Blindspot – Name Not One Man

By starrymag | February 15, 2017

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

In 1996, a young Kurt Weller (Scott Lindley) is disciplined for sneaking out of the Academy by his superior, Colonel Nix (Chris McKinney).  Weller asks to be expelled, but Nix tells him to wait outside.  Sheppard (Michelle Hurd) comes up to him.  She tells him to learn how to properly manage his anger and that staying at the academy will give him the power he needs to take control of his life.  In the present, Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) recounts the memory to Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) as he walks with her and Nas Kamal (Archie Panjabi) to the entrance of the academy.

 

The morning after, Nikki (Meagan Kimberly Smith) asks Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) to stay with her.  He tells her he has to go to work and she gives him her number.  At headquarters, Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) asks him why he missed their morning workout.  He lies that he slept in and Patterson (Ashley Johnson) joins them, remarking that it’s just them at headquarters while the others are out.  She shows them Jane’s tattoo of literary quotes, which also contains passages from the bible.  She shows them a passage that is marked as Genesis 3.25, but is a fake passage.  Patterson ran the phrase through a database and it leads to Jared Wisnewski (Jayce Bartok), an ordinary farmer.  Reade and Zapata question the lack of a solid lead and ask Patterson how she found the information.  However, she refuses to reveal her methods to them.

 

Weller is welcomed back at the academy and Molly (Antoinette LaVecchia) remarks that its amazing that Weller ended up as an FBI agent after all of his discipline issues at the academy.  Jane corrects her that he is Assistant FBI Director and lets her assume that Jane is also an FBI agent.  Weller shows Nix the picture of Sheppard and he identifies her as Ellen Briggs, an army veteran who came to the academy each semester to talk about her experiences abroad.  Nix mentions that she took a particular interest in Weller and tells him that she is the one who convinced him to keep Weller at the academy.  Weller asks him how she convinced him and he tells him that she paid for his tuition.  After they leave, Molly calls Sandstorm to tell them that Weller was at the academy and he knows the truth.

 

Patterson shows the team her updated profile on Ellen Briggs, a high-ranking general.  Much of the information is hidden under security clearances, but Patterson manages to find a connection to a Sean Clark (Kenneth Tigar) who she worked with for years.  She finds that he is currently living in assisted living paid for by the same organization that paid for Weller’s tuition.  At Wisnewski’s farm, Zapata continues to question Reade about his morning but he brushes her off.  Nobody answers the door so they decide to look around the farm.  They find a shooting range and a barn full of weapons and bomb materials in the back.

 

Weller questions Clark about Sheppard, but he talks about a World Series game instead.  Jane asks him if he remembers her and identifies herself as Ellen’s daughter Remy.  Kamal tells them that Clark had brain damage from his stroke.  Jane encourages him to try again.  Weller talks to Clark about baseball and Clark tells him that he recognizes him.  He tells Weller that he played for the Mets and that he could have been a National, but they could never let that happen.  Back at headquarters, Zapata shows them the pictures of the weapons from the farm and tells them Wisnewski’s farm is a cover for a terrorism operation.  Patterson sees Wisnewski stepping off the elevator at headquarters and the team chases after him.  As Weller arrests him, he tells them that he is an informant for the FBI.

 

In custody, Wisnewski explains to Weller and Reade that reports to Agent Joshua Boyd (David Furr) on potential terrorist threats by a group of farmers unhappy with an upcoming pipeline construction.  When pressed further, he reveals that they planned to stage a terrorist attack as a sting.  Weller doesn’t believe the FBI would do such a thing but Agent Boyd comes in to corroborate the story.  Weller demands to see Boyd in his office and yells at him for conducting an off the books illegal investigation.  Boyd tries to defend his plan, but Weller tells him that he’s shutting everything down.  After telling him the dangers of leaving the weapons with the farmers, Weller tells him to give him a report to help him make a decision about the operation.  Jane shows Roman (Luke Mitchell) photos of Sheppard and Clark and Roman feels familiarity with Sheppard’s photo.  Jane tells him that she is their mother and he wants to know everything about her.  She mentions the top-secret files and he wants to look at them.  Jane tells him that she can’t show them to him and he questions how he can be helpful if he can’t see everything.

 

Weller confronts Patterson about how she got her information about Wisnewski and she admits that she’s been using NSA software Omaha to help her.  Patterson tells him that this is the first time she’s used Omaha and that they need to use every resource to bring down Sandstorm.  Weller says that he in charge, not her.  Weller goes to Boyd and tells him that he is charge of the operation now.  Boyd shows him the Intel he’s gathered and Weller orders that the members be arrested.  Though Boyd tells him the organization need Wisnewski’s word that the plan is still good, Weller doesn’t want to put him back in the field.  After some convincing, Weller allows Wisnewski to call one of the members, Tess Bartell (Betsy Beutler) from headquarters.  He tells her to meet at the usual meeting spot, but Tess asks to meet elsewhere.  Wisnewski is unable to convince her and she tells him to meet her in an hour before hanging up.

