who disagree with me? Yes and that's fine, but I'm good with where I line up.

Blindspot finishes where it began. Jane and company track down the Zip bomb in Times Square. Jane and Weller share a perfect kiss before diffusing the bomb. Come on, they always diffuse the bomb. You knew that was gonna happen. The kiss was a nice touch though. Jeller would totally blow 15 seconds of time to make out. They like to live on the edge.

Source: annciabvl

I really appreciated Grigoryan and the rest of the FBI agents taking the time to say goodbye and thank Team Blindspot for their service. These guys sacrificed a lot for their country and put their lives on the line every week. A thank you was the minimum of what they deserved.

Patterson: I would'nt have survived if it wasn't for you two.

Tasha: Same.

Rich: I would've been okay.

I'm gonna miss you, Rich Dotcom. We arrive at the place where the cast starts to lose it. Every finale there is a moment where acting crosses the line into reality. Patterson, Zapata, and Rich tell each other how much they love one another. But it really feels like Ashley, Audrey, and Ennis are the ones saying goodbye.

Source: twelvethirteens

Kurt said: "In Times Square, you said to me, the last time you tried to lead a quiet life. Our life can be whatever we want. It's time to go make some new memories. Some happier ones." Kurt finds Jane where they first met, where their love story began — the interrogation room. Kurt Weller was the first place Jane looked for her memory.

What she didn't know at the time was there were no memories to find. Kurt Weller wasn't Jane's past.

Kurt was Jane's future. A future he promises they will fill with many new wonderful and happy memories. A promise he seals with one last kiss. This is the full circle arc I live to see. Kurt and Jane's relationship was far from perfect, but they were always perfect for each other. Their love story was the central piece holding the Blindspot puzzle together. I will always love them.

Source: kate-dammit-run

We cut to Jane and Kurt's house in Colorado. Everyone they love is there celebrating. And boy is there a bevy of guest stars.

Patterson's dad, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Allie, Bethany, Boston, Avery, Sarah and Sawyer. (Hey! Remember Jane had a daughter and Kurt had a sister and nephew? The writers forgot about them until now, so I understand if you did too.)

Kurt and Jane are also apparently fostering a bunch of kids and I DIED. I love it so much. Patterson and Rich are treasure hunting as promised. They also may be in a polyamorous marriage with Boston and to that I say bravo. Zapata is a private detective and a mommy. She had a baby girl. We don't get to know the name, which I am high-key annoyed about.

Kurt and Jane drink the scene in and marvel at how lucky they are. I've invested a lot of time and love into these characters. This is the ending I always hoped they would have.

Source: twelvethirteens

WHAT I HATED

... OR IS IT? Martin Gero is not satisfied leaving us with a perfect happily ever after. If you adored the finale then this is probably the time to stop reading this review. I'm pretty ticked off.

Kurt said: "One wrong turn, cutting one wrong wire. Could've gone bad. So many ways. So many times. There's some world somewhere where this diner never happened."

What the frack are you rambling about? Well, we find out in two seconds as Jane flashes back to the bomb and Times Square. Kurt and Jane diffuse it, like always, but this time they are too late to stop the Zip poisoning. Jane has gone too long without the antidote and she dies. Kurt and Zapata are beside themselves with grief. The final image is of Jane being zipped into a black body bag.

Source: twelvethirteens

Then we flash back to the dinner scene.

Kurt: Jane? You okay?

Jane: Yeah... I'm good.

Jane has this weird, faraway, wistful, slightly crazed, happy/sad smile on her face and that's it. Show over.

Source: kate-dammit-run

We don't know which ending is real. 

If you are confused, then here are the possible scenarios:

1. Jane dies in Time Square. The dinner scene with all her loved ones is either some final hallucination moments before her death or Jane is in the afterlife realizing she's dead.

2. Jane survived, is living happily with all her loved ones, and the death scene in Times Square is an alternate universe or Jane imagining how it all could have gone wrong, like Kurt said.

Guess what, guys? You get to pick which one!

Martin Gero has given multiple interviews and stated Blindspot's ending is up to the viewer's interpretation. I HATE IT. I haaaaaaaaaaaaate it SO MUCH. Of all the things a writer can do for their final episode, ambiguous endings are by far the trope/gimmick I despise most of all.

I was thinking back to the series finale I truly hated — How I Met Your Mother. I won't get into all the reasons I despised it, but suffice it to say I felt the finale made sense if it aired immediately after the pilot. The finale doesn't make any sense when there's nine years of show in between.

I hated the decisions Craig Thomas and Carter Bays made, but at least they picked an ending and stuck with it. They had a vision and saw it through. I respect them for that.

I can't respect Martin Gero for this. This is chicken writing. He's straddling two lines of polar opposite endings and refuses to choose. It's like Kelly choosing herself instead of Brandon or Dylan on Beverly Hills 90210. Total cop out. It gets worse when I read his remarks.

Interviewer: Is there a finite answer though?

Gero: Yes. And, not that this is the type of show that merits it, there are hints in the text of the throughout the season that make it pretty clear. Even in this episode [there are things] that make it pretty clear what's going on. But both interpretations are totally valid and are intended to be totally valid.

So there is a finite — AND CORRECT — answer. But both interpretations are valid. Talk about your nonsequitur. Martin Gero's ending is one of these two options but he's simply NOT GOING TO TELL US.

Seemingly because Blindspot is not the type of show that requires a definitive answer, even though one exists.

I'm sure many are wondering, "Hey Jen. You just spent five whole paragraphs interpreting morality and whatnot. So why can't you just interpret the ending?" And sure, I could approach this as Blindspot's final puzzle. I am sure there are plenty who LOVE this ending because they enjoyed the mystery aspect of the show.

