The series premiere of Blindspot was one of the biggest highlights for me during premiere week, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the follow-up episode for the past seven days. Let’s take a look at Jane Doe’s continuing quest to discover her true identity with the show’s second episode, “A Stray Howl.”
The episode begins with Jane in a session with her therapist. He has her attempt a Rorschach test, and it ends up helping her recall the memory of training in the woods that she regained at the end of the pilot. She mentions that the FBI thinks that she may be a Navy SEAL, but she doesn’t believe that the unconventional nature of that training session supports that story very well. She later works with Agent Weller to test out muscle memory with different weapons. She quickly shows how adept she is with both guns and combat in general, and more memories start to flood back to her. Specifically, Jane remembers what she perceives to be an assassination, leaving her more worried than ever before about who and what she was.
The “case” this week deals with a tattoo of a cipher that is unlocked by the tattoo that was used in the previous episode (that sounds more complicated than it actually is, and the characters do a great job at explaining it to us laymen). The tattoo reveals a name, and Jane, Weller, and a couple of other agents head out to investigate the discovery. Upon leaving the house, a bomb explodes that destroys evidence, while the man, Major Gibson, escapes. The team continues investigating Gibson, and they learn more about him that calls into question his state of mind. Gibson continues a string of violent actions, and members of Weller’s team verbalizes worry about blindly following the tattoos on Jane’s body without knowing exactly what is going on. Weller, however, reminds them of just how important she is, and it’s a very strong character and relationship moment taking place extremely early in the series. The connection between Jane and Weller was established to be unnaturally strong in the pilot, and the show is doing a great job at strengthening this bond even further.
After speaking with a General that has worked with Gibson in the past, the team learns that he is a very skilled soldier and killer that can prove a huge nuisance to them during this investigation. They also learn that he was a secret drone pilot and that one of his next targets may also be a drone pilot. Upon trying to find this man, Jane gets herself into another tussle that provides us with a wonderfully choreographed fight sequence that’s even better than the one in the previous episode. Blindspot is only two episodes into its run, and it’s already proven that it’s going to be a big contender for best action on television this season. There are plenty of shows on television that can give you solid action, but the fact that Blindspot is able to bring it in such a strong way while telling a much more character-driven story than non-viewers would be led to believe through the show’s promotion is pretty admirable.
The rest of the episode shows that the case in “A Stray Howl” is much stronger than the one that was featured in the show’s pilot, and that tells me that, unlike many series premieres, Blindspot hasn’t shown all of the cards in its hand during a single episode. We also get a lot more information (both confirmed and possible) about who Jane may really be and what her connection to Weller may end up being. I want to think that this won’t turn out the way that Weller thinks it will (if only because we’re only two episodes into the series), but I have enough confidence in the show that the actual reveal of Jane’s identity will be handled successfully.
In the beginning and end of the episode, we got a very small look at Agent Weller’s family. The scenes were brief, but I really like the way that Blindspot has shown how slowly it’s going to reveal more of the backstory behind the character. While some may see this as slower pacing than usual on a network drama, I see it as a very deliberate way of strengthening a character through a subtle juxtaposition of past and present. I’m excited to learn more about Weller throughout the season and, hopefully, for seasons to come.
I want to mention that “A Stray Howl” is the first episode that features the opening title sequence for Blindspot. It’s pretty brief (albeit longer than those of most modern television series), but it’s really beautifully rendered and completely fitting to the series. Great work on this one.
In my review of the pilot, I mentioned that the writing was enjoyable and adequate, but that, aside from establishing the show’s premise (in an admittedly strong way), it was nothing special. Only one episode later, it’s clear just how much improvement there’s been in this area. “A Stray Howl” was one of the best-written episodes that I’ve seen in a “procedural” as of late, and I’m completely sold on the strength of creator Martin Gero and the entire writing team. I also want to really stress how great the cinematography in Blindspot has been so far. Cinematography is an aspect of production that many viewers don’t notice unless it’s badly done, but good cinematography, even when unrecognized consciously, has the ability to strengthen any story. Blindspot will never look as artsy (as some people perceive as being of a higher quality than something more straightforward) as, say, Hannibal or House of Cards, but it doesn’t have to, and, really, it isn’t supposed to. Blindspot is shot in the absolute perfect way that it should be, and it will hopefully enable the show to stand out among other similar dramas on television.
“A Stray Howl” was a big improvement over an already strong pilot, and I can’t wait to see how events continue to play out on Blindspot. Based on what I’ve seen already and what has been teased to come, I’m confident that I won’t be disappointed.
What did you think of the second episode of Blindspot? Are you all-in with the series yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo credit: Virginia Sherwood/NBC]
Follow Us
