First off, yay for Blindspot season 3 renewal! These last few episodes gave reason for its return. They mixed the perfect blend of humour, intriguing mystery, tense action, and a dose of romance. Through it all, as most evident in last night's unusually and simply titled 'Mom,' this show has been quite the explosive thrill ride.
The episode starts off running, picking off from last week's crazy cliffhanger, with Roman, now remembering Jane erased his memory, attacking his sister. The two siblings engage in a very brief, but tense scuffle that sees Remi overcoming her brother after failing to calm him down.
The interaction between Roman and Jane afterwards was heartbreaking. Roman had always stuck by his sister, memory or no memory, and Luke Mitchell conveyed this sense of betrayal and confusion his character was feeling very convincingly. Mitchell's chemistry with Alexander has been one of the bright spots of this season and we see that on full display in this scene as a hurt Roman pushes Remi away.
The reveal that the dose he was given is wearing off is interesting. Will Jane's injection ever wear off too? And, moreso, just because Roman has his memories back, does that he mean he'll go return to his old ruthless and cold-hearted ways? How much does memory affect who we are as human beings?
It didn't take long for the episode to get back into the action with Shepherd and her group attacking the FBI headquarters as part of a pre-phase 2 plot of taking down federal buildings across America.
Dylan Baker has done a fine job as FBI Director Pellington and it was sad to see him get killed off, mere days after the real FBI director James Comey was fired by Trump. He was at least given an inspiring send off, courageously telling Shepherd that he does not negotiate with terrorists.
That entire scene was staged very well and a large part of it goes to Michelle Hurd as Shepherd. Her presence - the way she talks, the way she carries herself - gives off a very formidable and menacing antagonist. You could see the military training her character has had through the way she commands her troops. Shepherd being such a great baddie is concerning, because we are only in the second season. How will the show top her in terms of diabolicallness and also in her personal connection to Jane and her tattoos.
Shepherd's scenes with Roman was also very strong and it raises some questions. She seems to genuinely care for her son, despite being betrayed. But does she? Is she just using him? It also seems odd that Roman would decide to run away with Shepherd after trying to kill her and it is likely that he has his own ulterior motives too? If there is one thing I'd like to see in Season 3 is Roman working with the team.
Elsewhere, it was great to see the team working together to protect the building. This whole Quantico storyline with Reade feels like a diversion to show his inner conflict. He'll be back with the team in no time, and we see him slowly getting back into the fold working with Zapata and Patterson to protect the building. The latter of whom's power surge was epic to see.
Zapata getting shot was a holy crap moment - the blood spatter and the impact made it seem like at first she was dead on the spot, but thankfully it seems she survived. This will probably be the catalyst that pulls Reade back into the team.
We didn't get much memorable Jane kicks ass moments in this episode, but we did see some Weller fight scenes. And finally for the relief of all the shippers, we finally get the Jeller kiss, albeit a short lived one.
Amidst all the action, it was great to finally get some answers. Weller, along with several important people we've seen throughout the season, will become the next line of succession when the government is wiped out. This is apparently the Truman Protocol, and everyone involved in it are the COGS. Very intriguing reveal as we head into the final episode and one that could have repercussions into next season.
9/10
