Well, they actually did it. Kurt Weller and Naz made out after after only six episodes of minimal chemistry built between them. Thankfully, one fabulous character moment at the end of 'Her Spy's Harmed' helped ease the revulsion of watching that kiss.
This week, the writers decided to freshen up Blindspot by separating the team into pairs and the result was a mixed bag, leaning more on the negative side. While Weller and Naz head to Bulgaria to find Winter, Jane and Roman go on a mission, Zapata and Reade deal with the fallout of the murder of Coach Jones, and Patterson and Borden share some awkward moments together.
Much appreciation should be given to the writing team for attempting to freshen up the storytelling this week; however, it could have been done so much better.
Naz and Weller making out came completely out of left field this week, and could very well, but hopefully not, be the beginning of a downward spiral for Blindspot. Not only do they have little chemistry, but it seemed out of character for Naz as she just doesn't seem like the type of woman that would mix business with pleasure and fall for a man that easily.
Another relationship explored in this episode is Patterson and Borden. I always found Patterson to be a tad bit annoying, but since she is used minimally her character has never really been much of a hindrance to the pacing of each episode. When more focus is put on her, especially when it comes to a relationship with a character that viewers couldn't care less about, her scenes just drag everything down, as was the case in 'Her Spy's Harmed.'
I still think Borden is the mole that Shepherd was talking about a few episodes ago. Naz putting a chip to spy on his sessions with Jane means she is on to him, not up to no good herself as is implied after Patterson discovers the chip. This week, the scene that saw Borden walking in on Patterson as she was decoding the voice recording was a bit curious. If he is the mole, it'll be interesting to see how Patterson reacts to the situation after the tragedy she had already gone through with David.
One of the consistent highlights of Blindspot has been the friendship between Zapata and Reade. I hope, and I mean I hope, their relationship does not escalate into more than a friendship as it will officially turn Blindspot into a glorified soap opera.
For now, the two characters continue to be the bright spots of this show as we see Zapata stick up for Reade and help get him out of the sticky situation we found him in last week. I'm glad they did not go down the murder route for Reade as it would have, as I said last week, made things too dark and melodramatic. Overall, this pairing was handled well in 'Her Spy's Harmed.' An intriguing mystery is built, there were a couple strong character moments between the two friends, and watching them cover their tracks added some suspenseful thrills.
The heart to heart moment near the end of the episode was really well written and acted. This was the first time I felt anything for Roman. There seems to be a genuine love for his sister and actor Luke Mitchell did a fabulous job in conveying those emotions. Much credit to Jaime Alexander too, as we see her slowly understanding how much Roman meant to her in her previous life. I have a feeling Roman will sacrifice himself to stop Shepherd from accomplishing whatever her mission is. It will be the right way to handle his character, due to the trajectory he seems to be going down, but it will also be sad as he has been a solid addition to the cast.
The kiss aside, Naz and Weller's storyline provided some entertaining sequences. Also, the reveal that Winter was framed by Shepherd and Roman in the leaking of the sensitive files pushed the narrative forward in an intriguing direction.
Naz and Weller's storyline also formally introduced Keaton, the CIA director who replaced Tom Carter and the man responsible for the torture of Jane. I find it hard to believe he is the CIA director, they are usually older and have an air of authority about them. Tom Carter, brilliantly portrayed by Michael Gaston, was a perfect example, whereas his replacement is young and slimy and creepy, he fits more the look of a dirty CIA agent than anything. Nonetheless, it looks like he and the CIA will continue to be quite the thorn in the side of the team, and I've got no problem with that.
Overall, our second main story episode of the season was a mixed bag. The main narrative was pushed forward intriguingly, but not without some road bumps such as the rushed and random Weller and Naz kiss, as well as the continued building of the unnecessary, sometimes annoying, romance between Patterson and Borden. However, on the plus side Zapata and Reade's friendship continue to be the heart of Blindspot as the two of them deal with Reade's sticky situation. On top of it all, 'Her Spy's Harmed' saw some strong sibling moments resulting in some heart wrenching developments for the character of Roman.
7/10
Notes
+It seems Weller also has some repressed memories as the voice of Shepherd sounds familiar to him. Yikes! Forget Borden and his therapy, it's about time the team hires a hypnotist to help Jane, Reade, and now Weller with their memories.
+How about Zapata and Reade hatching a plan in their underwear. That was kind of random they decided to shoot that scene like that, but hey, you can never have enough sexiness.
+Speaking of the plan, how about Zapata getting the tape stuck in the VCR? That brought back some repressed memories of my own back in the day. Also, how was she able to retrieve the tape without it getting all wound up, in my own experiences with a VCR I never once got that lucky, and it happening would have made that scene so much funnier.
+PJ Byrne as Winters was hyped by EP Martin Gero, who talked to Entertainment Weekly, as being the funniest guest star since Rich DotCom, who will be appearing next week. I didn't find his character anywhere near as funny as Rich as he was too busy proclaiming his innocence and panicking and having asthma attacks, but he did throw in a couple lines that got me chuckling, such as his reaction to getting in the bag.
+Jane continues to kick ass and it never gets old. That knee to the head as she waited on top of the crate for the security agent to pass was brutal. She may not have killed him, but he is going to have a nasty concussion.
What did you guys think of 'Her Spy's Harmed.' Leave your thoughts in the comment below and don't forget to vote for your favourite moments.
