Blindspot – Borrow Or Rob

By starrymag | February 21, 2017

By: Jessica Wolff

 

In 2001, a group of kids break into their university to change their grades in the computer.  They run at the sign of the guards and the leader puts information into a formula for their next attempt.  The campus police catch the group and taser them as the leader tries to talk his way out of trouble.  In the present, Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) gets dressed and Nikki (Meagan Kimberly Smith) offers him drugs.  He declines, saying that he can’t indulge like he did over the weekend.

 

Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) recounts his experience with Sheppard (Michelle Hurd) to Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) and Nas Kamal (Archie Panjabi).  Weller is frustrated that Sheppard is able to do whatever she wants without consequences.  He tells them that Clark mentioned the Truman Protocol in one of his last moments and Kamal promises to look into it before showing him Ellen Briggs’ property records.  Jane figures that her and Roman (Luke Mitchell) might have lived at one of the addresses and Weller tells her to bring Roman to every address to see if either of them regains new memories.

 

Patterson (Ashley Johnson) comes in and Weller questions why she is back so quickly after her collapse.  She assures him that she’s fine, but Weller is worried about her.  She shows them her findings on the latest tattoo, a seal of a secret society at a university with an equation that includes a variable of the price of lithium.  Patterson shows them a partial leaked list of alumni from the society, which includes several notable CEOs, senators, Gord Enver or Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer).

 

Rich is brought to headquarters carrying a stack of religious texts.  He has embraced religion during his time in prison and says a silent prayer in the interrogation room.  Weller, Kamal and Jane are not amused by this and start questioning him about the society.  After several attempts to get him to cooperate, Jane puts the equation down in front of him.  He tells them that the formula is to determine what actions are worth the risk and that many alumni have used it for nefarious purposes post-graduation.  After being asked to look at the particular numbers, Rich realizes that the equation calculates the risk of starting a war with another nation.

 

Patterson explains that the purpose of the formula is to determine when it is more cost effective to invade another country to steal their lithium.  The team is unable to figure out the target country and Weller asks Rich who is possibly involved in the plot.  After attempting to avoid the question, Rich gives the name of his former friend, Zach Riley (Mark McConville).  Patterson lists all of Riley’s businesses and realizes that his electric car business is powered by lithium.  Weller asks if there are any other possible names and Rich gives him one more: Boston (Josh Dean).

 

As he is brought in, Boston is not happy to see Rich and believes that this is another attempt to win him back.  Rich denies it, but he emphasizes that he is a changed man.  Patterson tells them that Riley is back on campus as an honoree for the college’s winter carnival.  Boston tells them that the society will be hosting a secret cocktail party around the event.  Reade suggests putting Rich and Boston into the field, as they are already members.  Boston would rather get the death penalty than go with Rich.  Weller breaks up the lover’s quarrel and asks if members can bring a date to the event.  Weller tells them that they will bring a member of the FBI as their date.  Boston questions why he should help them and Weller threatens to transfer him to a prison farther away to get him to go along with it.

 

Jane wants to go on the mission, but Weller tells her that Kamal will be taking her and Roman around to Sheppard’s properties to jog their memories.  Weller tells Patterson and Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) that they will be going as Boston and Rich’s dates.  However, Rich vetoes Zapata and believes that Weller would be more convincing as his date.  They arrive on campus and Weller tells Rich that he can track him if he tries to escape.  Patterson and Boston enter the party, but Rich and Weller are barred by Phineas (Adam Daveline).  Weller pulls him away and demands to know why they were denied access.  Rich admits that many of the members are angry with him.

 

Rich brings Weller through a secret passage to another entrance to the party.  He tells Weller that Phineas hates him because of a prank he pulled on him.  Weller admits that he was almost expelled a couple times and Rich attempts, but fails to turn it into a bonding moment.  They reach the door and find that the handle has been removed.  Weller kicks the door down and they find themselves in the middle of the party.  Several members come over, pointing guns at the two of them.  Luckily for them, Thad Munson (Matt Gourley) comes over and says that Rich is with him.  He greets Rich like an old friend and Rich introduces Weller as his husband.  Munson doesn’t believe that and identifies Weller as a hooker due to his burly arms and they go along with it.  As soon as he walks away, Weller asks Reade and Zapata about Phineas and Munson.  They tell him that they have no connections to any lithium-based companies.

 

Kamal drives Jane and Roman to first property.  Neither of them regains memories and they go inside the house to look around.  Rich spots Riley talking to someone, but can’t identify the guy.  He and Weller dance on the dance floor so he can get a better look without raising suspicion.  Rich identifies the man as an international lawyer.  They see Riley hand a laptop off and Weller asks Rich if he can hack into it.  He says that he can, but he needs the key fob in Riley’s hand that changes the pass code of the computer.  Patterson and Boston agree to talk to Riley to get access to the fob.  Jane and Roman walk into the house and Roman is surprised at how normal it looks.  He gets frustrated that he can’t remember his childhood home and Jane tries to calm him.  Roman is angry that Jane doesn’t feel the same anger towards Sheppard and breaks a picture frame in rage.