I always hated it. You guys know "Case of the Week" is my least favorite aspect of the show. I drop it like a hot potato in the reviews any chance I get. I don't enjoy puzzling out the tattoos and cases. I enjoy examining symbolism and debating moral philosophies. But this isn't I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings or Snow Falling On Cedars or The Things They Carried (All excellent stories ripe with beautiful and meaningful symbolism for a reader to interpret. Enjoy.)

This is Blindspot. The episode titles have answers. The tattoos have answers. There's literally a bird singing in a cage when it comes to this show. The puzzle is always solved in the end. This isn't a philosophical debate over Jane's actions: this is a concrete choice between two endings. It's either/or. There is an answer. The writers are copping out of answering Blindspot's biggest puzzle at the last minute. It's maddening.

This show is not The X-Files, Fringe, or 12 Monkeys. I expect those shows to end ambiguously because they've always been pretty freaking ambiguous. Maybe that's the kind of show Martin Gero wants Blindspot to be like, but I don't think it is. So let's be honest about what kind of show Blindspot is. It is a cop procedural.  The tattoos are clues Jane and friends use to stop attacks on New York City every week and every week that attack is a bomb. With some occasional plot variation.

One plus one always equals two on Blindsopt and just to be sure you arrive at the correct answer, the writers do the math for you by calculating it and then filling in the answer. They hold our hand through the whole thing and connect all the dots. We are the horse, the show is the trough, and the writers lead us to the water every single week. Blindspot doesn't trust their audience to remember what happened one episode prior, or even five minutes prior, without shoving a flashback in our face. They did it in the finale. They showed flashback scenes of what happened in 5x10 while the characters were narrating what happened in 5x10! This show is a neon sign blinking "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED" at all times.

Now Gero has confidence in his audience all of sudden? There's implicit trust and we can chart our own course? We get to decide what happens?

Why is Kurt even talking about other worlds? They've never introduced alternate universes, but Gero expects us to pretend there's an Earth-2 with Jane and Kurt doppelgangers. We are supposed to pretend this is the Arrowverse or something from a throwaway line inserted so creator doesn't have to pick an ending.

No, I won't. Absolutely not. I've put up with a lot of ridiculousness on this show but this takes cake. This is far beyond my tolerance level. I don't even really care at this point what the ending is. Just pick one. If Martin Gero thought the team living happily ever after was too perfect and not edgy enough, then kill Jane. If he thought killing Jane would upset too many viewers and didn't have the guts to take the heat, then give Jane a happy ending.

The point is to conclude the story he started. We tune in every week to his vision. This isn't a Choose Your Own Adventure book. We deserve to know the ending Martin Gero chose for his show. He doesn't get to avoid this responsibility and the audience reaction to it (either positive or negative) and call it some altruistic endeavor for audience interpretation. 

I'll even concede that ambiguity is a choice. No ending is an ending. Two endings are an ending, I guess. But it feels lazy. I think we deserve more.

I am tired, y'all. Every week I log into Twitter waiting to see an Armageddon tweet about our world. I'm seriously questioning whether I'll ever set foot on a plane again. Do I send my kid to school or keep her home? Is the economy going to tank back to the Dark Ages? These are all the thoughts I think. I am also fairly preoccupied with avoiding a deadly virus that has killed thousands in this country. As are the rest of you, I'm sure.

Is it too much to ask for the show to give a concrete answer? Just tell me if Jane lives or dies, Martin.  I have a whole list of things I'm waiting to sit down and talk with Jesus about, so he can explain what in the he was thinking. (I'm also Catholic. My entire religious belief system is based on the Trinity and no one can really explain how one God in three divine persons actually works. I live in ambiguity and I am mostly okay with this.) But when I turn on NBC, to watch a show that has done the math for me 99 episodes prior, I expect them to finish the equation in the final episode.

Even if I choose an ending based on my interpretation, I will always be left with the nagging doubt the other ending was real. This leaves both options wildly unsatisfying, which is actually more maddening than if the writers just flat-out killed Jane. To some this may sound crazy, but for me a real answer is better than no answer or "both interpretations are equally valid."

MY INTERPRETATION

There's a very big part of me that refuses to interpret jack. If the creator and writers feel they don't they owe me an answer then I don't owe them any kind of interpretation.

However, I realize there are many who have read these reviews over the years and will be curious to know what I think. To those people - thank you. I appreciate you sharing your precious free time with me.

The shipper in me, sunshine and rainbows Jen, very much wants to discard the death scene and believe Jane was merely imagining this potentially horrific outcome. Sort of like a really depressing game of "What If?" After all, they don't end on Times Square. It switches back to the dinner. We end the show with Jane surrounded by all the people she loves. So, clearly the Times Square scene is the one that is not real.

My instinct however, my gut reaction, is Jane is dead.

Martin Gero mentioned in an interview he had an ending in mind when he pitched the show: Jane coming out of a body bag in the premiere and going into a body bag in the finale is just the kind of pitch an executive producer would make to a network. It's beautiful symmetry, almost poetic in a way, and I could see how that vision is the one that remained unchanged as the years went on. It's a pretty bold and tragic end to Jane's story. It could explain why Gero is hiding behind the ambivalence of two scenes as way to avoid viewers' heartbroken reactions.

But telling people it's fine to believe she lives because the world is a garbage pile right now is not the same as Jane actually being alive. In fact, we could argue Gero is avoiding the truth because he didn't want to pile on. If it's a happy ending then why wouldn't he just say so? You'll find very few Blindspot fans who would be displeased with happily ever after.

Let's ignore the interviews and look at the show. One common theme this season is the shady characters achieving redemption through death. I personally think this is a tired trope and not an entirely healthy message to send to people. You do bad things and therefore the only way to prove you're a good person and make up for it is to die? Eh, it's troubling. That said, television and movie writers love this trope. They can't get enough of it.

