Blindspot – Defection

By starrymag | May 17, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

In 1997, Shepherd (Michelle Hurd) watches young Remi (Nicolette Debellis) and young Roman (Lachlan O’Day) play mancala. Remi wins and Shepherd gives another chore to Roman, telling him he’ll never beat Remi if he plays like that. She tells him to try harder, and Roman loses every game but one. Roman is excited that he finally beat Remi, but Shepherd tells him that Remi threw the last game so he could win. Shepherd angrily switches all of the chores to Remi, and tells Roman that Remi thinks he’s weak. Remi tells him that he has to anticipate his opponent’s next move, commenting that the game’s more fun when the opponent is equally matched.

 

In the present, Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) and Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) tell Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) that they weren’t able to get any information out of Lynnette Belmont (Jennifer Esposito). Patterson (Ashley Johnson) reminds them that the attack is time sensitive, and that she and Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) can’t find any potential connection between any of the potential targets and Crawford.

 

Roman (Luke Mitchell) makes a phone call telling someone that his condition is getting worse and that time is running out. Blue Hat (Narada Campbell) tells him that the first part of his plan is done, and Roman greets Blake Crawford (Tori Anderson). The hotel manager, Edmund (Nick Westrate), greets Roman and Blake, and Roman requests a full tour of the hotel’s security. Reade gets into an elevator with Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) and apologizes for what he said. Zapata blames herself for Reade’s broken engagement, but Reade assures her that her feelings weren’t the cause. She apologizes, and asks if they can be friends.

 

Patterson questions if Jane should be working, but Jane insists she’s fine other than having headaches. Patterson tells the team that one of the potential buildings was broken into, and Jane flashes back to a plan Roman proposed during their Sandstorm days. Shepherd tells him his plan is too complicated, and that she already has a plan in place. Roman throws a table in frustration, and Jane tells him that though his plan is good, Shepherd’s is better. In the present, Jane tells them about Roman’s original plan and Patterson and Rich realizes that Crawford is building a dangerous bomb.

 

Jane comments that Crawford’s plan is unusual for him, and the team tries to figure out his motivations. Patterson asks Jane if she knows what the second target in Roman’s plan is, and Jane tells them there’s someone who might. Shepherd is brought in for questioning, and Weller tells her they need to ask her some questions. She notices his wedding ring, and asks if he married Remi. Weller tells her he didn’t marry Remi, and Shepherd realizes he’s referring to Jane. She comments that she missed her calling as a matchmaker, telling Weller that Jane was tailor-made for him.

 

Weller asks about Roman’s plan, and Shepherd comments that Roman is getting desperate. She confirms that she knows where he’s going, but refuses to tell them unless they let her talk to Jane. Weller tells her it won’t happen, but she tells him that he’s always had a protective streak. Shepherd calls out to Weller as he storms out, and promises she’ll tell them if she can speak to Jane. Outside, Weller tells Jake Keaton (Chad Donella) that they can’t let Shepherd have what she wants. Keaton reminds him the strings he had to pull to get Shepherd to the FBI and Jane agrees to talk to Shepherd, commenting this will be the last time she’ll ask her for anything.

 

Jane tells Shepherd to talk, and Shepherd apologizes for what she’s done. She tells her she regrets pitting her and Roman against each other, calling their bond unique and powerful. Shepherd urges Jane not to destroy her bond with Roman, and that she needs him. Jane tells her this is the last time she’ll see her children again, and that’s it’s her fault. Shepherd gives her the name of the facility, and Edmund shows Roman and Blake the security camera room. Roman orders him to show them the suite Blake will be staying in, insisting he needs to assess the security. Blake apologizes for Roman’s anger, and tells Edmund that she can’t use his hotel unless they see the room.

 

Weller checks on Jane, and Jane suggests that she subconsciously sabotaged herself to prevent herself from killing Roman. She admits that she still feels her bond with Roman, but Weller insists that Shepherd is wrong. Patterson tells the team that the facility Shepherd gave them was already robbed, and Lab Tech Woods (Juan Ayala) tells them that a truck was spotted at the scene that Patterson identifies as belonging to an office supply company. Rich suggests that it’s a Trojan horse to deliver the bomb, and Patterson figures out that the truck’s destination is the United Nations. Meanwhile, Edmund gives Roman and Blake a tour of the suite overlooking the building. Roman claims to have a migraine and holds onto Edmund for support before excusing himself.

 

The team meets with UN Security Director Dana Coriano (Carey Van Driest) as the building is evacuated. Weller asks about the office supply truck, and Coriano tells them that the truck already made its delivery. Rich tells Patterson that he found evidence that Lynnette’s wife worked security for the security firm that held the codes, and Reade tells them that he and Zapata have located the truck’s delivery. They figure out that one of the copiers is rigged as a bomb, and tell Patterson and Rich the details. Patterson gives them instructions to disarm the bomb, and they are able to disarm it in time. Rich is excited that they stopped the bomb, but Patterson believes that the plan is too easy and there must be more to it.