 

Zapata asks Reade what is going on and he admits that he’s been dating Freddy’s girlfriend Nikki.  She thinks that it’s a horrible idea, but Weller interrupts asking them to keep eye on the guards.  Rich and Weller go to Riley’s secret storage area behind a bookshelf and find Riley’s laptop.  Patterson and Boston argue over how to get the fob in Riley’s front pocket.  Boston gets a sudden idea and brings Patterson over to greet Riley.  He introduces Patterson as the love of his life and ignores Riley’s surprise as he puts his arm around him.  Patterson compliments him on his brilliance as Boston swipes the fob as they are talking.  Patterson gives Weller and Rich the password and Rich hacks into the computer.  As Weller sends Reade and Zapata the files, Zapata warns him that guards are making their way upstairs.

 

Boston’s attempts to distract Riley are thwarted when an assistant informs him of the theft of his computer by Rich.  Boston tries to hide his involvement, but Riley is suspicious.  He hides the fob, but Riley pushes past him to investigate.  Patterson warns Weller, but Weller and Rich are already being held at gunpoint.  Riley questions them and Rich confronts Riley for stealing his code for his business and taking all of the credit.  Riley reminds him that they worked on that code together and that he refused to leave college with him to start the business.  Reade and Zapata tell Weller that they found a press release that announces the sale of the electric car business.  Weller apologizes for the confusion and drags Rich away.  Riley offers Rich a spot on his team and Weller restrains Rich on their way out.

 

Jane attempts to calm Roman down at her apartment.  She suggests to Kamal that they let him catch his breath as she prepares a glass of water for him.  Roman notices flowers from Oliver sitting on the table next to them.  The roses trigger a memory of Roman watching Weller eat at a restaurant with a woman.  Patterson looks around the party at the society members.  Boston complains about Rich and Patterson tells him to shut up and details her experience with Dr. Robert Borden (Ukweli Roach).  Weller and Rich rejoin the party and Rich rants about his regrets over rejecting Riley’s offer.  Weller tells him to focus on the mission and Rich tells him that there’s more to life than missions and to tell Jane how he feels before it’s too late.  Suddenly, the lights go out and some hooded members begin a sacred awakening ritual.

 

Patterson and Boston spot a man talking on his phone outside.  Weller and Rich try to join them but they are not allowed to leave the ritual.  Frustrated, Weller fights the guards and punches his way out of the meeting.  Zapata identifies the man as Benjamin Lauren, a man with military ties.  Patterson and Boston follow him into the fine arts building.  Inside they pretend that they came into the building to hook up.  However, a couple of Benjamin’s men point guns at them.  Patterson and Boston attempt to fight their way out.  Weller handcuffs Rich to the statue as he runs in to help Patterson.  Munson comes over and Rich asks for help to break out of the handcuffs.  He admits that he’s helping the FBI, but then realizes that Munson is the suspect they’re looking for.  Munson shoots the handcuffs off and tells Rich that he needs him alive.

 

Kamal and Jane take Roman the restaurant in his memory.  A couple embracing outside triggers a memory of Weller saying goodbye to the woman and Roman crashing his car into hers as she leaves.  He remembers going to the woman and strangling her to death and that he called her Emma.  Jane realizes that the woman is Emma Shaw (Stephanie Roth Haberle), Taylor Shaw’s mother, and that Sheppard had her killed to protect Jane’s cover story.  Roman is horrified and wants to tell Kamal.  However, Jane wants to be the one to tell Weller the truth.  Munson demands that Rich hack for him and tells him that he plans to detonate a bomb at the university and pin the crime on Bolivia.  Rich tells him that the FBI will stop him, but Munson is confident that his plan will work before shooting him in the foot to get him to cooperate.

 

After investigating the scene, Zapata and Patterson figure out that Munson is responsible and that he has Rich at the department of alternative energy.  Weller goes inside to look for them. Munson puts a gun to Rich’s head when he finds them.  Weller apologizes before shooting Rich in the same foot and Munson surrenders as Weller calls his team in.  At the hospital, Rich asks if he gets publicity for helping them.  Weller reminds him that this was a classified mission and Jane tells him that redemption is its own reward.  Rich tells them that he can help solve another tattoo in exchange for Boston being transferred to a nicer facility and his early release on good behavior.

 

Patterson talks to Kamal about the therapist that she wants her to see and Kamal admits that Dr. Sun tried to warn her about the eventual traitor that Kamal was too close to.  Patterson asks her how she got over the betrayal and Kamal tells her that she can do it even though she was unable to.  Reade comes home to find Nikki gone and a vial of cocaine in the apartment.  He goes to get rid of it, but decides to snort some instead.  Weller asks Jane if Roman regained any memories and she lies that he didn’t.  Kamal tells Weller that the only information about the Truman protocol is around the dropping of the original atomic bomb.  Riley gets into a car with Borden and comments about the FBI’s dealings.  He asks if the FBI knows about his arrangement with Sandstorm, but Borden says no and that he’s important to Phase Two of their plan.