Blindspot Roundtable: “Senile Lines”

Wednesday night’s new episode of Blindspot found the team struggling to defend itself while under investigation by an old rival, Matthew Weitz. Meanwhile, a tattoo leads the team to a mysterious death at a foster home, which allowed Roman to join the team on a mission.

Please join Leah, Roz, Lisa and Rueben as they discuss what happened.

Do you feel it was a little too convenient that the latest tattoo discovery put the team onto that foster home and how that case related to Roman’s time in the orphanage? Do you think there will be more correlations between Jane’s tattoos and Roman’s past in order to have him “in the game” more?

Leah: Can I admit something? The tattoos, while obviously necessary to the story, are completely ridiculous. A plan as “perfect” as Shepard’s is continuing to lead them places, places she couldn’t have foreseen would relate to Roman since she had planned on having Roman by her side. I guess it’s a good way to tie everything together though, Tattoo + Roman = more family togetherness.

Roz: Yeah, this case and the tattoos are way too contrived now, but I like that we have something to keep the show grounded to the original idea of Jane’s myriad tattoos.

Lisa: I think it’s a little crazy that now we get tattoos that are related to Roman but not before. It’s a good way to wrap everything up in a bow but like Leah said they are a little ridiculous. Badass of course, but ridiculous.

Rueben: I have to agree; how could a tattoo, after all this time, relate to Roman when he wasn’t even supposed to be on Jane’s radar, let alone involved with them in any way. It just doesn’t make sense to have anything correlate to Roman; but I guess they’ve got to include him in one way or another while harkening back to the tattoos.

Did we finally see Reade hit rock bottom thanks to that guy (Travis) in the hospital? Why did it took a complete stranger to get him to open up? And, how great was it that he called Zapata to watch the video with him?

Leah: I don’t always like Zapata but she has been very much there for Reade, even doing the hard thing and telling Weller, it’s great he called her to watch the video. Also I have decided to stop speculating on when Reade will hit rock bottom, but calling Zapata is a good step in the right direction.

Roz: I hope we see Travis helping Reade recover. As to why it took a stranger, I think he doesn’t know anything about Reade but what he can objectively see (and having someone else with PTSD say that’s what Reade has helped I hope); I love Reade and Zapata, but they’re all in each other lives and can’t be objective the way a stranger can. It was great for Zapata to watch that video with Reade, too.

Lisa: I am not a Zapata fan but her relationship with Reade is definitely growing on me. She is a true friend to him and that’s what he needs right now. As far as Travis, sometimes it’s easier to tell a complete stranger your troubles because deep down, you don’t really care what they think it’s just nice to be heard. I agree with Roz, I’d like to see Travis helping Reade recover.

Rueben: If what Travis said is true with his kidney and liver, then he might not be around for much longer to lend any help or support to Reade so it makes sense that he leans on Zapata, as they are (supposed) best friends. He needs to start talking to someone, and after sharing the viewing of whatever is on that video tape with Zapata, hopefully he will start to work his way back to his new normal, because he will never be the Reade we knew before. I also agree with Leah, I’m not sure if he has hit rock bottom or just coming up for air because he plummets again.

How great was it to see Roman in the field with the team? But do you think that he will begin to have more flashbacks to his past that will inadvertently set-off a domino effect, driving him back to his old ways?

Leah: Roman and Jane got to where they are in two very different ways. I don’t see Roman adjusting quite as well, not that Jane had an easy transition. There are bound to be some upcoming bumps in the road.

Roz: I want more of Roman in the team if he can provide that little bit of outsider perspective to help everything. This was a specific case where Roman was a great asset, but I don’t know if that can always happen.

Lisa: I like Roman with the team, but I don’t trust that his loyalty will stay with the team once his memory starts to come back. Especially if he remembers that Jane was the one who wiped his memory.

Rueben: I agree with Lisa, I’m not sure if he can be trusted – as we know his memory is going to start coming back to him (“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” could be his theme song!!) – and then the team is going to be in serious trouble. I love seeing him with the team rather than in that his little prison; but it’s just avoiding the inevitable.

Weller was willing to sacrifice himself to save the team. Did you want to see Zapata in charge?

Leah: ABSOLUTELY NOT. Was that too harsh? 🙂

Roz: G-d no! Zapata is just too something to be in charge.

Lisa: Helllllllllll no. No. Like for real No.

Rueben: Nope, I wasn’t comfortable with that idea at all. I’d rather see Patterson in charge before Zapata.

Before he could do that, though, Nas obviously put herself on the chopping block? Was that the best course of action? That being said, did you hear the song “Goodbye to You” playing in your head as she walked out or was that just me?

Leah: Ha! Ha! I love reading the questions we come up with every week. I read them and I think, “OH ME TOO!”

Roz: I didn’t even think of that song or that she won’t be back. I think it was the best choice to keep the plan to put down Sandstorm. Nas wants to win the war and she can’t do that if their battle ended sooner.

Lisa: HA!! I didn’t think of it then, but it cracks me up now. I think it will have a better outcome with Nas taking the fall. Although it was noble, I didn’t want Weller to take the fall.

Rueben: That was the first thing that came to mind as they were all drinking a round to “salute” Nas. I’ve never been really happy with her inclusion into the team – let alone that ridiculous relationship with Weller – and can only hope that this will be the last time we see her (although I doubt that will be the case).

What does Shepard have planned by spending $20 million dollars in Bangkok? And just what kind of devastation does she have planned for the Western Hemisphere?

Leah: Do you remember the 42nd Die Hard movie with Timothy Olyphant? I see Shepard doing something kind of like that. More through brute force than computer hacking, but taking us back to the “dark ages” and demolishing all government and infrastructure.

Roz: Well, she’s got some crazy amount of some bioweapon so I can’t see anything good happening. I imagine she wants to just go Scotched Earth on the Western Hemisphere, but that also probably takes out part of Europe. I feel like she really just wants to kill North and South America.

Lisa: That woman is rotten to the core. It’s all bad. Death and destruction is the only outcome if she succeeds.

Rueben: I’m afraid to see what she’s got planned actually. No matter what the end of Phase 2 means, it’s going to be horrible with plenty of death and destruction.

We’ll have a couple weeks’ break before the next new episode. What do you think will happen in the last three episodes given what we saw in the clips for the remainder of the season?

Leah: Every time I speculate things go the complete other direction. I have no idea!

Roz: Well, I feel like “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” could be something to sing soon, but other than that, I’ve got nothing.

Lisa: Ha! Roz that is hilarious. I agree. We can add that song to the Blindspot soundtrack this season. One thing I want to see is Weller and Jane admit their feelings for one another and I’d like to see Patterson happy.

Rueben: Roz hit it right on the head. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I do want to see Patterson reach some kind of level of happy and for Weller and Jane to wisen up where their relationship is concerned. But for the bigger story, I got nothing too.

Blindspot only has three more episodes left in its second season with the next new episode expected to air on NBC on Wednesday, April 26 at 8/7c.