Last week’s Blindspot ended with multiple cliffhangers. Did anyone out there think we were actually going to get answers this week? Tonight’s episode was definitely filled with all sorts of surprises.
• Blindspot Season 1 Recaps: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 4
Episode 2 ended with Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander, Kyle XY) having a surprise reunion with the bearded man (Johnny Whitworth) from her flashbacks. Instead of picking up where we left off, “Eight Slim Grins” opens on a shot of what’s in Jane Doe’s refrigerator. Maybe she’s taking a look at what she has on hand for more unexpected company?
Actually, the above scene seems to take place right before she met up with Beardo because two seconds later, as she’s stripping down for a shower (of course), he smacks her upside the head. The smack doesn’t knock her out, but it does trigger another one of her flashbacks. Jane Doe soon overpowers the bearded man, but he promises answers if she lets him go.
First thing he asks is whether or not “they” found the SEAL tattoo yet. He also mentions that “you can’t trust them.” I have to assume that he’s talking about the FBI. I can only assume, because before he gets the chance to say anything else, shots fly through the window. R.I.P. Beardo; we hardly knew ye!
The action then cuts to a bunch of guys in ski masks robbing a jewelry store. One guy is left behind.
Jane Doe is back at the FBI, icing the spot Beardo smacked and talking to a shrink about everything that just happened. She assures the doc that she can handle herself. By now, everyone should know that, but maybe he missed the last two episodes. Agent Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton, Strike Back) tells Jane Doe she is being moved to a safer place, but she says she thinks she knows the bearded man.
Meanwhile, Patterson (Ashley Johnson) is still working on those tattoos. She’s actually found that the robbery suspect has the exact same tattoo as Jane Doe. What are the odds?
The suspect’s name is Casey Robek. It turns out he’s part of a crew that’s well known for their colorful ski masks and robbing skills. The crew includes Casey’s cousin Travis (Adam David Thompson) and a guy named Omar. Reade (Rob Brown, Treme) tells Weller that Travis may be hanging out at a mini mall in Queens, and off they go.
Jane Doe gets to ride shotgun (again), but is told to hang back in the car. Instead of playing with the radio, she starts poking around the building, where Travis her. He takes off in the alley, knocks her down, and puts a gun in her face. Then he asks who she is. “I was hoping you could tell me,” Jane Doe counters.
The feds show up and they exchange a little gunfire. Travis takes off and gets away.
Back at the FBI, the crew tries to find out where Travis went, while Jane Doe worries that yet another lead to her identity may be getting away. She should be used to disappointment by now, no?
Jane Doe and Weller go to visit Casey in the hospital. She starts arguing with Weller that she should have a gun and that he’s withholding information. In other words, he’s actually following protocol for a change. While the two are griping, the hospital lights go dark. It’s Travis and Omar, looking to pick up Casey.
The two make their way down the dark halls using flashlights and machine guns to guide the way. Jane Doe and Weller move Casey in an effort to keep those two looking. Weller finds an unnamed bad guy, fights him and shoves a bunch of needles into him, which may or may not have killed him. Either way, he’s out for the rest of the episode.
Meanwhile, Casey wakes up and nods that he does indeed know Jane Doe. Could she finally get some answers? No! Omar breaks up the chat and there’s gunfire. Jane Doe ends up stabbing Omar. She then saves Weller from another bad guy. How many of these guys are there? Just one is left — Travis. They’re too late though; he already got Casey and the two are gone.
As Travis tries to escape with Casey, a doctor informs him that he shouldn’t really travel. The gurney and IVs should be a dead giveaway, but Casey doesn’t seem to be thinking all that clearly. Instead, he tries to disguise himself as a doctor and leave out the front door, where the bulk of the FBI is hanging out. As Casey tries to wheel Travis back into the hospital, he’s greeted by a heavily armed Weller and Jane Doe. He ends up dead. Jane Doe tries to get info out of a dying Casey. He mumbles “O’Ryan” (or something like that — did anyone hear something different?) and is gone.
Outside of the hospital, Weller shares his theory with Jane Doe about her being the missing Taylor Shaw. Later, Patterson confirms his suspicions. He was actually right. Could it really be that easy?
Back at the FBI, the crew briefs Mayfair (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Without a Trace) about everything that went on in the episode. She remarks how for once, she would like to know something about this case. Wouldn’t we all? Weller says the one thing he does know is that Jane Doe is “an incredible asset.” Reade and Zapata (Audrey Esparza) look at him like the insane person that he is. And just like that, she’s made honorary FBI — or something.
The episode ends with Mayfair meeting up with Thomas Carter (Michael Gaston, The Leftovers) at a restaurant. The two talk about how Jane Doe is part of something called “Daylight.” He says if that’s the case, then she needs to disappear. However, Mayfair says that Jane Doe doesn’t know anything; she’s worried about whoever else is out there, connected to Jane Doe.
So now Jane Doe could be part of an even bigger plot. Will that throw a wrench into the weekly format? Maybe they need something to fill the void that Beardo left behind. Did they really need to kill off that guy so soon? What was the point of even introducing him? Also, does it seem too easy that Jane Doe is actually Taylor Shaw? And is it me or do Reade and Zapata seem like a waste of space? Give them something to do besides nod their heads please!
New episodes of Blindspot premiere Monday nights at 10/9CT on NBC.