Weitz died. Keaton died. Reade, who is the most moral character of this season's dearly departed, died. Roman died. Borden died. All the villains are dead or at a CIA blacksite. As Shepherd said, the Zip was all Remi's idea. She erased her own memories. The infiltration of the FBI was Remi's plan. And anyone who had anything to do with Sandstorm is dead.

I'm not saying Jane deserves to die or this is the ending I want — quite the opposite. She has more than earned her happy life with Kurt in Colorado. She doesn't need to die in order to be redeemed. She already is redeemed. However, nothing says that Jane is a hero more than sacrificing her happiness to save the very city she was intent on attacking as Remi Briggs.

There is a key scene in the episode that potentially supports the "Jane is dead" theory.

Borden: There are more things in heaven and earth, Jane than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

This line is from Hamlet. I groaned when I heard it. Writers love Hamlet and draw from it all the time, but it's not a story of hope and love. Hamlet is the classic tragic hero and when writers use Shakespeare's play in their own work, it is seldom a harbinger of good news.

Here's a brief summary of Hamlet. Hamlet is haunted by his dead father's ghost, who asks his son to  avenge his death by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. The uncle fears for his life and plots a plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet pretends to go crazy with revenge, but then really does go crazy. The play ends in a duel. The King, Queen, Laertes and Hamlet are all killed.

Basically everybody dies.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet is explaining to Horatio that human knowledge is limited. We cannot explain everything because we don't know everything. Science does not hold all the answers. Just because an experience exists outside your conscious awareness or your perceived reality doesn't mean the experience is not real. Particularly when we are dealing with the spiritual world.

Borden is telling Jane just because her hallucinations aren't the norm doesn't mean they aren't real. Essentially, these hallucinations are outside of Jane's limited knowledge. Borden is rationalizing Jane's hallucinations the same way Hamlet rationalized his ghost.

In the play, the dead king was a harbinger of Hamlet's death. Perhaps Jane's ghosts mean the same. Maybe they aren't hallucinations. They could be ghosts leading her toward the afterlife. Technically, she is slowly dying from Zip the entire episode. These ghosts challenge her conceptions of right and wrong and who she is until she makes the ultimate sacrifice. Jane is reunited with her loved ones in heaven and realizes she's dead, but at peace.

That's my detailed explanation. The simple one is Hamlet = Jane. Tragic hero meets tragic hero. Hamlet is dead, so Jane is dead.

There's also the title of the episode "Innue Ennui." Yes, I am going to solve a Blindspot puzzle for the first time ever. Iunne Ennui is a perfect palindrome, as I am sure many have noticed. It's so obvious even I could figure it out. The meaning? The beginning is the same as the ending.

We start in Times Square in a bag.

We end in Times Square in a bag.

Here's the sliver of hope for those incredibly depressed by this ending: in the pilot, Kurt promised Jane she would be okay, but she didn't know what "okay" felt like. In the finale, Kurt asks Jane if she's okay and she answers, "Yeah. I'm good."

The ending is technically the same no matter which one you choose. Jane is okay. She's more than okay. She's good. Even better she learned what "okay" feels like because of her relationships with Kurt and the team. So even if you believe Jane is dead, therein lies sunshine and rainbows. Wherever she is, Jane is good and we can let her go.

Could I be wrong? Is Jane is alive? Sure, she could be. Do I hope I am wrong? You bet. What stinks is we'll never know for sure, which makes for a frustrating end.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who has read these reviews! Thank you especially to Jenn for giving my Blindspot thoughts a home these past five years. It was a wild ride and I had lots of fun!

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Blindspot 5x01 Review: "I Came to Sleigh" (Farewell, Edgar) [Contributor: Jen]

"I Came to Sleigh"

Original Airdate: May 7, 2020

Blindspot kicks off their final season with a literal bang and kills one of the core characters. Writing off one of the series regulars like this when there are only thirteen episodes left is a bit controversial, but it's a move I think will pay off.

TEAM BLINDSPOT

They've promoted "ONE WILL NOT SURVIVE" for weeks, so I am glad they answered who within the first ten minutes of the episode. We all know Jane made it out okay. I appreciate the writers not treating us like total idiots by trying to pretend they killed their lead. Jane meets up with the team in their hideout and the surviving characters are revealed. First: Kurt Weller. Come on. You know they weren't going to kill off Kurt.

Second: Patterson because Martin Gero would like the audience to watch the last thirteen episodes.

It's down to Tasha or Reade.

I predicted Reade in my "The Gang Gets Done" review and I'm proven correct as Tasha steps into the light. I like it when this happens.

However, we are left to wonder how Reade died for the majority of the episode.

So let's discuss the majority of the episode now. One thing I like about final seasons, particularly when the writers know it will be the final season, is the high octane, no-holds-barred storylines. The end is nigh. If the premiere is an indicator of what we can expect for the remaining twelve episodes of Blindspot, I think it should be a successful final run. The show seems to be drilling down on the core characters, focusing more on the emotional elements of the story, and toning the procedural element of the show way down. Color me thrilled since the "Case of the Week" format is my least favorite aspect of Blindspot.

That doesn't mean everything is perfect with this show ⁠— far from it. Let's get the obvious out of the way: If any of you have read my season four reviews then you know how I feel about Madeline Burke as the Big Bad. Of all the ludicrous plots on Blindspot, this one takes the cake.

It is absolute INSANITY that FBI would appoint a civilian who was arrested and investigated by the FBI on charges of corruption, terrorism, and murder TO RUN THE FBI. And how did Madeline get this job? She basically pointed the finger at Team Blindspot and said: "They did it. Not me." And everyone just believed her because... well the "because" in a storyline isn't exactly Blindspot's strong point so there's no reason to expect they'd excel at it now.