 

Out in the orchard, Zapata sees a motorcycle and car drive towards the meeting spot and Weller instructs the team to make the arrests if something seems off.  Tess and Kevin Pabst (James Andrew O’Connor) confront Wisnewski about the FBI raid of his property.  He assures them that the evidence doesn’t lead to them and that the plan can still go forward.  Tess decides to strike another target, but won’t tell Wisnewski where.  She gets suspicious and points a gun at him and Weller orders the team to move in.  Wisnewski admits that the FBI is listening and Tess shoots him. She jumps on her motorcycle to escape and Weller drives after her.  Reade, Zapata and Jane close in on Pabst and his partner. Pabst shoots at them from behind his vehicle.  His partner is shot and Pabst surrenders.  Bartell gets away by driving through some rocks.

 

Kamal shows Roman the Sheppard files, but doesn’t recall any new memories.  He asks if his last name is also Briggs, but Kamal tells him that they couldn’t find any record of his and Jane’s adoption.  He wonders why he feels a deep connection to such a terrible woman and what that makes him.  Furious about the failed mission, Weller tells him to turn in his badge.  While looking for Tess’ whereabouts, Patterson gets a notification of a robbery of explosives nearby.  Tess activates the explosives on the truck and drives into the city.

 

Weller and Jane question Pabst and Weller tells him that everyone Tess kills will be his responsibility and asks him to do the right thing.  He tells them that Tess is most likely to target the New York federal headquarters of the Department of Land Management.  When they arrive at the building, Weller gives instructions to his team and Patterson tells them that the vehicle is headed towards the building.  Weller steps into the street, points his gun at the truck and orders it to stop.  The truck doesn’t stop and Weller shoots the tires to stop it.  A man gets out of the truck and shoots at Weller, but Weller shoots him.  Tess gets out of the truck and the team points their guns at her. She holds up the detonator and she threatens to set off the bomb if they shoot her.  Jane tries to plead with her that killing is not the answer, but Tess believes that it’s the only way to make her voice heard.  Weller is able to convince her to do the right thing.  He walks over to her and takes the detonator before she is arrested.

 

After the mission, Kamal tells Weller that she’s using her contacts to find more information on Sheppard.   She comments that his frustration stems from feeling that he was never in control and tells him not to question his leadership ability.  Weller tells Patterson that they can’t use the Omaha to help with cases, but Patterson insists that they need to use everything to bring down Sandstorm.  Weller understands that she’s been through a lot, but he believes that there has to be a line that they can’t cross.  She promises to shut Omaha down, but first she plays a phone conversation between Clark and Mayfair where he asks her to keep Weller in New York instead of transferring him to DC.  He realizes that Clark told him about it at the nursing home when he was talking about the Mets and the Nationals.

 

As Reade leaves, Zapata she apologizes for pushing him earlier.  She figures out from his response that he’s seeing someone and is glad that he is happy.  Weller goes to see Clark and asks him about the failed promotion.  Clark tells him that his career is with the Mets and he had to stay as face of the franchise.  He mentions the “Truman Protocol” and Weller asks him to elaborate.  Clark tells him that people could be listening and Weller suggests they talk in his room.  Sheppard is already there and a Sandstorm agent knocks Weller out.  Jane goes to talk to Roman and he asks her why he would willingly follow a terrorist responsible for so many deaths.  Jane tells him that Sheppard believes that the government only serves people in power.  Roman questions whether she has a point, and wonders if Jane is brainwashed now.  She tells him that they’re on the right side, and that Sheppard uses people.  She declares that she chooses to work for the FBI and Roman questions when was the last time she made a decision for herself.

 

Reade brings Nikki home and she sets up a line of cocaine before snorting it.  He is disturbed and she tells him to loosen up before offering him a line.  Jane goes on a skee-ball date with Oliver Kind (Jonathan Patrick Moore).  He compliments her ability and Jane tells him that she’s glad that she decided to go out with him.  Jane sets her eyes on a stuffed shark and he tells her that it would take a big level of commitment to get enough tickets for it.  Jane agrees to it before taking his hand.  Zapata finds Patterson hard at work and very stressed.  Patterson collapses after insisting that she need to keep working.  Weller wakes up tied to a chair and Sheppard standing over him.  She reminds him of the day they met at the academy.  Weller asks why she is so fixated on him and she says she believes that he will help her when the time is right.  Weller declares that he’ll never work for her and Sheppard tells him that they both believe in doing the right thing.  The only difference is that he believes in playing by the rules and she believes the rules should be changed.  She apologizes to Clark before killing him.  As she leaves, she tells Weller that he will help her next time.