Blindspot – The Quantico Affair

By starrymag | November 1, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

In London, Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) answers a call from Madeline Burke (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), who sends her a file from Kira’s hard drive. Zapata calls the file a problem, but Madeleine calls it an opportunity. In New York, Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) asks Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander) what’s behind her back. Roman (Luke Mitchell) urges Jane to kill him, but Jane pulls out the needle and explains that it’s for her to use when her condition gets worse. Weller promises they’re going to find a cure, but Jane reminds him that Roman didn’t. Weller begs her for the needle, and Jane reluctantly hands it over. Jane admits that things are hard, but Weller embraces her and promises they’ll get through it.

 

Patterson (Ashley Johnson) makes out with Lincoln (Dustin Milligan) in a club and he admits he forgot her name. He admits that he really likes her and Patterson tells him that her name is Lisa. Lincoln offers to get them another drink and Patterson asks for another kiss first. The next morning, Patterson wakes up next to Lincoln and tells him she has to go to work. As they get dressed, Lincoln asks for her number but Patterson refuses to give it to him, thanking him for a fun night. Lincoln asks if she has time for a fun morning, and Patterson kisses him.

 

Matthew Weitz (Aaron Abrams) reports that Zapata is alive. Edgar Reade (Rob Brown) asks how that’s bad news, and Weitz tells them that Zapata killed Kira, showing them a police sketch. Reade declares that it doesn’t make sense, and Weitz explains that Zapata must be Madeleine’s fixer now. Weller suggests that Zapata is working with the CIA, but Reade tells him that Keaton didn’t know where she was. Reade can’t believe Zapata would do this, and Jane declares that people change. Weitz tells them that Zapata was giving information about Jane to the CIA to help pay her gambling debts, and the team is shocked by the revelation. Weller asks if the sketch has been made public but Weitz tells him that they’re keeping it private, as Zapata is the key to figuring out Madeleine’s plans.

 

Rich Dotcom (Ennis Esmer) explains to the team that he solved a tattoo involving a domestic terrorist with no further information. Jane asks if that’s the whole briefing and Rich offers to explain the mathematics he used to solve it. The team declares they’re good and leave as Patterson walks in. Patterson asks where they’re going, and Rich explains that he solved the tattoo. She calls him out for not giving them every detail about the case, and he tells her they don’t care about the details. Patterson reminds him the crime solving happens in the lab, and Rich tells her to show up on time if she has a problem with it. Rich reminds Patterson that they have the Quantico recruits shadowing them today and asks Patterson why she doesn’t want to talk about the book of secrets. Patterson doubts that the supposed cures exist or will help Jane, but Rich still wants to investigate.

 

Patterson and Rich welcome the new recruits, and Patterson is shocked to see Lincoln among them. She tells them that she starts the sessions with one-on-one time, pulls Lincoln outside, and asks what he’s doing there. He asks what she’s doing there and why she gave him a fake name. Patterson admits that she thought they wouldn’t see each other again, and Lincoln tells her he thought they had a good time. Patterson accuses him of using her for a recommendation, but Lincoln tells her that he doesn’t need one from her. She tells him he’s made this a situation and goes to talk to Weitz about it. Weitz asks how his nephew is doing, and Patterson is surprised that Lincoln is Weitz’ nephew. Weitz gets a call and Madeleine steps into the FBI office.

 

Weitz starts to give Patterson and Rich instructions when the field agents arrive covered in paint and feathers. They explain that the bomber activated a bomb when they tried to catch him, and Reade explains that they used a bunch of old paint cans to shelter them from the blast. Weitz tells them about Madeleine’s arrival, and they go into the conference room to talk to her. Madeleine tells them she has information about Crawford being tied to international corruption, telling them that she wants transparency moving forward and handing over a flash drive.

 

Patterson speculates that the drive has a virus, and Reade suggests examining its contents on a secure computer. Weitz tells them to interrogate the bomber and promises to handle Madeleine before suggesting that they let the recruits watch them work. Patterson shows the recruits Jane and Weller interrogating the bomber, Ted Henwood (Michael McFadden) before asking to speak with Lincoln. She calls him out for not telling her he’s Weitz’ nephew, and he tells her he didn’t want anything handed to him. He swears he didn’t know who she was, and she asks him to keep it a secret. Rich approaches them and asks Patterson why she’s not observing.

 

Rich tells the team and recruits that Ted had an accomplice, Larry. Reade, Weller and Jane go to arrest him despite Patterson’s insistence they need a full briefing. Patterson has Rich explain how he figured out the information, and Riley (Annie Q.) explains the data to the rest of the recruits. Patterson finds an invoice for an explosives purchase, and reports to the team that the Larry intends to blow up a hotel. As Patterson and Rich confer with the team, Weitz is happy to see that they’re showing the field agent experience for the recruits. Jane gets frustrated with his questions and shuts the camera off, and Weitz delivers the computer to Rich and Patterson before embracing and checking on Lincoln.