Sure, she has some inside players like Nash (Director of National Intelligence), which helped grease the wheels but this plot pretty much ignores any and all oversight from Congress and the Attorney General. Also, they just made up another title for Madeline and somehow it's totally cool she hired mercenaries to hunt down the team because... well there's that pesky word again. I don't know. Because there aren't any agents working for the FBI now that Team Blindspot is on the lamb? Lord, I need my migraine medication to watch this show.

So let's turn to the positive instead: Rich Dotcom is being held at an FBI black site and is being tortured by a guy with chemical burns all over his body. I honestly didn't feel like the chemical burns were necessary to make his character scarier. Trading Rich to the North Koreans was terrifying enough, but the writers rarely consult me.

Yes, I realize none of this sounds very positive but trust me, we're moving in the right direction. Team Blindspot finds out where Rich is being held and Jane is determined to break him out. Remember when Jane was held and tortured at an FBI black site after Kurt handed her over to Keaton once he discovered she wasn't Taylor Shaw? So does Jane. Honestly, it is a miracle Kurt and Jane got married.

This leads to an awkward confession by Tasha. She knew where Rich was for the past month (because she's ex-CIA or whatever). Kurt, Jane, and Patterson are pretty ticked she didn't say anything but Tasha swears she was just trying to figure out a way to rescue Rich without getting them all killed. I believe about 50% of that. The other 50% is Tasha being mad at the world and not giving a crap about anything at this point in time. More on that later.

This breakout scheme forces the team to work with Sho Ahktar. He has details on the location they need to make the mission a success. However, Sho wants the team to kill the chemical burn torturer  — Rafael Pierce — for him.  He's holding Jane hostage until Kurt comes back with proof of death.

Team Blindspot is operating in the grey, but they haven't gone full evil. Remember they are wrongly accused, so it really wouldn't help their case if they started murdering CIA agents. Also, even if Jane and Tasha were down to do it, Kurt Weller is still Kurt Weller. That's not to say Kurt doesn't have a plan for getting his wife back from a terrorist. Enter the machete and Kurt saying, "I have good news and I have bad news."

We're all good with Kurt chopping Pierce's hand off right? I'm really good with it. When you torture Rich Dotcom, you must pay.

Once Rich and team are back in their hideout (which looks a lot like the season one Arrow bunker which was also a Greg Berlanti show), Rich asks where Reade is and we are finally told what happened to him. Weitz was able to warn Team Blindspot about the incoming drone attack seconds before they happened. Patterson ordered everyone to go underground. Yes, there is an underground bunker in the safe house. Just go with it.

Jane came racing back and the entire structure had collapsed on Kurt, Patterson, Tasha, and Reade. There was an opening among the rubble that Jane could look through. The first person she saw was Kurt. He was the least buried and was able to free Patterson fairly quickly. Jane started moving debris and the next voice we hear is Reade's.

He is buried under a massive cinder block. This safe house was a shack. Where'd all the stones come from? As Jane moved the debris, more fell down around Reade and he tells her to stop. He needs all the room he can get because Tasha is pinned underneath him. She is suffocating; he is watching her die.

In a feat of what can only be described as superhuman strength, Reade lifts the debris up with his back and Kurt is able to slide Tasha out from underneath him. But the movement causes the rest of the shack to fall on Reade and he is pinned permanently. Kurt drags Tasha out of the collapsing rubble, but not until Reade says goodbye.

Reade: To the end right? 

Tasha: No. No... 

Reade: This is it, babe. 

Tasha: I'm not leaving you. 

Reade: You're not. You've got me. Always. And I've got you. I got... I got you.

I am okay with them killing off Edgar Reade, for reasons I'll explain in a minute, but I am not okay with them killing Edgar Reade IN THE MOST HEARTBREAKING WAY POSSIBLE. Good grief, Gero. I'm a nice person. I've been loyal! I don't deserve this crap.

This scene messed me up bad. Is everyone done hysterically crying yet? Ugh. "This is it, babe" ended me. Talk about a gut punch. Of course, I wanted Reade and Tasha to get married, have all the babies, and walk off into the sunset together. The one thing that really bothered me about Reade's death was the horribly rushed reconciliation and love scene he and Tasha had in the beginning of the episode.

One minute they're throwing terrible insults, accusations and condemnations at each other in the season four finale. Then the next minute Reade and Tasha are hiding out in a bathroom, agreeing to "go all in," and getting busy while Patterson and Kurt napped ten feet away. It gave me emotional whiplash.

Blindspot has a terrible pacing problem. There is absolutely no reason the writers had to dink around with Reade and Tasha's reconciliation for the whole of season four only to toss them together for thirty seconds in the premiere (in a FLASHBACK), so the romance they've been building for years was technically considered to have paid off. It was sloppy. It felt like they were only putting Reade and Tasha together because one of them was going to die and, quite frankly, their relationship deserved more than that.

I've been reading a lot of interviews post-premiere and Martin Gero has confirmed a lot of my suspicions. I did not think Blindspot would get renewed for season five, which is something I referenced quite frequently in my reviews, and it seems the renewal required a few necessary "business decisions." They needed to lose a series regular to decrease the budget. 

This was not an entirely creative decision, which is the nature of television, but I still think Gero chose the correct character to kill. I haven't been shy of my dislike for Edgar Reade over the years. He was never a big Jane fan; Reade didn't trust her. He didn't like how Kurt's blindspot for Jane compromised his integrity or the cases. Was he right? Yeah, in a lot of ways, Reade was — particularly in seasons one and two.

However, Jane clearly proved herself as part of Team Good Guy and Reade was the slowest to trust and forgive. He often held others to a moral standard that he didn't always hold himself to, and then we're in hypocrite territory which is never a good look for any character. If you're going to be the moral code bearer then you better be squeaky clean. And Edgar Reade was far from squeaky clean. I honestly think the writers made him act like a hypocritical jerk in the season four finale just so we wouldn't totally despise them for killing him off.

