We’re here again for one more week, Blindspot fans! “Upside Down Craft” was awesome. There was a lot of action, great Jeller scenes, a fantastic dynamic between the team, and … the secret between Ritch and Patterson has been revealed! In addition, the investigation into Stuart’s murder and the tattoo he was investigating has advanced and has left us with many new questions.
Here we go!
CASE OF THE WEEK
The case of this week was intimately related to the secret kept by Ritch and Patterson. A hacktivist group – which they created – was singled out as guilty of putting false evidence on the device of a high-level man – evidence for which the team arrested him very publicly.
This makes Rich and Patterson go against the clock to keep their secret safe. They catch Kathy, one of the three members of the hacktivist group and she explains that they’re dedicated to helping people and only return money to the people who lost it and return evidence that has been erased. Kathy doesn’t know Rich and Patterson personally, but she finds out who they are in that interrogation.
With the team working to solve the puzzle, Kathy kidnaps Rich and Patterson and wants to force them to do what she wants: changing the group’s good intentions. She wants to use them for her personal revenge. Kathy wants to punish her brother’s killer. She tried at first by legal means with the FBI and got nowhere, so now she wants to do it her way.
Patterson refuses this and Kathy ties her up and gags her. However, Rich seems to accept. He knows Kathy is a psychopath and refusing will not be easy. When he gets her trust, he betrays her and tells the team, and they manage to save them.
This case was really attractive. It revealed one of the secrets within the team, following Roman’s plan to destroy them. At the same time, we witnessed the differences between the characters of Patterson and Rich.
It has also been shown that Roman’s plan is not going well, given that all this secrecy has united them more. The case was the ideal way to highlight these plots and looking into Roman’s plan and the dynamics of the team during this season. In addition, the pace of the case has been frantic, making the episode go fast, almost too fast. We always want more of Blindspot!
TEAM BLINDSPOT
Ritch and Patterson
Blindspot didn’t take long to tell us what they were hiding. The two created a hacktivist organization as a way to catch criminals who the government couldn’t catch otherwise.
It makes a lot of sense. Let’s face it, Patterson’s talent was too much to waste just making apps. But, apart from that, Patterson has gone through a lot in her life, she has been hurt in unimaginable ways and she needs to make sure that doesn’t happen to anyone else, that justice is done and that there are no criminals who think they are above the rules. So it makes sense for her to take everything she has inside: the rage, the pain, the impotence, and turn it into this. She has, after all, been a victim and now she needs to get justice for those who can’t do it for themselves.
She has been at that point, feeling like no one could help her. Feeling helpless, feet and hands tied and she wants to prevent someone from feeling that way. This is Patterson in her purest form. In the previous season she walked through a dark path but that path hasn’t led her to be a criminal and hurt others, if not the opposite. It has led her to do justice, even if it’s a little outside the rules.
Patterson is light and since she felt that she couldn’t continue giving light and doing justice from her work in the FBI, she found another way to continue helping people. I reaffirm what I always say: Patterson is a beautiful and wonderful unicorn.
Rich is different, he has lived for years outside the law, in the shadows and being a criminal. If someone knows the hacktivist world, it’s him. It makes sense that Patterson allied with him, although surely it must have been complicated to trust each other and I would like to see how that relationship developed.
I think Rich accepted because it allowed him to feel that risk, that adrenaline of his old life and, at the same time, he wasn’t doing anything wrong, he was helping get justice. Rich was never a bad man, he never hurt because he wanted and enjoyed it, so he also likes to feel like he’s helping, while, at the same time, experiencing that risk, danger, adrenaline and the attraction of the forbidden.
Outside of the reasons why they did it, I found interesting the way they have to face the fact that the team is about to discover them. Patterson has always been sincere, she has lived that way and it has already cost her a world to hide everything from the team. Therefore, when the secret is close to being discovered, she chooses to tell the team the whole truth and accept the consequences of it.
However, Ritch is the opposite. He has lived most of his life in the shadows, in that line of illegality. Being sincere wasn’t something he could be, nor was trusting the people he works with. That’s the reason he urges Patterson to keep hiding the secret from the team.
In fact, I thought it was significant when Patterson asks if after so much struggle to get the trust of the team they would renounce it so quickly. Rich answers that if he saves himself from going to jail he would do so without hesitation. Here we see the difference between the two of them. For Patterson, being sincere and having the trust of her team is really important in her life. Ritch can go without that if necessary.
This is the direct consequence of Patterson being an FBI agent and Rich a reformed criminal. Their lives have been different and their way of thinking obviously is, as well.
In the end, Patterson agrees to do it like Rich wants and, although at the beginning she isn’t very happy, I think in the end she sees the attractiveness of that life. The risk, the adrenaline, the living life to the limit. Victories seem more satisfying when they have an extra risk.
And, just as she has come to know the appeal of Rich’s way of life, he has done the same with hers. He has lived what it is to feel good doing the right thing. When he had the option to end the life of someone who deserved it, he chose the right thing and didn’t do it – although he had me worried, because Rich knows that kind of justice very well – saving a life because it was what he should do. They, have, for a little bit, seen what life looks like from the other side.
