BLINDSPOT Round table: Pilot

Blindspot premiered Monday night and we got together to talk about it. After Jane Doe shows up naked, tattooed and with amnesia the FBI gets involved. Jane managed to help Agent Weller track a suspect and stop a bombing all while trying to figure out who she is.

Do you think people are inherently good or bad or do you think it is a combination of their experiences that make them that way?

Liz: No, I do not think people are inherently good or bad. I believe it’s the choices they make, like the analyst told Jane. Experiences may influence some decisions, but in the end a person could still decide on an entirely different route, in spite of those experiences.

Leah: I think people can try and be something else but when faced with who they were it can be hard to chose to do something different.

Louise: I think we all make choices based on our experiences, and even if we try to  wipe away everything, there’s still something inherent to us that can’t be changed. Looking at all of Jane’s muscle memory and skills even with a Tabula Rasa can’t change what she learned. Now, the only difference is how she uses her skills.

Frea: I used to think nobody was completely evil. And then BBC cancelled The Hour and I realized that such a soul must exist. But for the most part, I don’t think of humans as being good or evil, just committing good or evil acts.

Cay: I’m going to say that *most* people are not inherently good or bad, but occasionally you get one that seems to go wrong way too early to be nuture vs nature. That said, unless you are one of those rare people, it’s up to your decisions, so regardless of the person that Jane was, she has a unique opportunity to remake herself, regardless of what she learns about her past.

Will Jane Doe continue to be an asset if she figures out who she was and it isn’t good?

Liz: I wondered about that too. The show has been compared to the Bourne series, so it’s possible that Jane could choose to fight for good.

Leah: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer – she can pretend to be an asset if it comes to that.

Louise: I think she will. Right now she wants to do right and I think that will trump whatever information she finds out if she always has.

Frea: In the real world? Probably not. For the show to go on, I’d say so. I’m thinking that even if it’s revealed that she was one of the bad guys, there’s going to be a lot more to the story that will be kept from her.

Do you buy the limited backstory we have for Jane now?

Liz: Yes I do. I don’t see why we shouldn’t, given what we’ve learned about her so far. It makes sense to me.

Leah: So far so good for me.

Louise: Yeah, I do. I mean, we can tell she made a choice to have her mind wiped, but I’m curious about the why. I’m having Dollhouse flashbacks right now along with the Bourne series.

Frea: I am entirely here for Lady Sif the—I mean, sorry, Jane Doe the Navy SEAL. Just really wish it wasn’t the creepy guy from the 100 standing around and lurking and being creepy again. I thought Lincoln killed you, Cage. Why are you back?

Cay: The backstory is intriguing. Maybe it’s just how they make her memory look, but it seems like much longer ago than just hours before she wakes up in Times Square, so what happened in what seems like years between her getting the drug and waking up in NYC?

Where do you see the Mayfair case going – with the tattoo being on Jane’s body?

Liz: It’s clear someone wants that story out in the open. It will eventually be revealed but at what cost is anybody’s guess. We don’t know enough about it yet for me to speculate any more than that.

Leah: I think its interesting that Mayfair is still working/in charge with a file that is redacted save the word “murder” (and another equally upsetting word I can’t remember) It can’t go anywhere good – for Mayfair.

Louise: Nowhere good as of now. I wish that so much of her file wasn’t blacked out to know more about the murder, but I suppose that was the point for now.

Frea: I’m not sure! Like, I’m not even speculating at all because I know whatever I say will be completely wrong. I can only guess random details about shows when I’m not trying.

Cay: I watched the Pilot at SDCC, but only half watched last night, so I’ll admit that I don’t remember what Mayfair is.

Which FBI Agents did you like the most/least?

Liz: Of course I like Weller, but beyond that it’s too soon for me to decide on that right now. Tasha was kind of fun.

Leah: Oh I adore Weller despite Sullivan’s accent slipping out a little here and there.

Louise: I have a personal bias towards Ramirez, since the actor and I share an alma mater, but I like his attitude. He doesn’t want to be the guy in the van.

Frea: Weller’s going to need awhile for me to warm up to him because they literally showed the manpain shot of him broodily drinking scotch all alone and I’m so not here for that. I really like Zapata and Ramirez, though. His rather dry delivery, asking if they should crack a window for him, just made me want to follow him around rather than Weller.

Cay: Weller is a catch– he just stares into Jane with such interest and concern, if I were her, I’d definitely be willing to trust him. I could see them becoming a really nice team.

Will you continue to watch?

Liz: Oh yes! I’m very interested in learning where all of this is going. I wasn’t really surprised by a lot but that twist with Mayfair was unexpected. It adds a nice layer.

Leah: Yes – I think, so far, the show has lived up to the hype.

Louise: Yes

Frea: I’m in. It’s kind of like a reverse Chuck. Chuck had all the personality and gained the skills losing some personality on the way. Jane doesn’t know who she is, but she’s got the skills. And they’re equally good at staying in the car.

Blindspot airs Monday 10/9c on NBC