That said, Reade did toe the moral line more than most of the characters, but morality on Blindspot is kind of a relative thing. We're grading on a definite curve here. Sure, he had a drug problem. And yeah, Reade watched his pedophile/rapist coach die after his friend Freddy stabbed him. But no one is losing sleep over that monster.

But when it came to Tasha (the darker and twistier of the two), Reade was often the light pointing her way to truth and justice. Tasha always struggled with believing she was a good person. She was a police officer who lost her partner, which triggered a gambling and alcohol addiction. Then there was her whole storyline with the CIA and Madeline Burke which was far from the straight and narrow. Reade was always her moral compass. I think that's why he was always so angry with her when she to a walk on the dark side because Reade knew Tasha was better than that. He believed in her in a way she didn't believe in herself.

So for her, Reade's death is monumental. The writers have been toying with this idea of Tasha choosing a side and Reade's death makes any other choice than Team Blindspot impossible. She vows with the rest of the team to never stop fighting, which is all Reade ever wanted from her.

Could he have inspired Tasha the same way ALIVE and as her soulmate like Kurt and Jane? Yeah, but this is where we get into this wasn't an entirely creative decision. For me personally, I always found Tasha to be the more interesting character in the pairing. It didn't feel like the writers had much more story to tell with Reade. He was the boss everyone was keeping secrets from, which made him a very passive player.

If you're going to kill a character then let it be for a good reason. Reade's death lights a fire under Team Blindspot. Now they have someone to avenge. It also makes the stakes real. Nobody dying from a drone strike would be a difficult pill to swallow and pretty much erase any suspense for the rest of the season. It also brings Tasha's arc full circle. She's lost her partner again — someone she was in love with, but this time she won't succumb to alcoholism and gambling. Tasha will rise and be the hero Reade always knew she was.

As for his death scene, it couldn't have been any more heartbreaking or perfect. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much and the writers, Rob Brown and Audrey Esparza, BROUGHT IT. Reade made a conscious decision to save Tasha and sacrifice himself.

Tasha literally dragged a corpse across a living room for Reade; she's his person. Of course he would die for her and vice versa. It was perfect that Edgar's goodbye to Tasha didn't include saying: "I love you." Tasha and Reade's relationship was about partnership and having each other's back. The love between them changed over the years, but it never lessened. "I've got you" is their "I love you." It always has been.

There's a momentary dissent in the ranks where Tasha tries to blame Kurt for Reade's death. She wanted to cut and run. If they did as Tasha said, then Reade would still be alive. Jane is the one to remind her that fighting is what Reade wanted. It's not until she's with Rich that Tasha is finally able to express her pain beyond just the anger she's feeling.

Why is she able to talk to Rich? Well, he didn't have anything to do with Reade's death. He wasn't there when the drone hit. But more importantly, Rich has this wonderful way of putting people at ease. Primarily with his humor, but even more effectively when he's serious because he's almost never serious. There's a good warm heart under all that talk. It's because of Rich that Tasha is finally able to say everything she needs Reade to know.

Tasha: This is for Reade — for being in our lives and for saving mine. I won't run. I won't quit. I'll keep fighting. This won't be the last time we think about you or talk about you or say your name. I love you. I've got you. Always.

Reade knows. He's always known. The goodbye isn't really for him. It's for the team. And for us.

KURT AND JANE

If the writers don't give me a happy Jeller ending after napalming my other favorite ship, then I say we riot.

The team is operating outside the law now. No badges. There's no fancy FBI office. Patterson doesn't have all her computers. They've gone rogue and are fighting the very institution they've sworn to uphold. Team Blindspot has to take down the FBI. And who better to lead them than the person who zipped her memories to do that very same thing?

Kurt tells Jane that she is by far the darker and twistier half of Team Jeller. Ain't that the truth. Kurt isn't good at breaking the law and operating outside of the rules for the greater good. The machete was his big move; he's all tapped out. The team needs Jane to lead. They need their own version of Sandstorm. Not so anti-Remi now are you, big fella?

Jane is going to need all her memories — all her personalities — to take down Madeline Burke down. I love that it is going to take both Jane and Remi to save the team. This story was always about Jane finding out who she is and using her memories to become who she wants to be. Seeing that arc fulfilled in the finale season will hopefully be very fulfilling as a viewer.

Stray Thoughts:

• That bird in Times Square looks exactly like the mockingjay from The Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor, Jane.
• Someone is sending the team tattoo messages and I cannot begin to describe how over the tattoos I am.
• Jane reading Chinese was a nice callback to the pilot.
• I guess Weitz is a good guy now. I am still very unenthusiastic about him.
• Fifteen minutes. GET CRACKING, KURT.
• Patterson really needs to stop interrupting Jeller sex.
• Kurt tasing Rich will never stop being funny.
• Tasha was kicking butt and working out some real rage. I like it.
• "Oh, is this how it's gonna be now? The two of you just sneaking off to do it all the time?" Salt in an open wound, Patterson.

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Blindspot 4x22 Review: "The Gang Gets Gone" (We Are Family) [Contributor: Jen]

"The Gang Get Gone"

Original Airdate: May 31, 2019

Madeline Burke is framing Team Blindspot in the season four finale, but their biggest problem isn't being fugitives. It's the anger, mistrust, and blame breaking apart the team. Is Team Blindspot a family? Or are they just coworkers on the run?

CASE OF THE WEEK

I'm not entirely sure why people are rioting in the streets just because the power in New York City has gone out for a couple hours, but maybe that's just the way y'all roll in New York. No judgement. Do what you gotta do to survive, people. A couple hours without my computer and I'd probably be ready to smash windows too.

Helios is wreaking all the havoc, but its real purpose is a little more twisty than just taking everyone back to the Stone Age. It's a frame job. Given the shady things Team Blindspot has done this year, and every other year for that matter, it wasn't too difficult for Madeline to make them look like criminals.