That look of disappointment that Patterson gave him when she thought Rich was really going to do what Kathy asked him was brutal. She fully trusted him and Rich made his performance so convincing that she came to think that he really hadn’t changed. But it turns out that he has.
I can’t wait to see more of them! They make a amazing team!
Zapata and Patterson
I love seeing these two characters together! Blindspot, with this scene and the small exchange that we have seen between Jane and Zapata, is striving to fix one of the points in which they had to improve – show female friendship on screen – and I couldn’t be happier.
Tasha cares about our unicorn AKA Patterson and wants to know that she’s okay. In addition, she knows her and knows that she takes refuge in work and gives her the possibility of going home. But if she accepted that proposal, she wouldn’t be Patterson.
Each of us faces problems and traumas in a different way. Patterson does it by focusing on work to solve the mystery. It’s a catharsis for her, to avoid thinking too much and, at the same time, get the answers she needs. Zapata is aware of this and that is why she leaves and gives her space.
We already saw this attitude from Patterson last season. However, then that attitude was much less healthy. Patterson in season 2 didn’t recognize that there was a problem and much less that she needed someone. She tried to convince herself and others that everything was fine, that she was fine, when the reality was that the opposite was true.
By not recognizing the problem, focusing on the work became more an obsession than a way of dealing with what had happened and that led her down a somewhat dark path.
Now, the situation is different. The first thing Patterson does is recognize that she isn’t fine, that there is a problem and she opens up a bit with Tasha, she lets her into her thoughts and feelings. This is a huge breakthrough that allows Patterson to cope in a healthy way with what has happened and how it has affected her.
It’s wonderful to see this breakthrough in Patterson and also to witness the beautiful friendship between her and Tasha, the concern they feel for each other and how they know each other. It’s fascinating to see even the slightest hint that Tasha is capable of everything for the people she loves. Good job, Blindspot!
Zapata and Reade
Did you die of feels when they were flirting with the cell phones? Those looks, the smiles, that connection … you totally feel it. I screamed at the screen, “find a room at once, guys!” Did anyone else have that reaction?
Tasha and Reade teaming up is one of my favorite things. I love that they do it because it gives them the opportunity to talk. And, thanks to that, we discovered that Tasha is exchanging messages with Megan and not only that, they’re getting close. And Reade’s face when he finds out reflects mine.
I understand Tasha. She has composed herself after the disappointment from the previous episode and now she just wants to try to be Reade’s best friend.
From her point of view, Reade has chosen Megan and she accepts it, keeps everything she feels inside and acts only as Reade’s best friend, pretending that she’s fine with the situation and moving forward. And that’s what she’s doing, Megan wants to get close to her, be her friend and Tasha is letting her. Even if the situation kills her inside, Reade is her friend first and so she acts.
Tasha is capable of doing everything for the people she loves, even of destroying herself for them. It’s what we are seeing in this situation with Megan. Tasha cares about Reade and he’s happy with Megan … so Zapata keeps everything she feels hidden, even if she’s breaking, so she can put on a good face and be the perfect friend.
It’s heartbreaking. What Tasha has to be feeling at this moment is sad, hard and painful. I want to hold her very tight.
Apart from this, call me distrustful, but I just don’t trust Megan. Suddenly she wants to be best friends with Tasha … or maybe it’s me who can’t stand Reade’s girlfriend and Tasha suffering. We shall see.
Anyway, this will explode sooner rather than later. As I said the previous week, the relationship between Megan and Reade is doomed and Tasha also needs to explode. It’ll be great, and we’ll be in the front row to see and comment!
Reade
It has been great to see him as a leader. It seems like things in the team have stabilized a bit about this. Everyone respects Reade’s authority and they all work together. Moreover, he has proven to be among the best for the position because he does what he has to do, trusting his team, but making the difficult decisions when he needs to.
In fact, all this has been even clearer outside the team when Reade and Zapata have gone looking for the recordings of Stuart’s murder that supposedly didn’t exist.
Reade encountered the usual problems. The agency denying that they had that kind of information and did that kind of thing. However, Reade didn’t take long to bring out his authority and not ask, but demand that they give him those recordings. This is what a true leader does. He’s strong when he needs to be and is able to guess when it’s necessary to pull out the authority and when he needs to be nicer.
Reade has been a great choice for the director position. He’s fulfilling all my expectations and more. And the change of leadership has been well treated, with the problems that would happen in real life being addressed and solved. I like it!
Team
When the case is over, we discover that the whole Team has realized that Rich and Patterson were Kathy’s companions in the hacktivist group. The secret is exposed. And, always in a hypothetical way, they make it clear that it doesn’t matter …even if it’s hard to process. They believe in Rich and Patterson’s good intentions.
The truth is that this surprised me. In Blindspot , secrets don’t usually have a good ending but it has been a pleasant surprise that this one did. And I understand why. Roman wants to destroy the team piece by piece. He’ll go unveiling each other’s secrets in order to make them distrust each other and break them. But, as Kurt said in the previous episode, the only way to survive Roman’s attack is to be united.
