Blindspot – Check Your Ed

By starrymag | January 18, 2019

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

As Remi (Jaimie Alexander) and Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) fight, Remi insists she’s not Jane as Weller tries to get through to her. Remi puts Weller in a chokehold, but he sticks a tranquilizer in her neck. In Mexico, Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) orders Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) to drop the gun, as he and Matthew Weitz (Aaron Abrams) point their guns at her. Reade challenges her to shoot him, and Zapata drops the gun, allowing herself to be handcuffed.

 

As Remi is strapped to a bed, Patterson (Ashley Johnson) explains to Weller that Dr. Nancy Williams (Jennifer Van Dyck) has been helping her and Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) replicate the experimental treatment found on Roman’s (Luke Mitchell) data cache. They warn Weller that the procedure could be fatal, and that they can’t stop the procedure once it begins. Weller tells them to do the procedure and begs Jane to come back to him.

 

Jane relives her memories of coming out of the bag in Times Square and her subsequent intake at the FBI. In the interrogation room, Weller introduces himself and Jane asks what’s going on. He tells her they don’t know and asks if she recognizes him. She questions why she would, and he shows her the picture of his name tattooed on her back. Jane is terrified by the situation and Weller encourages her to try to recall any memories.

 

Outside of Jane’s mind, Jane’s vitals start spiking and Williams informs Weller that they shouldn’t be. Patterson follows Weller outside and Weller admits that he can’t lose Jane. Patterson assures him that things will be okay, but he is skeptical, blaming himself for ordering the treatment. Weller declares that he can’t imagine his life without Jane, and Patterson tells him Jane needs him to be there for her. Weller goes back inside and takes Jane’s hand. In Jane’s mind, Jane kisses Weller and regains her memories of their relationship. Jane and Weller are transported to a version of Patterson’s lab with mementos of their life together, and Weller tells Jane that she’s under attack. Jane asks who’s attacking her and pulls the sheet off a flashing red screen to reveal Remi watching them.

 

In the real world, Rich and Williams explain to Weller that Jane’s memories and Remi’s memories are at war with each other. Weller asks how long she has to be under the treatment, and Williams explains that the process needs to be slow and gradual. Weller asks if Jane is at the mercy of the machines, and Patterson tells him that Jane needs to fight for herself to ensure success.

 

Back in Jane’s mind, Jane explains to Weller her realization that she needs to wrestle control of her mind from Remi. Jane tries to leave the room, but she keeps walking back in. Weller asks where they start, and Jane admits she doesn’t remember much other than him. She declares that she needs help and flashes back to Borden telling her that they’re defined by their choices as he presents her with two paper cups.

 

Jane finds two cups in front of her and takes a drink out of one. She comments that it tastes like grass trimmings, but Reade takes it from her and claims it as his. As Reade drinks to Jane’s plan, Jane finds a small blue triangle inside the other cup as she tries to drink it. After flashing back to Patterson explaining a puzzle to her, Patterson tells her that the team will find a new shape as she helps her.

 

The pieces become a picture frame and Jane realizes the puzzle leads to a picture frame on the wall. Rich stops her before she can remove the frame and disables the wires rigged to the painting. Jane is able to remove the painting but is shot by Zapata as she flashes back to a memory of Zapata shooting her. Zapata insists she’s helping, despite Rich and Patterson’s skepticism, and advises Jane to get the wound examined.

 

Weller opens a first aid kit and Jane sees Roman’s box inside. He reminds her that it requires both of them to open and they open it to find a sparkling key inside. A door opens and Jane declares she’s getting stronger with each new memory. Jane asks if they’re coming with her, but soon realizes they can’t leave the room. Patterson assures her that they’ll be there when she needs them, and Jane leaves with Weller.

 

As they walk into the hallway, Jane starts seeing distortions of Weller. Weller speculates that Remi wants Jane to be scared and alone and Jane questions which direction she should turn. On one side is a creepy looking girl (Sophie Knapp) and on the other is a locked door with someone trying to break free. Jane takes Weller to the elevator and sees a coin slot inside. The doors close on Jane as Remi watches, and Williams reports to Weller that Jane is losing the battle.

 

As Weller encourages Jane in the real world, Jane forces the doors open and walks back to the hallway. Jane approaches the locked door but runs away as it bursts open. She runs into Weller, who reminds her that fear is how Remi keeps control. He encourages her to go after Remi, and Jane gets an idea. Weller disappears and Jane walks down the hall to find a monstrous looking Roman. Jane regains her memories of Roman as he advances on her. He tells her that he wants her with him, and Jane challenges him to catch her.

 

Roman chases Jane into the interrogation room, and Weller shuts the door on them at Jane’s request. Jane asks how to get to Remi, and Roman tells her that she shouldn’t fight him because he always wins. Jane flashes back to her younger self winning over Roman at mancala and a board appears on the table. Roman questions what will happen when she loses, and Jane remembers that the mancala memories was Remi’s, not hers. Jane asks how to get to Remi, and Roman tells her they’re not finished.

 

Jane notices an open wound in his side and apologizes for not protecting him. She explains that she was trying to save him by injecting him and that she didn’t know it would kill him. Roman reminds her that he didn’t die from the zip poisoning, and Jane flashes back to the memory of his death, declaring that she should have gotten them away from Shepherd (Michelle Hurd). Roman tells her there was never a way out, forgiving her.