... Mostly because they are criminals. Not to be overly harsh, but it's true. Jane/Remi is a terrorist who tried to take out the government multiple times and has murdered people. Kurt protected her and by doing so probably violated at least 50 different federal laws. Rich is a convicted felon. Reade murdered someone and Tasha helped hide the body, not to mention his drug addiction. Tasha is, well, Tasha: take your pick from her criminal activities. Even our genius with the heart of an angel named Patterson was part of an illegal hacktivist network this season.

It's not complete madness then that the higher-ups at the FBI believe Madeline's nonsense about Team Blindspot trying to frame her and Helios being their Trojan horse. It doesn't hurt that Lucas Nash, Director of Intelligence, is on Madeline's payroll.

The only thing I audibly scoffed at was Madeline appointing herself chairperson of the Civilian Oversight Committee. First, that's not a thing. There is no civilian oversight of the FBI. That's what Congress is for. Second, why would the FBI ever allow someone who was investigated, charged, and apparently framed by them to head up the committee? She's literally the last person on Earth who would ever be appointed to this position.

Madeline, as chairperson, is now in charge of the FBI? Say what? She's literally sitting at Reade's desk and ordering Weitz out of "her office." Listen, I give the writers on this show plenty of rope. I put up with a whole bunch of nonsense... but this is plain ludicrous.

I'm drawing a line, Martin Gero. Can we please operate somewhere in the realm of reality? You aren't writing a superhero show. This isn't Star Wars. The FBI actually exists and has oversight committees in Congress. They don't ask random CEOs who were recently charged with murder, conspiracy, and terrorism to run the FBI. At the very least, they have to run for office first.

If anyone is wondering why Madeline is so hell-bent on destroying the FBI, it's because of her father. He had a big future ahead of him ⁠— maybe even a presidential run — but J. Edgar Hoover obliterated his political career. Yes, that's really the motive. No, it doesn't get any better when you type it out.

So, how does Madeline set the team up? Brianna steals Kurt's gun, which is the gun Dominic uses to kill pretty much everyone. Remi killed Hank Crawford (Yup, she sure did.) but Madeline also frames her for Blake and the HCI board members deaths.

She accuses Tasha of trying to oust Madeline by killing those closest to her (Kira Evans and Claudia Murphy). She also blames Tasha for the Air Force One attack, which I found most insulting because that storyline was just stupid. Tasha would have a much better plan for world destruction than that nonsense.

When Madeline wouldn't confess to these crimes they tried to coerce her. (This part is actually true.) Finally, the Three Blind Mice are the hackers behind the blackout and bank hacks, which frames Rich and Patterson nicely. Madeline also has Patterson's $400,000 bride to Kathy. None of this includes the run-of-the-mill team drama like failed drug tests, unsanctioned ops, and undocumented fiancees.

Yeah. It really doesn't look good.

TEAM BLINDSPOT

Holy crap, y'all. The gloves came off. First, allow me to reference my 4x21 review: "Do they honestly think Reade would want to get Weitz at the expense of Jane's freedom? Or his own? Or the team? Come on."

It turns out I was wrong. I was VERY WRONG. Reade finds out about Weitz falsifying evidence and killing a suspect with a drone to cover it up. He's livid with Weller and Jane for hiding it from him, but he also has zero problem handing Jane over to authorities in order to get Weitz. Et tu, Brute?

Reade says: "All of us aren't married to a terrorist." This is pretty much when Kurt started throwing punches and I can't blame him. I am genuinely not a big Reade fan. Tasha makes him more tolerable, but the guy loves to climb on his moral high horse just plenty. If there's one thing I can't stand it is a hypocrite.

His relationship with Jane is tenuous at best most days, and that's before they became fugitives. Remember: Reade never trusted Jane when she first showed up in season one. He didn't like the changes in Kurt, the rules he bent for her sake, and his overall emotional investment in Jane. Reade always thought Kurt had a blindspot when it came to Jane and that it was dangerous.

I mean... Reade was right, but that's not the point. The point is now she's a good guy and those plots were so four years ago. You danced at her wedding, Reade! Where's the love man?

Reade feels the team has betrayed their oaths time and time again since Jane and the tattoos showed up. Well without the tattoos, Reade, you'd be unemployed and I'd be watching Dateline on Friday nights. It's a give and take, buddy. Also the whole point of the tattoos is to expose government corruption. Killing the monster from within is going to require cutting a few corners because those in power are corrupt. Duh.

Reade: "You just don't get it because you're not real FBI." 

Jane: "No, I just show up and save your life from time to time."

SHOTS FIRED! There are actually so many shots fired during this argument that I decided to hide behind my couch. Stray bullets everywhere, fandom! SAVE YOURSELVES.

First, Jane was a Navy Seal. I think she understands oaths, Reade. She was dodging bullets in Afghanistan while you sharpened your pencil at Quantico. Second, like the legendary Katherine Pierce, Jane can rip you to shreds while doing her nails. Sit down before you embarrass yourself. How does Reade not remember he murdered someone? Can someone remind him?

Reade: "You're gonna sit here and talk about team after everything you pulled?" 

Tasha: "I knew that you could never forgive and forget." 

Reade: "Forget you watching Madeline murder people while you covered it up for her?" 

Tasha: "Oh, just like I did for you?"

That's my girl, Tasha! High five. This finally shuts Reade up. I don't know if the writers wanted him to be the bad guy to instigate this fight or it was his episode to wear the jerk hat, but he's pretty unbearable and the hypocrisy is real.

There is no one, not even my perfect cupcake Patterson, who can stand on the moral high ground. All of these characters have lied, broken laws, and done terrible things — to each other and to other people. They may not be guilty of Helios, but they are guilty of plenty of other crimes.