Therefore, the secrets they discover will serve to unite them more and not separate them. Of course, that doesn’t mean that some problems won’t come to light. The trust of the team will be put to the test and surely there will be trouble. But in the end, they will emerge united, ready to end the threat.
In fact, I think that after this test, in addition to being more united, they will also be more real. Right now, they are a team, a family … but they have their secrets, for different reasons. When everything is uncovered they will go further in the trust and connection they have now. And they will see themselves as they are now, completely, and they won’t have to hide ever again.
JELLER
Every week I love this couple more! I love seeing them. At home they’re an adorable couple. The flirting, the kisses, the touches, the smiles … their happiness ! They love each other and they’re so happy together that they pierce the screen.
Within the team, the couple is like a team within the team itself. I love seeing how they’re able to balance everything. They’re able to go on a covert mission and be attentive to the action while making innuendos and flirting with each other – by the way, has someone besides me melted at Kurt calling Jane “wife” – and, at the same time, fight shoulder to shoulder when necessary and then come home and talk about it, like a normal couple. I love them!
The dinner they give at home has been so familiar, so natural that it moved me. It’s been special. The actors have that wonderful chemistry on screen that makes us really live the scene and the dynamics between them is like that of a family.
By the way, THE WEDDING RING HAS RETURNED TO THE JANE’S FINGER !. You can see it when she and Kurt are kissing at the end of the episode. WONDERFUL.
I want a lot more of them! The writers are doing a perfect job in balancing action, romance and mystery. Bravo!
ROMAN
Roman appears at the end of this episode. He calls Jane and she tells him that she has discovered his game: he wants to uncover the team’s secrets. He replies with something interesting: “you refuse to see the bad of people.” That phrase reminded me immediately of what Kurt told Jane, that she always saw the good in people, even in a dark person she saw light. It’s totally true and Roman is saying the same but with the intention of using it to damage her.
Jane has thought that he wanted to protect her, but Roman has made sure that she knows that his intention is the opposite. He wants to make her suffer, destroy her, use one of her greatest virtues – seeing the good of people – against her. All so that Jane sees who she “chose” before him and suffers for it. Roman wants her to feel all the pain and anger he feels by destroying her new life, shattering it piece by piece.
Jane assures her that she already suffers. They are family, she wants to be together as a true family, to be able to overcome everything they experienced in their lives. However, Roman replies that she doesn’t know the meaning of the word “suffer,” not really. But he will take care of making that change and enjoy the process.
This threat is really strong and cruel. It’s a faithful reflection of Roman’s intentions. Destroying Jane and her new life as a form of punishment for her “betrayal.” For having chosen them before him. Roman suffers this betrayal, this loss and wants to punish Jane for it but, at the same time, he wants to make her feel what he feels. Roman continues to take refuge in what he knows – anger – because he doesn’t know how to handle his deepest feelings … yet.
STUART’S MURDER
At the end of the episode we got into the Stuart’s murder. And as always with Blindspot, when they give us answers, they leave us with thousands more questions.
Patterson discovers that someone is trying to erase what happened when they murdered Stuart. The recording of that moment has been manipulated. Later, we discover that the person who did it was the security chief of the agency, the woman Reade had to press for the recording.
And that woman has done it by order of a mysterious man that we have never seen before, a man whose ear is practically melted. But who is this man? What happened to his ear and who did it? He killed Stuart? If he did, was it by Roman’s order? And … what reason would this man have to help Roman? Many questions to which I’m eager to find an answer!.
Also, Patterson has deciphered the tattoo that Stuart was working on before he was killed. These are people whose only relationship is having owned a Van Gogh self-portrait. And here we end, we still don’t know what is so important in this tattoo that had Stuart killed. And I’m very intrigued.
It seems significant to me that as soon as Stuart started working on this tattoo he was murdered. That makes me wonder, how did they know what he was working on? I think there are two options: there is someone inside giving information to the enemy or they have different access to their system. Maybe they hacked it in a way that neither Patterson nor Rich could detect.
This plot is really interesting! I missed this mystery of the tattoos so much. In fact, until this season I had no idea how much I missed it. Now I can’t wait to see a new episode to answer any of the questions they have raised.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it has been an episode that maintains the great level of the previous ones. They have found the perfect balance between the mystery of the Blindspot world, action and romance. Each plot has its moment and none is left half or untreated.
This episode has been a true reflection of it, it has had very good rhythm, full of action, with secrets that have been revealed but with new questions that will be solved soon, at the same time, they have been able to give the perfect touch to the episode with great and beautiful Jeller scenes. Nor have they forgotten Roman, and they’ve made it clear that he has come to stay and that he’ll be a nightmare for the team and especially for Jane.
Agree? Disagree?. Do you have any theory you want share?. Don’t hesitate to share your opinion with us in the comments below! We’ll be back next week with episode 3×04 “Gunplay Ricochet”. Here’s the promo for the next episode.
Blindspot airs Fridays at 8 / 7c on NBC.