 

Jane tells him she misses him, and that he’s the only person who truly knows her. Roman tells her that there’s another, and asks if she remembers their memories as kids, declaring that she’s won. He gives her his coin and says goodbye before disappearing. Weller declares that it’s time to take Remi down for good. Jane admits she doesn’t think she’s ready, but Weller assures her that she can. She puts the coin into the slot and the elevator begins to descend.

 

Once the elevator stops, the door opens to reveal Shepherd flanked by Sandstorm agents in Borden’s office. Jane and Weller step out of the elevator, but Weller is dragged away. Shepherd greets Jane, asking if she remembers her. Jane tells her she’s there for Remi, and Shepherd replies that she built Remi to be unbeatable. Jane declares she wants her memories back, and Shepherd has Jane strapped into a chair and forces her to watch all of the bad memories of her life. Jane hears Roman’s voice tell her that there’s an impenetrable place in her mind and that pain is a dream. Jane channels his words and turns all of the memories into happy ones. Shepherd tells her they’re not done and disappears.

 

Jane runs out of the room and finds Remi on the other side of a glass door. She hears Weller call out for help and runs to him instead. Jane fights off the men holding Weller at gunpoint and runs back to Remi. Weller calls out for help again and Jane finds him hanging in the locker room with a bomb to his chest. Jane realizes that Remi is doing this to prevent Jane from getting to her. Weller pleads with her to save him, but she remembers he isn’t real and tells him she’ll see him when she wakes up. Jane leaves him behind and the bomb explodes behind her.

 

In the real world, Weller determines that something is wrong and demands they shut the treatment down. Patterson, Rich, and Williams remind him they can’t stop at this point. Back in Jane’s mind, Jane goes back to Remi and finds that the door is locked. She tries to open it with a nearby hand scanner, but it doesn’t work. She orders Remi to open the door, but she refuses.

 

Jane returns to Patterson’s lab, but finds that the team is gone. She calls for them, reminding that they said they would be there when she needed them. Jane realizes that she needs to solve the problem the way they would and uses Patterson’s computer to solve the puzzle. Jane finds four sets of handprints on the scan of her tattoos and overlays them to reveal scrambled letters.

 

Jane inputs Patterson’s earlier words which reveals the words “Alice Through The Looking Glass.” She finds Taylor Shaw’s doll on the table and types Taylor Shaw into the computer. The key is incorrect, and Jane tries entering the words “Jane” and “Remi” into the computer. When neither of them is correct, Jane has a memory of Shepherd telling her that her real name was Alice Kruger. She types the name in, and a picture of the little girl pops up. Jane realizes the girl is her younger self before anything bad happened to her. Alice takes the doll and opens the door with her handprint.

 

Jane approaches Remi and tells her it’s time to go. Remi challenges her to kill her and throws her a gun. Jane is unable to do it, and Remi throws Jane around. The actions trigger alarms in the real world, and Weller and Patterson encourage Jane not to give up. Jane fights Remi in her mind and Shepherd encourages Remi to kill Jane as she gains the upper hand. Remi taunts Jane, calling her a vessel to get what they wanted. She throws Jane across the room and reminds Jane that she was there first. Jane tells her that Alice came first, and that Shepherd is the real enemy.

 

Remi refuses to believe her, telling her that they’re both alone. However, Jane looks to the screens filled with Weller, Roman, Reade, Patterson, Rich, and Zapata smiling at her and tells Remi that she isn’t alone because she has people that care about her. Shepherd points a gun at Alice, but Jane tells Shepherd that she already killed Alice. Alice disappears from Shepherds grasp, and Jane tells Remi that she’s there to make peace with her.

 

She reminds her that they are the same, but they won’t be free until they break Shepherd’s hold on them. After Jane forgives Remi, they walk towards Shepherd and merge into one person as Shepherd disappears in pieces. Jane sits in Remi’s seat and wakes up. She assures Weller that it’s really her and explains that she feels like a whole person for the first time with all her memories intact.

 

Jane remembers that she broke Shepherd out of the black site, and Weller assures her it’s okay. She offers to take him to Shepherd, but Weller advises her to rest and let him handle it. Jane understands their distrust of her, but Patterson shows her the monitor that proves the procedure’s success. Weller tells Rich to take Jane to the hospital, and Jane apologizes for what she did as Remi. Weller tells her that it doesn’t matter because he loves her. They kiss, and Jane tells him to get Shepherd.

 

Weller and Patterson find the location that Jane gave them empty, but Shepherd attacks Weller when he arrives home, demanding to know where Remi is. Weller tells her she’s gone, and Jane shoots Shepherd multiple times in the chest during the fight. Shepherd asks if this is any way to treat her mother, and Jane tells her that a mother wouldn’t do what she did.

 

Jane declares that she can’t hurt them anymore, and that it’s over. Shepherd tells her she loves her, but Jane tells her that everything she did lead to who she was and that she’s proud of who she’s become. Jane says goodbye as Shepherd dies. The next morning, Rich and Patterson welcome Jane back to the FBI, and Weller hands Jane her FBI badge back. Rich comments about the happy family reunion, but the illusion is shattered as they see Reade lead Zapata into the FBI in handcuffs.