What's sad is how quickly the team splinters. One of my chief complaints with this show is how easily all the characters lie and betray. There are seldom any real consequences. The team eventually welcomes whoever sinned back into the fold and then we're onto the next betrayal. This argument Team Blindspot is having, the accusations everyone is throwing around, feels like one of the first real conversations they've had in years. They are finally saying all the things they've wanted to say, but never did.

Reade says: "People don't change. They just become more like themselves." I don't think this is true. It's quite limiting for humanity if it was true. We do have the ability to change and be better, but Reade directed this comment at Jane. He is still holding on to all of that distrust from season one. It's really not about Jane deciding who she is; she's already done that. This is about Reade deciding who Jane is and she's given more than enough evidence to put her in the "good guy" column.

It's kind of freeing in a way.  If the foundation of Team Blindspot was shaky, then this fight can burn it to the ground. Hopefully they can build on a stronger and more honest foundation as we head into the final season.

The person who really proved they can change, who put the team first, and acted selflessly, is the only member of Team Blindspot who has a criminal record — Rich Dotcom. He facilitates their mission in Iceland and doesn't escape the FBI building when he can. Instead, Rich hides and continues to help his team and stop Madeline Burke.

When he is arrested, Rich refuses to take a deal or rat his friends out to save himself. This isn't the Rich Dotcom of old. He's changed and become a better man. He's chosen his team and, by doing so, shows Reade, Zapata, Kurt, Jane, and Patterson what it means to truly be family.

When everyone makes it back to the safe house post-mission in Iceland, there's a lot of hugging, which threw me for a loop. We're hugging? When did we get to hugging? Kurt acknowledges that everyone has made selfish choices but they truly are a family. When push comes to shove they have each other's backs when it matters.

Families fight too, and this was a fight the team needed to have. The writers put a quick band-aid over everything, so the final scene doesn't have the emotional resonance it really requires. It feels rushed, but that's how this show deals with problems. It ultimately gets swept under the run in some way.

They flip on some music and I swear I expected Sister Sledge to start playing. The reason why the writers pushed for a "we are family!" ending is apparent when Jane leaves the safe house to take first watch. Madeline Burke and Nash order a drone strike and Jane watches as her family is killed in an explosion.

As cliffhangers go, it's a pretty good one. I don't think they necessarily needed the warm and fuzzy resolution before hand to make it work. Jane can be horrified her team died before they repaired their friendships, which would be salt in an open wound. Surviving a drone strike would be ample encouragement to let bygones be bygones too. Plus, it lets the fight simmer for a little while longer.

I do not think they killed off the entire cast with 13 episodes left to go, but I don't know how they'll explain the team's survival. I am sure it will be based in Blindspot logic.

KURT AND JANE

Kurt says: "We're not family. We work together. That's it. Jane is my family."

I love Kurt sticking it to Reade and his unbearable hypocrisy. Kurt is right; Jane is different. She is his wife. They are always going to choose each other. They are legally required to. They are a team within a team. Reade either needs to get onboard with it or maybe Kurt and Jane need to move back to Colorado sooner rather than later.

Of all the lies Kurt and Jane have told over the years, their reasoning for staying mum about Weitz is the most understandable motive. Kurt doesn't want his wife to go to prison. Heck, Kurt doesn't want to go to prison. And apparently he knows Reade waaaaay better than I do because he was ready serve them up on a plate just to get Weitz.

How many different ways has Weitz broken the law? Reade probably had a dozen times to go after him, but didn't. Now when it's Jane's life and freedom at risk they have to put the screws to him? Pfft. Team Jeller on this one all the way.

That said, I won't lie: I flinched when Kurt said they aren't family because of Patterson. Really Kurt? Patterson is the number one Jeller shipper. She's half the reason you have a wife, dude. Left to your own devices you'd be single, living in Colorado, and drinking a lot of beer. Patterson gets to stay.

Luckily, Kurt and Jane's affection for their eldest daughter is quickly demonstrated when they take the Perlan Museum hostage so Patterson can make it to the safe house. Sure, Patterson is the brains behind this operation and they're all screwed if she gets arrested. But Mr. and Mrs. Weller draw fire so she can escape. That's real love. Patterson is properly moved by their selfless sacrifice.

Luckily for Kurt and Jane, Reade and Tasha have their backs and arrange their escape by buying off a few Icelandic police offers. They really could have left them hanging, so this does a lot to soften the tension. Kurt and Jane are family, yes, but Team Blindspot is the family they've chosen too. It may not always be pretty. There will be disagreements. We hurt the ones we love the most, but you can't turn your back on family. The team didn't turned their backs on Kurt and Jane. Kurt and Jane didn't turn their backs on the team. That's all that really matters in the end.

And Jane Doe will be coming HARD for the person who messed with her family in season five.

Stray Thoughts:

• Kurt ordering vegan cheese pizza for Jane as a hostage negotiation request will never stop being adorable.
• Can you reuse parachutes?
• The macro thing Kathy did so everything Patterson typed made Helios worse was pretty freaking genius. It's tough to get one over our girl, but that nut job did it.
• According to Madeline, the team were paid $200,000 each for Helios. That's it? Feels low to destroy your whole life over.
• What was Jane going to watch? They were in the middle of nowhere.
• My notes: "Well... crap. everybody's dead"
• According to the season five promo, one will not survive. If I am forced to choose then I'm going with Reade because he was a major jerk this episode.

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Blindspot 4x21 Review: "Masters of War 1:5 - 8" (You Lose, Team Blindspot) [Contributor: Jen]

"Masters of War 1: 5 - 8"

Original Airdate: May 31, 2019

"Masters of War 1:5 - 8" kicks off Blindspot's season four finale fun. The team is chasing their tails a bit as they struggle to figure out what Madeline has planned with Helios. However, the cliffhanger is something that has never happened in the history of Blindspot.