 

Patterson and Rich confront Lynnette about the UN attack, asking if she wants her wife to go down with her for helping retrieve the codes. Lynnette insists her wife had nothing to do with it, but Patterson points out the evidence against her. Lynnette doesn’t know the whole plan, but mentions that it might be related to a pipeline Crawford was obsessed with. Rich figures out that the countries the pipeline is supposed to be built border Crawford’s land purchase, and Patterson figures out that the leaders of the countries are meeting at the UN to begin peace talks. They figure out that Crawford intends to assassinate both leaders so the pipeline is built on his land.

 

Patterson tells Jane and Weller their discovery, and Jane suggests the bomb was a way to get the leaders onto the street so they could be assassinated from one of the nearby buildings. Coriano takes them to King Almasi (Obi Abili) and President Botros (Zainab Jah), and Weller tells them that their life is in danger. Coriano tells Weller they have to follow UN protocols, but Weller argues that the assassin is expecting them to follow protocol. She tells them that it’s not up for debate, but Jane convinces her to let them go with the leaders.

 

Blue Hat observes as Weller and Jane escort the leaders into the hotel. Almasi is suspicious of Botros, and Jane interrupts their argument to tell them that Crawford is the one responsible. The two leaders explain that they united against Crawford’s suggested pipeline change, and Jane and Weller suggests that they don’t let Crawford destroy their countries. Patterson expresses frustration with the hotel camera feed, and Rich suggests the interference is coming from a third party using the feed.

 

An elevator camera goes out, and Roman manipulates the camera from his tablet as a flashback shows he installed his device onto the wire during the tour. Blue Hat and a group of assassins join Roman and a flashback shows Roman swiping the room key from Edmund when faking a migraine. Patterson tells Jane and Weller that Roman is coming to them, and Roman tells the Secret Service Agent (Tom White) that he is there to take over. The Agent asks for their credentials and the assassins shoot the real secret service agents. They enter the suite but find that Almasi and Botros aren’t there. Roman looks at security footage of Jane and Weller escorting them through the stairwell, and tells his assassins to shoot to kill.

 

Patterson sees Roman and the assassins on security footage and informs Jane and Weller of their presence. She tells them that she’s informing the secret service that they’ve been compromised and Jane assures her they won’t trust anyone. Weller and Jane escort the leaders out of the stairwell, and Patterson gives them instructions to lead them out of the building. Roman sees them moving before the camera feed goes out. Patterson tells them that she cut the camera feed, meaning that nobody can use it. They see Roman and Blue Hat spread out, and Weller grabs Blue Hat as he passes them and snaps his neck. Weller shoots at another assassin and Jane escorts the leaders. Roman shoots at Weller as he catches up to them.

 

Roman shoots Almasi, and Jane shoots at the assassins to allow Weller to get him and Botros into an empty room. Weller ties up Almasi’s wound, and Botros assures him that they’ll get out and restore peace to their countries. Patterson tells Jane and Weller that Reade and Zapata are outside and to get the leaders out via the garbage chute. Reade and Zapata pull the leaders out of the dumpster once they drop from the chute, but the chute breaks before Weller can slide through it. Jane runs out of bullets and joins Weller. They barricade the room and hold hands before jumping together into the chute. Roman and his assassins get into the room, and he realizes that he’s lost as the team and the leaders get away.

 

Reade tells the team they now have enough evidence to arrest Crawford, but they agree that it will still be difficult to bring him and Roman in. Reade tells Patterson that Botros’ phone is missing, and Patterson pulls up the security footage of someone going back to get the phone. She does a close-up of the phone and realizes that Zapata is the one that took it. Keaton is offended that they’re blaming him for the missing phone, but Patterson shows them the footage of Zapata taking it. She tells them she was following CIA orders, and Reade requests she hand it over. Keaton tells her to give it back, and Zapata tells him she gave it to him. Zapata refuses to speak to him privately, and Keaton denies asking Zapata to get him the phone or having it. She argues with him, but he implies that she stole it for herself and calls her a mistake.

 

Roman discards his secret service jacket and answers a call from Blake. She realizes that he was involved in the hotel shootout, and asks what happened. He promises to tell her everything at some point, but he has to fix his mistake with Crawford first. The rest of the team waits for Zapata, who tells them she’s been fired from the CIA. Reade tells her they believe her story, but Zapata points out that any legal action would be her word against theirs. Patterson suggests she return to the FBI, but Zapata refuses, insisting she’s poison. Later, Reade approaches Zapata and tells her she can’t leave, but Zapata asks him to let her go. He refuses and kisses her, but she insists they shouldn’t do this.

 

Jane tells Weller that she’s realized her connection with Roman is real, but she’s not Remi anymore.  She tells him that her other half is there, putting her hand on Weller’s chest. A tattoo hit appears on the screen, interrupting the moment. Reade answers the door of his apartment, and Zapata tells him not to think about it as they have sex. Patterson tells Jane and Weller that the tattoo database has been fixed, and shows them a video Roman uploaded of himself asking Jane to finish what they started and play one last game, winner take all.