 

Rich shows Patterson that the drive has no virus and legitimate information. Patterson suggests they cross-check the information against the tattoo database, but Rich hands it off to Afreen (Ami Sheth). Rich asks Patterson which recruit she likes best, asking about Lincoln. Patterson denies playing favorites, and Rich shows her evidence that the book of secrets is legitimate. She asks what his angle is, and he admits that he’s been trying to find the book for years. Patterson storms off and Rich asks why she doesn’t want to talk about it. Rich admits that it could be worth a lot but emphasizes that his priority is helping Jane. Patterson suggests it’s a red herring, but Rich argues that Roman did everything for a reason. He insists that it’s worth looking for, but Patterson ignores him and updates Weitz on the case.

 

Weitz asks Patterson which recruit she likes, and Rich tells him that Patterson likes Lincoln quite a bit. Weitz asks Patterson for help recommending Lincoln, and Patterson tells him that Lincoln is good and so is Riley. Weitz takes it as approval to recommend Lincoln, and Patterson asks Rich why he told Weitz she likes Lincoln. Rich tells her that they have chemistry and can see why she slept with him, telling her it’s obvious. She asks him not to tell anyone, and they return to the case. Patterson pulls up a map of the hotel, and she and Rich discover through the team’s findings that the bombs are on one or more trains.

 

The field team tells them to let them know when they find the bombs, and Rich and Patterson show the recruits the potential trains that are carrying the bombs. Weitz refuses to evacuate the subway suggesting that Larry might want that, tells them to call when they find the bombs and leaves. As they work to narrow down the trains, Afreen texts Patterson and Rich, showing them that Larry was a former employee of a subsidiary of Crawford’s company.

 

Patterson asks where Madeleine is, and Weitz tells her he let her go. She tells him about their findings, but Weitz insists that Madeleine isn’t responsible for Crawford’s crimes. Patterson insists it’s more than a coincidence, but Weitz refuses to believe her. Rich tells Patterson that Crawford’s subsidiary had a rival company, and Patterson speculates the initial plan was to their building. They use the information to find the bomb’s target, and Lincoln identifies the train with the bomb. Patterson reports to the field team the bomb’s location, and that the bomb squad is stuck in traffic. They plan to evacuate the train, and Patterson informs Weitz. He is offended they made the call without him, but Patterson reminds him don’t have time. As they start the evacuation, Patterson sees that the emergency brake has been overridden and Jane reports that she and Reade are still aboard the moving train.

 

Weitz yells at Patterson to override the override, but Patterson tells him it doesn’t work like that. He asks where Weller is, and Weller reports that he’ll look for Larry on the station. Patterson tells Weller where to look and Lincoln calculates they have six minutes to stop the train. Patterson tells Reade and Jane that the bombs are most likely wired to the train, and Weller reports he has eyes on Larry. Rich sees there’s an incoming train and Weller reports that Larry was hit by the train.

 

Patterson asks Weller to look for a remote on Larry, and Jane and Reade show them video of the bombs. Rich tells them how to disable the bomb, and Patterson matches the screws found on Larry to the roof panel, declaring the control mechanism is on the roof of the train. Jane reports that it’s an old computer, and Riley asks why the bridge is empty other than police cars. Patterson realizes they intend to derail the train into the river and assures Rich that they will be able to defuse the bombs.

 

Patterson writes code to reprogram the bomb’s GPS to blow up in India, telling Jane she needs to write it word for word. Rich reports they need Weitz’ authorization to not derail the train, and Weitz accuses Patterson of being emotionally compromised by the team being on the train. Patterson reminds him they’re his team, insisting they’re not out of time yet. She accuses him of caring more about appearances than people’s lives, telling him this is the job. Patterson asks him to trust her, expressing her confidence in Jane.

 

Weitz orders the override, and Jane reports that she’s almost done. Patterson and Rich give Jane the last part of the code when she reports losing it. The coms go silent as the countdown reaches zero. After moments of silence, everyone breathes a sigh of relief when they hear Jane. The office welcomes back the field team with applause, and Rich comments to Riley that field agents get all the glory.

 

The team goes into Weitz’ office and watch a press conference of Madeleine taking credit for stopping the attack. Patterson questions why she came to them, and Jane replies that she likes playing them right under their noses.  Zapata is waiting for Madeleine when she gets in the limo, asking what that was. She asks how the bombers were activated, telling her that she can’t help her if she doesn’t know what’s going on.

 

Patterson asks Lincoln what he’s still doing there, and he tells her he got a job at the LA office. She congratulates him, and he says goodbye. As they shake hands, Patterson asks how early his flight is and asks him to come over after dinner. Patterson sees Rich smiling at her, and he reminds her of her plea to Weitz to trust her. She allows him to look into the book but tells him they can’t tell anyone until they find something concrete. Rich agrees to keep it between them, declaring them ride or die.

 

Roman compliments Jane’s work, commenting that Jane used to do those things. He tells her not to forget who she really is, and Weller joins her on the couch. Weller brings up her syringe and tells her that the world needs her. Jane kisses him as Roman looks on disapprovingly. She asks Weller what he did with the syringe, and he tells her he got rid of it. Jane tells him it wasn’t his choice to make, and Weller tells her he loves her. She tells him she needs some air, and Jane gets into a car with Violet (Hettienne Park), who tells her she’s late. Violet tells her what she’s asking for takes time and is expensive, and Jane gives her half the money. As they walk away from the car, Weller takes pictures of Violet from behind a sign and makes a call to talk about Jane.