CASE OF THE WEEK

Patterson says: "Madeline is in jail, her goons aren't, and we still don't know Helios is." Rich replies: "Ta-da!"

Everyone caught up now? The new interdepartmental database gives the team a location on one of Madeline's goons, Barry Wallace. They head to a house in Queens where they find Barry and Keaton.

Wait. Keaton?

Team FBI wants to know what Team CIA is doing with one of Madeline's henchmen. Keaton explains he was monitoring old CIA communications protocols when he got a hit. Someone started using them again, but he couldn't decipher it. He followed the source and ended up at the house.

Barry Wallace's real name is Barry Cornyn. He was CIA before he went rogue. Team Blindspot agrees to go halvsies with Keaton on the interrogation of Cornyn, but Dominic's henchmen take him out with a rocket launcher before anyone has a chance to question him. The upside is that we get to watch a very cool car stunt in slow motion. Apparently the budget is increased for season finales.

How did Dominic know Cornyn was made? Lucas Nash, the CIA agent who trained Barry Cornyn, tipped him off. Nash is also the new Director of National Intelligence so Madeline's fox in the hen house is from very high up on the food chain.

The team tracks Dominic to Bellmore University. The CIA used it as a cover for secret ops. It's where Barry was recruited and trained, but there's no longer a CIA presence there. There is, however, a world-renowned biomedical science lab. Team Blindspot believes Helios is a biological agent Madeline plans to unleash on the world.

That is until they bring in Erin Sandler, a PhD candidate in biomedical science who was working with Dominic to create the virus. Dominic told Erin she was working for the CIA. So when Erin discovers that was a lie, she is ready to spill the beans to avoid jail time and, of course, global destruction.

The virus is not biological; it's a computer virus. Erin is also a computer science major. Talk about your high achiever. Dominic told her the CIA was going to use her virus as a case study to protect the world from the most dangerous malware. So she created the most dangerous malware ⁠— Helios. It can cripple any kind of security and then destroy entire systems.

The team tracks Dominic's phone to its last location where they find a body of an employee who works for the New York Independent Operations Control. He's part of a team which monitors the U.S. power grid. Unleashing Helios on the grid will plunge the United States into chaos.

Unfortunately Team Blindspot is too late, which has never happened in the history of this show. Kurt, Jane and company always save the day. But Patterson is unable to stop the virus and all of New York City — and the whole country (I think) — goes black. It's back to the Stone Age.

It was a cool twist that the team loses. It will make for a more interesting finale if they are the underdog and Madeline has the upper hand. That said, it's tough to get too stressed out over the power grid. Sure, if it's going to last any longer than 45 minutes maybe we'd have something to worry about. But Blindspot isn't going to keep the show on Day Zero forever.

TEAM BLINDSPOT

Why is everyone lying to Reade? Seriously I don't get it. Reade is suspicious of Kurt and Weitz's uneasy alliance and he wants to know what's going on. He even calls Eleanor Hirst to find out why Kurt came to see her.

Weitz has threatened to expose Jane's terrorist relapse if Kurt exposes Weitz for fabricating evidence and then using a drone strike to cover it up. Both Kurt and Jane are hoping Weitz will be the new Director of National Intelligence and just go away. However, that doesn't happen and now they're stuck with him.

I understand why Kurt is protecting Jane. He doesn't want his wife to go to jail. However, Kurt himself said that if Jane goes down then the whole team could be facing prison time for covering up her criminal activities as Remi. This includes Reade. So it makes zero sense as to why Kurt and Jane aren't cluing Reade in to what is going on with Weitz. Do they honestly think Reade would want to get Weitz at the expense of Jane's freedom? Or his own? Or the team? Come on.

If the writers want to break the team apart with lies, I just wish they would've come up with something better than this illogical one. Reade tells Jane that he trusts Kurt and he's worried about him, but clearly that's not the case. It takes all him all of five seconds to become distrustful of Kurt because Reade knows how this show works.

It's fair: Kurt is lying to him. This team has a long history of hiding the truth from each other. But everyone comes clean in the end and then we're on to the next lie. Lies don't have a lot of weight in this show because they are so frequent. We're supposed to be worried the team will break apart, but if they didn't break apart because of the 13,343 other lies told over the course of four seasons, why would this particular one be any different?

Reade's distrust of Kurt ends up splashing over to Zapata. He's not certain Tasha is telling him everything either. Tasha is legitimately clueless about anything going on with Weitz and Kurt. She's told Reade over and over that she has his back forever. Granted, Tasha has lied to Reade A LOT this season, but this really boils down to one thing: Reade either forgives Tasha or he doesn't. Reade either trusts Tasha or he doesn't. He needs to decide.

KURT AND JANE

What I need from these two is for them to shush it. Stop talking about how lucky you are! Have Kurt and Jane ever watched a television show? Characters do not tempt the fates with discussions about how amazing their life is. This puts a bullseye on their backs for the writers, who love nothing more than to obliterate any and all joy from their lives.

Kurt is lamenting that he won't be able to see Bethany for another three weeks. FINALLY, WE KNOW THE CUSTODY ARRANGEMENT. Was that information so difficult to share with your audience, Blindspot writers? No it wasn't.

Kurt worries that Bethany is getting old enough now to notice when he's not there and he doesn't want to miss out on her life. Jane says they can move up their timetable for the return to Colorado. But first they have to save the world from Madeline and keep Jane out of jail.

Hopefully the writers don't obliterate all their joy. Jane was evil for half the season, then she almost died. We've suffered enough.

Stray Thoughts:

• I'm still only moderately interested in Brianna and what she stole from Kurt and Jane's safe.
• Jane's relationship with Keaton is still very tense. I love that the writers have never forgotten that he tortured her.
• I miss Kurt being Assistant Director.
• The interrogation scenes with Madeline were really boring.

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