Blindspot Review: Scientists Hollow Fortune (Season 1 Episode 12)

There are three words to describe this week’s episode of Blindspot: pens, conspiracies, and flashbacks. “Scientists Hollow Fortune” is an extremely tightly written episode that finally shows us what Jane’s military history may have looked like, how sketchy Oscar can really be, and slowly starts to uncover a conspiracy.

The episode opens with Jane and Oscar. He still can’t tell her anything about herself, but apparently, he has his first task for her and it involves replacing Mayfair’s pen with an identical replica.

Yes, you heard that right, the episode opens with Oscar asking her replace a pen. It’s a request so insane that it just screams “I’m testing you!” to the point where they write in dialogue about how implausible it is that he knows exactly what Mayfair’s pen looks like and Jane has a little quip about whole scenario:

Jane: So you wiped my memory, tattooed by body, and sent me to the FBI…so I could steal a pen?

When you put it like that, it just cheapens the brilliance of the whole mission! Oscar remarks that although Jane’s memory is wiped she still acts like Taylor and although she takes the pen from him we later see her taking it apart and putting it back together.

Oscar is supposed to be on Jane’s team here—following her orders. I want to believe that Jane is in control of this mission, but a simple video confession stating that this is her plan seems too easy. I still approach that aspect of the story with a grain of salt.

Now, let’s move away from the ridiculous pen request for now and onto this week’s tattoo-related mystery. This week, the team encounters another person whose memory has been erased with the help of ZIP.

Charlie is a veteran who goes on a shooting spree. The team investigates but there is something off about this scenario. Charlie is supposed to be dead so that’s a big red flag but then he presents as having amnesia similar to Jane. Unlike Jane, he can remember his mother and his life, only the last year and a half is blank and the last thing he remembers is being in “hell.”

Charlie is regarded as Jane 2.0, but through all this interaction it’s easy to start wondering exactly how Jane is a failure. Programs don’t develop a version two unless there are problems with the first one and the logic here doesn’t track.

It goes like this: if Jane erased her own memory then it stands to reason that she injected Charlie with ZIP. If Charlie is “Jane 2.0” and this entire “mission” is Jane’s plan then why would Jane let herself be version one—the guinea pig?

This logic bothers me throughout the whole episode. Scientists from the program abduct Charlie to continue the experiment so they can get the serum just right and change the face of modern warfare.

Tell me, do those words lead anywhere good?

The fact that no one seems to recognize Jane should immediately tell you that these experiments aren’t one in the same and this is confirmed when Jane eventually meets Oscar again at the end of the episode.

Jane ends up stealing Mayfair’s pen and handing it over to Oscar, but she has come to the conclusion that this was all a test. Of course, because why would a big plan involve something as simple as a pen—unless there is some “the pen is mightier than the sword” imagery going on here.

Oscar says that Charlie and the soldiers that were killed were not part of her plan. Instead, he and Jane learned about the research and disapproved, but in their disapproval saw another application for ZIP.

If that’s the case, then Charlie and Jane were created by two different programs tied together only by the use of the chemical—making them half siblings or cousins.

What’s worrying me more than the conspiracy is Jane’s loyalties. She’s blown off Kurt in favor of Oscar but I want to believe that she isn’t choosing a side and is instead trying to find answers.

Jane isn’t a waify character who needs guidance and pity, but her search is a part of human nature. Jane is looking for answers to who she was and Oscar is there promising her a treasure trove of answers if she earns his trust. Of course, now that she’s done one thing I am worried about what else he might ask of her in the future but that’s a question for next week. In the meantime, it doesn’t mean we have to trust him.

Stray Thoughts:

• Mayfair is concerned for Patterson’s well-being after David’s death. It’s sweet but do you really want the woman who saves the team’s bacon time and time again to be out of commission?
• Patterson has an ear recognition database? I think John Munch just went to the store and bought every color beanie ever made.
• The moment where Charlie’s mother comes in and hugs him made my heart break for Jane. Taylor’s mother passed away years ago and her father wasn’t in the picture—she’ll never get to have a happy reunion like that.
• Weller and his dad just gave me all the feels this episode.
• We learned through a video of the five test subjects that ZIP was only affecting one of the subjects. My question is…if ZIP doesn’t work on everyone then what makes someone a candidate? What predisposes them to the use of this memory drug?
• Orion is slowly starting to come into focus. I get the feeling that this is really going to pay off, but I can’t stand how they ended this week’s episode. Spend the next fifteen minutes googling “Orion Map” and “Orion Military” and I guarantee you it will drive you nuts. Not to mention if you just type in Orion and start reading about the constellation.
• So apparently, Reade and Sarah are seeing each other. Wasn’t expecting that but they seem to be kind of cute. I hope Kurt’s okay with his coworker seeing his sister.

What did you think of this episode of Blindspot? Do you trust Oscar? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Blindspot airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.

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